E200 to buy or not to buy?

[MIW615]

A friend of mine is thinking of buying a 1998 E200, it's blue with cloth interior 84,000 miles - the asking price is £6000

Is there anything he should be looking for - is the engine underpowered for the size of the car/

Thanks in advance

 

[BlackC55]

The 200 is a bit gutless but ok. Watch out for the rust issues. Front wings, doors and boot lid etc.

Its a bit on the pricy side for the low spec E200.

 

[MIW615]

The 200 is a bit gutless but ok. Watch out for the rust issues. Front wings, doors and boot lid etc.

Its a bit on the pricy side for the low spec E200.

Thanks for prompt reply, what do you think the price range would be - the car is for sale at a "specialist"

It's supposidly sold with no rust - just a few scratches

 

[jberks]

Do a search on rust - this model in this era can suffer badly. Boot locks, inder door seals, wheel arches, cross members and spring perches are all critical areas.
The 200 is underpowered unless your friend wears a flat cap. Nice cruiser but, shall we say, lesiurely. I had the 2.4V6 and that was no firebreather!
200s, being the base model, can also be a bit short on spec and in terms of fuel economy are not really any better than the bigger engines so personally I'd suggest checking out a few with bigger engines too.

Price wise - looks very steep to me. A quick check on autotrader and I can find newer, lower mileage, better engined models for a lot less. E.g. a 1999 E300DT elegance with 54k for £5500- quick and economical with no depreciation and a probable better spec and £500 saved into the bargain! In fact a trader is selling a 2001 (3 years younger!) E240 with 68k for the same money -
so a poverty spec (cloth) 1998 E200 for £6k - they're having a laugh!

 

[MIW615]

Do a search on rust - this model in this era can suffer badly. Boot locks, inder door seals, wheel arches, cross members and spring perches are all critical areas.
The 200 is underpowered unless your friend wears a flat cap. Nice cruiser but, shall we say, lesiurely. I had the 2.4V6 and that was no firebreather!
200s, being the base model, can also be a bit short on spec and in terms of fuel economy are not really any better than the bigger engines so personally I'd suggest checking out a few with bigger engines too.

Price wise - looks very steep to me. A quick check on autotrader and I can find newer, lower mileage, better engined models for a lot less. E.g. a 1999 E300DT elegance with 54k for £5500- quick and economical with no depreciation and a probable better spec and £500 saved into the bargain! In fact a trader is selling a 2001 (3 years younger!) E240 with 68k for the same money -
so a poverty spec (cloth) 1998 E200 for £6k - they're having a laugh!

Thanks for the detailed reply, your points were what I was expecting , just needed verifying. I think he needs to broaden his choice

 

[jibcl500]

Expensive for such a low spec, £6000 would get you a better specced MB, try selling an E200 in 24 months !!!!!!!!!! then see how much you get for it.

£6000 will get you a good 95 CL500!!!!!!

jib