hey, i'm new and have a few questions for you guys!

[zarnd]

hi,

i currently drive a Land Rover Defender and a 1992 BMW 316i e36. i'm only twenty years old and i am at university. There have been mercs in my family for many years, my mum has an SLK 320, my dad has had a G reg e class, a k reg 230 CE, a 1995 m reg SL320 and he has just got a brand new SL 55 AMG on 1st september this year!

i am looking at getting rid of the BMW and am seriously thinking about an E200/230 around 1997/8. i will have about £8,000 to spend on one!

my questions are:

will i be able to get a decent on for that amount of momeny?
what are the average servicing costs for an e class?
and what are the major and common problems that are found with these cars, and if possible what sort of mileages that these occur at.

p.s. i am also thinking of a 5 series but am leaning more towars the e class at the moment

thanks in advance guys

Alex

 

[landover]

You will be able to pick up a nice one for that sort of money
Look out for rust they where very prone to it.
Servicing costs are not expensive if you can do it yourself.
If you cant be prepared for an expensive experiance.

Keep the landy it will allways be your best friend.

 

[zarnd]

yeah i intend to keep the landy. i have had it for four years, i was very lucky to get it for my seventeenth birthday. unfortunately i ill not be doing any servicing myself. i can only carry out a B service by myself, i had two weeks work experience at a mercedes garage and that's just pollen filters, checking fluid levels and changing the oil if memory serves me...with the bmw i take it to a guy at a tire fitting place who used to work for bmw and if there is anything wrong with the car he does it as he chargers £30 per hour labour as opposed to bmw's £85!!!

if i took the car to him to do all of the repairs that are not included in the service, will it still be ludicrously expensive to service???

i pay around £279 for the main service on my bmw, and the last service on my landy was £665!!!

 

[landover]

ARE you going to main dealers with the defender I service and prepare landrovers for extreme off road use the service is only about £120
m

 

[zarnd]

yeah i leave it with the dealers, cos i have had so many warranty claims on it, and any work they do on it has a years warranty, and i also have land rover allegience with my dealers so i get 10% discount off genuine parts, labour and serviceing, and a free annual mot. the last service did include new front brakes, and it was a 48,000 mile service and it was about £480 for the service excluding the brakes

 

[zarnd]

thanks for the info landover - i will have to have a serious think about whether or not i can afford one, and also look at my bank balance as well!!

cheers

Alex