Hi All new member seeking advice

[Ginno78]

Just joined today.

Wanted to know if anyone was able to help?

I am going to look at a 1999 Model E200 Advantgarde Estate (Auto) on the weekend it has covered 96,000 miles (its the facelift model with indicators in the wing mirrors) It has Full M.B Service history.....It is going to be our new family car.

I Would like to know the following please could someone with M.B knowledge answer my questions

1 Is 96,000 miles anything to worry about on this E200?

2 How much should I be paying for the above model?

3 What should I be looking out for when I go to view the car?

4 How reliable are they?

5 What are the "common" faults...if any?

Thanks everyone

Martin

 

[alexspurs61]

Just joined today.

Wanted to know if anyone was able to help?

I am going to look at a 1999 Model E200 Advantgarde Estate (Auto) on the weekend it has covered 96,000 miles (its the facelift model with indicators in the wing mirrors) It has Full M.B Service history.....It is going to be our new family car.

I Would like to know the following please could someone with M.B knowledge answer my questions

1 Is 96,000 miles anything to worry about on this E200?

2 How much should I be paying for the above model?

3 What should I be looking out for when I go to view the car?

4 How reliable are they?

5 What are the "common" faults...if any?

Thanks everyone

Martin

I drive a slightly older one - here's my thoughts
1 - No
2- Is it seven seats? Go in at £4kand get it for £4.5k - someone will disagree with this on here - but it's the small and least popular petrol you're lining up. Seven seater v desirable however. This car is no rocketship but will generally drive very nicely if you're not thrashing it/lugging huge loads. Will sit beautifully at 95, returning 32mpg at this speed. Fuel Consumption can get down to 23 and I reckon I average high 20s mpg
3- RUST. There, I've said it! Bootlid/lock, wheelarches, crossmember. The FMBSH will be a huge advantage if this needs sorting.
4 - essentially very reliable. There's much debate about changing the Auto Transmission fluid - when, etc - which you can find on here
5-apart from rust, the electrics can be wayward. Also have a good look through the History for any cooling problems. Thermostat, fans and rad itself can be problematic. This can lead to warped head and gasket issues.

They are essentially solid and in this trim/engine size a pleasant - and relaxed! - drive.

 

[Ginno78]

Hi Thanks very much for the reply ..that helps I'll print this off when I go to view the car.

Yes it has the two extra seats in the back making it a 7 seater.

The guy wants 5k for it should I try knocking him down a bit?

So in general rust is the only thing to look out for correct?

If it has some rust I could use that to knock the price down?

any more advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks Martin

 

[alexspurs61]

Hi Thanks very much for the reply ..that helps I'll print this off when I go to view the car.

Yes it has the two extra seats in the back making it a 7 seater.

The guy wants 5k for it should I try knocking him down a bit?

So in general rust is the only thing to look out for correct?

If it has some rust I could use that to knock the price down?

any more advice would be greatly appreciated

Thanks Martin

Good stuff - 7 seats makes a huge if only occasional difference. Depends on the size of the brood, obviously!
To be honest, I always want at least 10% off anything! I think my estimate of £4.5K is reasonable. Mine was up for £4k, got it for £3.1K by waving folding notes around and having a brass neck. Just to reiterate, if 2 litres is fine for you (it's fine for my purposes) use the fact that it's the 2 litre is the less sought after petrol engine as a bargaining point. Have a good look at autotrader and parkers. etc to check that you're happy with the price. Bargains are as much as how you feel, I always think. If you think you've done well and it all seems straight, stop checking prices any further!

Rust would be a big fat bargaining point. Rust is the one thing that keeps cropping up on E class from the end of the W124 to about 2002. MIne's a '96 and has some. New wings are dirt cheap, it's the fitting and painting that costs. However, the FMBSH on your prospective purchase is a huge advantage and SHOULD see it all done for you, according to advice elsewhere on this forum. Check to see if any bodywrok has been done and for any repaired accident damage. Both affect the potential for warranty claims.
Just had a thought about seats as well...check that the middle row fold properly. The release catches are known to fail.
Let us know how you get on! I still think - £4.5K and you're laughing.

 

[type49]

Open the doors, pull back the rubber on the very top of the doors and check for rust, cars that are 100% OK here, are "usually" OK elsewhere. Check there is no rattling from the exhaust with the door open and gentle revving up and down (up to approx 1500rpm), cat converters are expensive!!

 

[Blobcat]

If you can't pull the rubber seals back from the top of the doors then it may already have had warranty bodywork repairs from MB. Other places to look rear door lock (very, very common), leading edge of rear wheel arches and trailing edge of front wheel arches. If you can get it on a lift and take off the undertray you can also how good/bad the front crossmember is.

 

[robs-mbz]

If at all possible check the upper front suspension spring mounts for rust, my recently aquired 1997 E300TD is totally immaculate but when I inspected the mounts (after purchasing the car!) I found quite a bit of corrosion, but only after stripping off the seam sealent. This appears to be a very common problem on the W210. If you are lucky as I hope I was, you may just catch it in time! I have just spent the whole week end with a wire brush and copious amounts of Waxoyl, and fingers crossed, there does'nt appear to be any structural damage. Do a search for "rust spring perches" on this and other W210 forums and you will see why it is such an important issue!

 

[robs-mbz]

If at all possible check the upper front suspension spring mounts for rust, my recently aquired 1997 E300TD is totally immaculate but when I inspected the mounts (after purchasing the car!) I found quite a bit of corrosion, but only after stripping off the seam sealent. This appears to be a very common problem on the W210. If you are lucky as I hope I was, you may just catch it in time! I have just spent the whole week end with a wire brush and copious amounts of Waxoyl, and fingers crossed, there does'nt appear to be any structural damage. Do a search for "rust spring perches" on this and other W210 forums and you will see why it is such an important issue!