after a merc

[donnylad]

wasnt really sure where to post this but i thought here may be ok, ive just joined the forum so firstly hiya!

i have a nissan 200sx S14a touring which is running 300bhp. i have this up for sale for 3000 and i bought it 9 months ago for 4500. reason for sale is that i need a family car and want more mpg!

i am after something like a E320 diesel auto, colour dont bother me as long as its good condition with fsh etc.

am open to any other merc aslong as i can achieve 40+ mpg, must be auto and diesel.

any 1 reccomend any other merc or have 1 for sale?

want ideally a swap or mine plus around 500 quid ish.

my 200 is modified and has the following done to it:

18" alloy wheels, 255/35/18 on the rear and 225/40/18 on the front
fully adjustable coilover suspension
adjustable rear camber, toe and front caster arms including rose joints
blitz intercooler kit
blitz blow off valve including hot pipe
blitz full stainless manifold and exhaust including down pipe
nismo short shifter plus mounts
ACT organic clutch rated at 362 torque/400 power
front and rear strut brace
rear spats
K&N air filter
DVD player with 7 inch screen
4 point racing harnesses
nissan skyline R32 calipers
R32 DS2500 pads
big brake kit, 330MM
earth grounding kit
uprated oil cap
Bren device
turbo boost gauge
NKG iridium colder plugs
walbro 255 LPH fuel pump
mintex rear pads

which is about 8000 quids worth but obviously you dont get that back!

it has about 9 months MOT and 7 tax, its not the best looking car in the world as its a 1997 so quite old now with a few scratches and car park dings etc.

any interest in a swap or anything let me know, cheers matt!

nice site btw!

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

You won't average >40mpg from a 320CDI unless all you do is trawl up and down the motorway at 65mph. Average for a 320CDI will be around 36mpg. An E220CDi will give ~40mpg although Mercedes are heavy cars and smaller engines don't always relate to better fuel economy. You may have trouble trying to find a E320CDI for £3.5K

 

[donnylad]

hey thanks for the welcome!

there are plenty of
1999 MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS E300 D Avantgarde 4dr Auto Diesel Saloon

for that price, whats the difference between them and the 320? to be honest im not after power, hence downgrading from a 300 bhp 200sx, but im upgrading to the comfort, MPG, and more older style of the 1999 ish mercs.

also the diesels, ones with FSH should these reach 250k no problems if looked after regular oil changes etc? also when does the chain need replacing on the mercs or is this a never.

havnt done any searches yet so dont flame ill do them in a bit when i get time if no replys

 

[jberks]

To be fair, I don't believe the 300D won't get near 40mpg either. The 320cdi is a lot more efficient and it can't manage that. In fact the first 3l Merc diesel that can is probably the new V6 320cdi but thats only been out for 2 years. I think 35 M'way 25-28 round town and is probably more realistic.

You have to remember that these were built to be economical in comparison to the 25mpg petrol versions, so anything over 30 was considered good. I believe the figures were 134bhp for the 300D and over 200bhp for the 320 - hence why the 320 is thought of so highly - it was one of the first high performance diesels. On the upside you should be able to run the 300D on anything as it doesn't have the restrictions of a CDI.

Yes you'll probably find a 300D for the money. Do check for corrosion as it can affect Es of that era (lots on here about E class rust) and service history as I'm sure you'll be aware, is critical. Mercs are great solid barges, but can get expensive to fix if there is something wrong. Always remember when buying one that, irrespective of what you are spending, you are buying a £40,000 car, not an £18k one, with the related parts and repair costs. Some things are surprisingly reasonable but others can make your hair curl. An older high mileage E, however good, is going to need a bit of fettling here and there.

