Advice for a newbie

[mrshells]

Hi to all and a Happy New Year
Came accross the forum while searching for a car
I am currently looking for a C220 or C270 cdi Estate.
Avantgarde would be nice but not essential
I have run a discovery for the last 6 years and am looking for a car with load carrying capacity and economical
I had thought of a VW Passat but it would appear I can get A Mercedes for the same money
what i would like to know is what specifically to look out for when buying second hand C class Mercs.
I know service history is a must and as a mechanic Im fairly confident I wont buy a lemon.But what should i look for that is maybe common or has beeen missed in a recall.
Im not planning on buying till the end of February so I have time to do plenty of homework
thanks
john

 

[type49]

Obviously an auto. What sought of year? Facelift dash is smarter & comes with much improved audio. Both engines are strong but can suffer from air mass meter & injector problems( about £300 each ). Remove top engine covers & check around injectors for hard, black gunk, indicating injector seals. Check for excessive turbo oil leaks ( a little bit is very common ). Oil leak from gearbox electrical plug is common but very easy to do & being a tech, you may as well change the gearbox oil & filter unless it's low mileage. Front camber arm bushes also wear & can knock the geometry out.

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

The newer the better and high mileage is not always an issue. Just make sure it has been well looked after. There has been quite a few similar threads, pls have a search.

 

[mrshells]

Thanks guys
An Auto is not a must but it would appear that most are .manuals seem harder to find
obviously Im after a car with full dealer history as it wont see a dealer again but the i keep cars for 5/6 years and if i scrap them after that im not to worried but well looked after estates still seem to fetch in excess of £4k at 10 years old
looking for 2002/2003 preferably black or silver