'99 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS E300 DT Avantgarde 5dr Auto Diesel Estate.

[elbow]

I have recently bought myself a 18 month old 9st bullmastiff and have decided I need an estate. I am also due to start a new job which comes with a nice payrise so instead of going for a Omega estate I have found an E300 on Autotrader. 99 on a T with 99k. Looks well looked after from the pictures. Guy is looking for £4800 for it.
Has anyone got a E300 estate around the same age. What mpg are you getting from it (diesel) and do you reckon this is a good price?
Regards,
J.

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/ww...=2&ukcarsearch_full.x=12&ukcarsearch_full.y=9

It's the 5th one down.

 

[BlackC55]

Rust and rust.

 

[elbow]

Well if you don't reckon it would be a good buy can you share with me what in your opinion would be a good buy. Got around 4-5K to spend. Diesel or LPG.
Regards.

 

[BlackC55]

It is probably worh going to see as the spec is good.

When you go to view them look for rust. They suffer badly with it.

 

[elbow]

Wheel arches,sills and the usual places I take it?

 

[BlackC55]

Top of doors behind the rubbers

Boot lock

Front crossmember

Front spring cups

 

[elbow]

Other than rust is there anything else I should lok out for? Are the engines and gearboxes good for high mileage?
Regards,
J

 

[w210inSpain]

Hi elbow
I have the same model, bought here in Spain. So hopefully the rust issue won't apply!
On a serious note, I love the car, it has a few problems which I'm slowly ironing out, but it drives perfectly, and for that price you really can't go wrong. I paid 14000 euros for mine a year ago, which is about £10k, so getting one for half that sounds good. 2nd hand cars here are approx double in price to the uk!! Despite common beliefs.
Make sure all the electrics work, and unlike me, test the rear suspension! Get a couple of people to sit in the back and make sure the rear raises to maintain the level.
In general just make sure everything works as they could be selling it because of an expensive fault.
Good luck and if it's a good one, you won't regret it.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Looks like a reasonable car for the money. The spec is very good, xexons are really worthwhile extra, in fact I would walk away from a 210 without them. Looking at the E300TD cars around some seem to be cllocking up stellar mileages so things can't be that bad mechanically.

Heeding the advice on rust is a must but from my experience the 210 is a good workhorse if looked after properly, MBFSH a bonus if possible.

Take your time and find the right car. By the way have a look at early 320CDi's they are coming into your price range and are a different dimension, probably worth emptying the piggybank for.

Hope this helps!

 

[elbow]

Thanks malcolm. Is there much of a difference between the td engine and the cdi?
Regards

 

[Schtum]

Worth a look and if care is taken on inspection it 'could' be a very good car!?

I wouldn't swap my E280 (face-lift model includes the 5 speed triptronic box + newer style dash) for anything. It's a cracker and t'was a bargain one owner car FMBH with 59k on the clock at £7k. Servicing costs and mpg (returns between 24 and 32 at best) are roughly the same as my old MK3 Mondeo Zetec estate (Another under-rated car BTW). Mine had rusty wing's and tailgate but these were replaced by Mercedes at their cost (Quite rightly on a car that cost nearly £40k new! ). Don't discount the lower mileage petrol cars unless you're doing more than the average miles per year. They IMO offer far better value for money than the often over-priced second hand diesels. Plus they don't smell. Lol.

Good luck and make damn sure it has the full dealer service history ensuring that all fluids/belts etc, have been changed when they're meant to be changed. You could then claim for any rusty panels (as long as it's not accident damage or has been resprayed anywhere other than MB) under the terms of the Mobilo life scheme. I did. :mrgreen:

 

[mattsurf]

I paid £5500 for an E320CDI Estate with 110k miles. Service history was part MB, part indi. The car has some rust on the front wings and bottom of the doors (However, I am not too worried because I know that there isn't rust that has been patched over). I got a quote to repair the rust from a Merc approved body shop, for £1,000, this includes a full respray for the lower part of the car.

When I first got the car I had a full service at my local Indi (£250)

Why go for an E320CDI - just drive one! quieter, better economy and much, much quicker, mid range is just incredible floor it at 60 - 70 and not much is going to keep up. Also the E320CDI feels more modern inside. However, the E300TD does not have a bad engine - in 1997 it was the fastest production diesel car, just the CDI motor raised the benchmark higher (and I understand that the V6 CDI raises it significantly more)

However, on the down side I think that the CDI is a little less reliable.

I have had all 4 springs changed - the front springs were tired, and one rear spring had been broken (this is pretty common) - Budget £250 to change the springs. I have also had the glow plugs changed, again £250

Within the next 50k miles, I expect to replace the MAF sensor, and maybe 1 or 2 injectors (£150 each)

However, the car drives like it has 50k miles not 115k miles. I am averaging over 37mpg over 5500 miles

Look for an honest car - they all rust, if you want a rust free one, make sure that it has been fixed properly not just had the rust covered over.

 

[jp williams]

Malcolm,
Did you ever resolve the problem with your rear wash/wipe?
John

 

[230K]

Hi

I am doing 1000 miles a week in mine at the moment and they are good cars capable of big miles when looked after.
Rust is a problem though but a gallon of Waxoyl will stop the underside getting any worse.
Economy real world mix not going mad with the Turbo is around 30mpg.

Good luck with your search and drive a few of them before buying. Why do loads of these cars show between 90 & 110K miles??????

230K

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Hi elbow/IP,
The 320CDi still brings a smile to my face everytime I drive the car, if more people realised how good the engine is they would be hard to find secondhand. The throttle response is on a par with petrol models and the mid range torque is sensational (who needs an E55). Fuel consumption ranges from mid twenties to 40+ on a run, so average is about 33-35.

It took me about 6 months to find the right specced car but well worth the wait. The extras I would recommend are, climate, leather, seven seats (helps sell it on as well as being useful), and xenons (wouldn't be without them). I would add sat-nav but there are so many good aftermarket devices that I don't think it matters.

I've covered 20K in the car now and would buy another, in fact I can't think of a more practical alternative, grunt when you need it, the cabin on the facelift car is a very nice place to be and the car can be used as a van when required.

Secondhand vehicles command good prices but thats because the trade knows how good the 320CDi engine is.

Jp, I Havn't disconnected the battery so havn't reset the ecu to see if the dead rear wiper corrects itself. I don't like disconncting the battery unless I have to on these cars, so it will wait until the battery requires changing or requires disconnecting for something else, I'm pretty sure that resetting the ecu will solve the problem as the new ignition switch was fitted live. Please let me know if you get there first.

Regards
Malcolm

 

[Bazzjazz]

I have a 99 300TD since the end of last year and would thoroughly recommend it.

Rust on mine is not an issue at present, but will need looking at some time in the future (some small spots on window frames).

MPG is averaging about 33mpg. I do mostly suburban driving with a little motorway. It drives fantastic, is very luxurious and I love it!

Good luck.