Assuming you find a nice loved example, then go for it. As you say, good for 250k+ if looked after properly. Things like auto gearbox and diff fluid changes are very important too.
The chain is a replace when noisy item. Its duplex and rarely gives trouble, even on the higher mileage units.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

To be fair, I don't believe the 300D won't get near 40mpg either. The 320cdi is a lot more efficient and it can't manage that. In fact the first 3l Merc diesel that can is probably the new V6 320cdi but thats only been out for 2 years. I think 35 M'way 25-28 round town and is probably more realistic.
You have to remember that these were built to be economical in comparison to the 25mpg petrol versions, so anything over 30 was considered good. I believe the figures were 134bhp for the 300D and over 200bhp for the 320 - hence why the 320 is thought of so highly - it was one of the first high performance diesels. On the upside you should be able to run the 300D on anything as it doesn't have the restrictions of a CDI.

I think the E Class 320 CDI can do better than you suggest on fuel economy, but it is sensitive to the type of use. I had a W211 for 3 years and travelled from the Midlands to all parts of the Midlands regularly and further a field quite often. I did not do much town driving, but motorway congestion frequently led to stop/start motoring if I failed to avoid peak periods.

I only rarely averaged less than 40 mpg per tank, brim to brim. High 30s on local running were very soon offset by much better economy the minute you hit the motorway, with around 43 typical at 80 mph on cruise.

In heavy motorway traffic, I use lanes one an two (watch the petrol tanker drivers who have local knowledge and taxing delivery schedules. That is where they will be and you will struggle to get there ahead of them). In Lanes one and 2 around Birmingham, at 60 mph, instantaneous 48 mpg was typical and was bourne out by brim to brim averages in the mid 40s).

These cars have "long legs" and are not at their best in city conditions. Even at 60mph on A class roads, they do well to get 40 mpg, but on motorways they are in their element.

A point many people fail to note is the pace of these cars (which would not help fuel economy). That engine produces around 368 lbs ft of torque (why do some motor mags, including fleet user mags, persist in quoting 0-60 times and bhp for diesels, whilst ignoring torque?).

I have an R 129 SL 500 in excellent condition. It produces a tad less torque and the weights are about the same. For acceleration in the mid speed range (40-90) there is very little between them. The E 320 CDI is a sports car in drag - but if you want economy, depending on the type of use, you can have that too!

 

[donnylad]

thanks for the replys guys! my uncle has a E320 on a 99 plate, hees done around 100k miles and still gets 40mpg easy on motorway at a steady speed. though im hoping to sell mine then i dont have to do a swap for 1 im 1/2 wanting if that makes sence, you allways get a better deal on 1 where you you can look and walk away from the ones that arnet exactly wht you want!

Mb FSH is something i will be looking for to enable me to still get the 30 years warranty on the body if after a 99 plate. though engine size isnt everything i may still go for the smaller engine just depends on what is forsale at what price when im looking u suppose.

the 320's are pretty nippy if i run low boost on my car 7 psi, my uncle can pretty much stick with me to 125. though soon as i turn the boost to 14+ its another story.

ill keep looking and thanks for the info, anything to look out for on the service history etc? are the auto boxes good for life of the car if theyve been looked after ok?

 

[jberks]

ill keep looking and thanks for the info, anything to look out for on the service history etc? are the auto boxes good for life of the car if theyve been looked after ok?

All depends on where its been I suppose. If its sat on the motorway then maybe. If its been around town I suspect you'd need a gearbox long before an engine. Oil and filter changes are everything but MB skipped these on the 5 speed boxes with the 'sealed for life' line. In those cases 'life' was all too often 100k - hence its now 40-60k changes. The 4 speed boxes - as fitted to the 300D had the old maintenance schedules I believe so should be ok - though I'd imagine anything over 150k on an untouched auto box is doing well really..

On the MPG front - I had a loan 211 320cdi and used it for my daily 90 mile commute (240 was in for rust). My E240 would average 28-32mpg - the 320cdi managed 36. Fabulous considering it had what felt like double the grunt, but still 36 - not 40. In the end I bought a 270 and that regularly reported 41 on the same run. Some folk say they can get over 50. No idea how though, I did a grandad style 120 mile run once and eeked it to 48.