Buying advice anyone?

[timj]

I'm thinking of buying a second hand Mercedes. Something for around the £5000-£6000 mark, so probably between 5 and 10 years old. I don't really know much about Mercs to be honest as I've never owned one. I'm feeling a bit bewildered so I have a couple of questions - any help would be very much appreciated:

1. What sort of milage can I expect to get out of a Mercedes? I know this is a rather broad question, but could I expect 150K+ out of a well maintained car?

2. Is the cost of ownership high with Mercedes around this age? I expect when I buy the milage to be around 75K. What are Mercedes like for servicing around this age and older?

3. Any other buying tips would be much appreicated! Diesel or Petrol? Auto or Manual?


Regards
Tim

 

[paulhipwood]

Hi

I am also thinking of purchasing an older car. I am interested in a 300 TD estate between 10 and 15 years old.

What should I allow for in my budget?
I have seen vehicles with 200k on the clock and am of the opinion that this is OK providing the vehicle has been serviced.

What should I look for on the test drive?

Is there any help - website that would give an indication of a fair price based on condition / mileage?

regards

paul

 

[jaymanek]

to be honest this question has been answered sooo many times that i feel lazy typing out all the things u should look for! I would do a search on here. I know ive provided an answer to this at least 10 times!

Jay

 

[paulhipwood]

Thanks jay

I searched for your posts and found 239.
Will plough through them and count if you have entered this info 10 times!

seriously we are both first time posters and I do not know what areas that have been covered in the past

paul

 

[mike65]

Check out http://www.carsurvey.org/manufacturer_Mercedes-Benz.html and http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/car_reviews/model_list.aspx?manu_id=5509 for some help

Mike.

 

[jaymanek]

Ok fine

1) The bigger engined and diesel cars can achieve astronomical mileages without ever needing too much money. Also do not go for something too low mileage as this means it has been used on school runs and there will probably be more damage to engine and moving parts, bushes etc than a car of average mileage. I always look for a car that has done between 10-15000 miles per annum. Obviously Full MB/specialist histrory is vital with invoices if poss. If its am ex lease car, dont expect the invoices, you can trust the car has been well serviced.
The 1.8, 2 ltre cars in general do a lot less miles and you may need engine rebuilds etc before you get to the 200K mark..
2) 75K is peanuts so wouldnt worry too much. But this is about the mileage i would start using a specialist rather than a stealer. Much cheaper and usually a better job.
Our main recommended specialists are George Fraser for london area and Andy Gayle for midlands and various others.
3) If you ever want to sell, then makesure its auto, not white, pref leather on most models.. Otherwise, diesel/petrol is your own choice, what will you use it for etc? If your going to be doing high miles then opt for a diesel, if not then go for the refined luxury of a slightly larger engined petrol. For your budget, try and go for an immaculate E320 saloon or coupe.
Dont be tempted to buy a cheap S class, there are plenty now in your price range, but these will be ex limos with high miles or has been clocked.

Basically, once you find a car that you like, makesure you take it to a mercedes specialists to give it a once over before you hand over the cash.

On the test drive, turn the radio off, listen for any peculiar noises, any creaks, rattles etc. Makesure the gearchange is smooth etc. The car should feel comp solid.
If you are not an expert, then as above, to a specialist, and not ure mate down at the local kwik fit!

Good luck

Jay

 

[paulhipwood]

Many thanks Jay

One point should this forum have a FAQ section where these common questions are asked. I realise that this would only be opinions and not endorsed by anyone. But it would then leave the forum open for more topical issues.

best regards

paul

 

[AlanWT]

If you have found a car that you are fairly sure you want to buy, my advice would be to find an independent MB specialist near to where you live or to where the car is for sale, and ask the owner if they have any objection to the specialist giving the car a thorough inspection. This is likely to cost you around £100, but could save you literally thousands. I have recently bought a high mileage 230TE, but had previously been on the verge of buying a beautiful 300TE until I had an inspection done which revealed a list of major and downright dangerous faults that would have cost more than the purchase price of the car to put right - yet to my non mechanics eye, it looked and drove perfectly well.

My opinion is that older/higher mileage MB's are a sound proposition provided that they have been properly looked after, but they are not indestructable and need maintenance just like any other piece of machinery. Build quality (particularly of the older cars) really is superior, but this means that they can take a lot of abuse and hide it well.

Just my opinion - others may disagree.

Good luck - don't be put off: they're fantastic cars when you find a good one.

Alan

 

[Keith]

do some reading first

I would agree with all the other responses but would add that if you have a completely blank sheet in terms of what you want do some reading first. There are lots of books about mercs, and mags Mercedes enthusiast is a good one and always has stuff about older models. It would be a bit silly to go ahead and buy and E class only to realise you should have got an SL or visa versa- reading and viewing cars is great fun and a good learing process. Also once you have homed in on a model learn about that , when were the face lifts, what are its peculiarities and (very rare in a merc) weaknesses. There are some significant differences betweeen model years eg introduction of new engine ranges tends to take place midway through a model life. Its good to know whether you want the new or old engine model.

Just a thought, also if you find a good specialist (Andy Gayle is convenient for Halesowen, I use M&D motortech in Essex) then ask them if they know any owners thinking of selling. That way you get a car already under the care of a trusted expert so unlikely to have major surprises.

I have 2 mercs and wish I had space and money for half a dozen, they really grow on you!

keith

 

[Keith]

what are your preferences?

to give you a pointer on models i would need to know what your needs and prefernces are:

how many people do you need to move around, 1,2,4,7? (size of vehicle an no of seats)
is it for daily use or just for fun
is performance important or is fuel economy more important(diesel vs petrol)
how important is style over function (coupe vs 4 door saloon)
is it potentially a long term purchase
do you have any lifestyle constraints eg. need to tow or need an estate for load space. (estate vs saloon)
etc etc

given a steer on some of the above I will try to suggest
Keith