Buying my first merc....

[theINSKIP]

Hi everyone...

Tomorrow im 'hopefully' going to buy my first Mercedes. Its a 2001 C220 CDi Avantgarde with 92,000 on the clock. Diesel/Auto.

This is the first time ive bought a older car and the only thing that is worrying me is that 'Will it cost me a bomb to keep it working'.

Has anyone got any info about this model of Mercedes ? common faults, when things need replacing, is it worth the 5k(ish) that ill be paying ?


Ive fell in love with the looks and features of the car...... i really don't want it to be a let down.

Thanks

Pete

 

[Miffy]

Welcome to the forum, I am sure someone will come along pretty soon who has the experience to let you know what to look out for.

Good luck with your new pride and joy

Why not edit your profile, put some info in like your car, where you are etc, it will make it a lot easier for people to recommend where you can get your ride serviced etc

 

[Dazzler]

Watch out for signs of rust.
Check the main radiator is ok, as some suffered from oil cooler/coolant leaks.
Make sure all your electrical bits are working.

 

[theINSKIP]

Thanks for that, Im going for a drive in it tomorrow so ill make sure i test everything.

 

[littlebrooklyn]

Welcome to the forum

 

[*Thumper]

Your buying a good, model, with a proven engine ............. you'll love it

Tell us where you are, and someone will post the details of a good MB specialist, to look after your car, at reasonable cost.

 

[Rory]

Your buying a good, model, with a proven engine ............. you'll love it

Tell us where you are, and someone will post the details of a good MB specialist, to look after your car, at reasonable cost.

Info says: Prestatyn, N.Wales

I've seen positive comments a few times about Trefnant Motors. This thread mentions them and also MB Motors on Deeside, although I've seen a few "uncertain" comments about MB Motors.
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=21494

 

[theINSKIP]

Ive been recommend a local BWM specialist who also deals in Mercedes. I called them up for quotes the other day. He said for a full service i was looking at about £300.
Just got to have a look at the previous services tomorrow in the manual.

 

[television]

Welcome to the forum

 

[duncanh]

Has anyone got any info about this model of Mercedes ? common faults, when things need replacing, is it worth the 5k(ish) that ill be paying ?

Mine is a C220 cdi (2002) manual estate.

It has done 190,000 miles and has been virtually trouble free. My only disappointment has been some rust around the wheel arches (all four). This seems to have been caused by paint chipping, not rusting from behind.

Apart from anti-roll bar bushes (cheap and easy to change), it has largely only been service items that mine has required. All major (and nearly all minor) components are original.

Search the forum about a known auto gearbox problem with glycol contamination. This repair can cost more than the car is worth. You should find links to a few posts to show whether your car could be affected (or has already been fixed).

I have had the car since new and am still delighted with it.

If you have found a good one, you will not be disappointed.

Good luck

 

[Rory]

He said for a full service i was looking at about £300.

Get them to explain what they mean by "full service".

The indie will probably do a through job but MB's official servicing is alternate A & B services which people think of as minor and major. In fact the scope of the work is very similar for both services, other thing like plugs, air and fuel filters etc are classified as additional jobs and are done depending on time and mileage.

 

[theINSKIP]

Well went to test it......

It does need a bush replacing which they are doing, they are also putting it through a MOT today. Unfortunately is doesn't have any service history with it ! BUT apparently it was a company car so 'they' hold all the service details.
........ and I could only get him down to £5700.

Think im still going to get it.

 

[teabag]

Well went to test it......

It does need a bush replacing which they are doing, they are also putting it through a MOT today. Unfortunately is doesn't have any service history with it ! BUT apparently it was a company car so 'they' hold all the service details.
........ and I could only get him down to £5700.

Think im still going to get it.

I've got to admit that it is a lovely car, but £5.7K for an eight year old C class sets alarm bells ringing.

Do a search on Autotrader for Mercedes diesels up to £6,000 and see what else is on offer.

 

[theINSKIP]

Alarm bells ??

As in its to cheap or to expensive ??

Ive had a look on auto trader and the prices aren't far off for what it is. Its a bit cheaper from what ive seen, but my brother in law is the garage manager. So ive got a bit of a discount.

 

[Rory]

I've got to admit that it is a lovely car, but £5.7K for an eight year old C class sets alarm bells ringing.

Do a search on Autotrader for Mercedes diesels up to £6,000 and see what else is on offer.

I'm not that up on prices but that does strike me as high.

The facelift in mid-2004 made a lot of changes and those cars are generally regarded as a lot better. How much do the early (say 54 reg, late 2004/ early 2005) facelift cars go for thses days?

Also, on the car being looked at, who has the service history? Don't buy it on a promise that the history will be supplied later. It will be out of Mobilo coverage if the history isn't valid. The car is far too old to fit the usual definition of "company car".

 

[duncanh]

........ and I could only get him down to £5700.

I think that this is far too expensive, even for a car with full Mercedes dealer service history.

I would also suspect the mileage is inaccurate if it has been a company car for much of the last eight years. Most company cars are kept for three years and do about 100K miles in that time.

Go to the DVLA? site and check the last few MoT tests. This should give you a view of the mileage over the years, and should tell you where the MoTs were carried out. As you don't appear to have service history (itself a big worry), the MoTs might give you some recent history.

At £5700 for an eight year old car, without sight of service history, you wouldn't see me for dust!

Just my opinion.

 

[teabag]

Alarm bells ??

As in its to cheap or to expensive ??

Ive had a look on auto trader and the prices aren't far off for what it is. Its a bit cheaper from what ive seen, but my brother in law is the garage manager. So ive got a bit of a discount.

I've just done a search on Autotrader and £5,500 - £6,000 will get you a 53 or 04 plate C220Cdi Avantgarde with 80,000-90,000 miles on the clock before you even start to haggle