Need Advice on my first Merc. 2003 03 E240 Elegance

[amazon786]

First of all this is such a great site. There is so much useful info here especially for newbies like me.

I am about to buy my first Merc (Really excited!!!!) but I need the experts here to tell me if my purchase is a good deal.

I am about to buy a 2003 03 E240 Elegance. Petrol. 60k miles. Automatic.
Price £12,500
Services have been done as follows:
17/3/04 12k MB dealer
15/10/04 21k MB dealer
28/6/05 31k MB dealer
12/8/06 42k Independent MB garage
2/06/07 59k Independent MB garage

I am not buying from a MB dealer but from a good reputable dealer. He is including a 6 months warranty covering all labour and parts.

I plan to get the Service Plus option after the dealers warranty runs out. Is that a good idea or should I get it straight away?

For a newbie who is entering the world of MB is this a reliable car? I expect to do no more than 7000 miles a year.

Any advice on this will really be appreciated.

 

[television]

Make sure that the build date is after 30-09-03 if you want to avoid the Valeo issue, if you could save a little more and go to 04 then you get the Nano paint too

 

[jberks]

60k - have the plugs been done? £200!
enjoy it. Make sure it idles smoothly - most don't but should (plugs/leads).
Service plus is a nice idea but it will probably cost you £200 for an inspection + any repairs before they'll cover you.
Some 03 cars were troublesome though they were well on the way out of the troublesome period by then.
It should be fine.