Need to buy a car - Advice please

[JEZ.S320L]

I am shortly to move my WORKING location from London City to Hounslow - Thank God..!!

Anyway, my car will remain in Spain - the logistics of getting it to the UK are too tedious to go into here.

The long and short of it is - I am looking to buy a 'runabout' for use whilst I am in the UK (Mon-Fri) and am looking to spend around £5k.

The questions are:

1) Will I be able to get a MB for that kind of money?
2) If so, what would I get - E, C or S class? (I would prefer an S - just for the crack.!)
3) What sort of age/mileage would I get?
4) What should I NOT get?
5) Finally - has anyone got one for sale, or knows anyone who has? - please PM me, if you can help.

Thanks - and I live in hope..!!!!

 

[mattsurf]

I understand you completely - I think that the S class is a complete bargain at the moment - however, not sure that I can pursuade the wife

You can pick up a good 2001 S500 from about 8k from an indi (like WDM) with a known history and can feel confident that the jobs have been done well and that the car hasn't just been tarted up for sale. For 5k a W201 2000 C class diesel, a 1999 / 2000 E240 / 320 / 430 Petrol saloon or a 1998 / 1999 E300D. An E430 would be tempting me

Or go completely nuts and get a 1995 S600 V12 (I think that the running costs my prove to be scary). Last week I saw a 1990 S560 (very old shape) with 120k miles - I always wanted one of them as well.

If you will not be doing massive mileage (less than 10k), I would go for a Petrol you will get a newer / better car for the money

 

[JEZ.S320L]

I understand you completely - I think that the S class is a complete bargain at the moment - however, not sure that I can pursuade the wife

You can pick up a good 2001 S500 from about 8k from an indi (like WDM) with a known history and can feel confident that the jobs have been done well and that the car hasn't just been tarted up for sale. For 5k a W201 2000 C class diesel, a 1999 / 2000 E240 / 320 / 430 Petrol saloon or a 1998 / 1999 E300D. An E430 would be tempting me

Or go completely nuts and get a 1995 S600 V12 (I think that the running costs my prove to be scary). Last week I saw a 1990 S560 (very old shape) with 120k miles - I always wanted one of them as well.

If you will not be doing massive mileage (less than 10k), I would go for a Petrol you will get a newer / better car for the money

Great information - thanks. Tempting as the S500 is - and I don't expect to do a high mileage - I would like to stick to my budget of around £5k. Having said that, once my contract is completed (anything from 6 months to 2 years MAX) I should be able to sell the S500 on, for not a great loss of money. Hmmmm - you've got me thinking now..!

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Having listened to my heart - and taken the suggestion of looking at S500's - thanks to mattsurf, I have been scouring the interweb and come across a 1999 S500L with 88,000 miles on the clock for under 6K. I have also found a 1998 S320 with only 45,000 miles - both for the same money.

Now all you S-class experts out there - what are the pro's and con's of both cars? What should I be aware of?

I bow to your superior knowledge, and welcome your observations - BEFORE I hand over a wad of cash. Fuel 'economy' is not an issue, as I will not be covering a huge mileage in the UK. Another consideration, is that I will be selling the car on in 2 years MAX.

Thanks guys (and gals).

 

[stumpy]

Having listened to my heart - and taken the suggestion of looking at S500's - thanks to mattsurf, I have been scouring the interweb and come across a 1999 S500L with 88,000 miles on the clock for under 6K. I have also found a 1998 S320 with only 45,000 miles - both for the same money.

Now all you S-class experts out there - what are the pro's and con's of both cars? What should I be aware of?

I bow to your superior knowledge, and welcome your observations - BEFORE I hand over a wad of cash. Fuel 'economy' is not an issue, as I will not be covering a huge mileage in the UK. Another consideration, is that I will be selling the car on in 2 years MAX.

Thanks guys (and gals).

I'd go for the 500 myself. Just don't tell grpar............. A few words of caution though. The LWB S is very long and parking it will be a pain. My Bentley is 17 1/2 feet long and there are many times I wish to be in the Smart

 

[100%Bitch]

Go for the BIG one.

You'll regret it if you don't.

 

[stumpy]

Go for the BIG one.

You'll regret it if you don't.

I agree , Mercs should always have a big engine

 

[100%Bitch]

Now, how does the saying go???????????????????????????


Go on, you know it makes sense. Yeh, that's it. :idea:

 

[JEZ.S320L]

Now, how does the saying go???????????????????????????


Go on, you know it makes sense. Yeh, that's it. :idea:

OK OK OK - and the Litte Devil in me says "I NEED to travel into London, at least ONCE - just to make a point..!!"

The BIG one it is

Now - tell me the downside - PLEASE.

 

[100%Bitch]

A thinner wallet!

 

[JEZ.S320L]

A thinner wallet!

BUT the UPSIDE must be a severe 'poke in the eye' for Red Ken and the Tree-Huggers, surely? :twisted: :lol:

Seriously, does anyone know what I should look out for - apart from speed cameras - on the mechanical side?

 

[stumpy]

I think the V8 S class is a fairly solid beast. Doesn't have the same loom problem as the 320, though the 600 does. Check all the electrics work. Get black, blue or silver for best re-sale and parktronic helps on such a big car. Try and seek out a business edition car. They are loaded with kit. You are looking at facelift cars which are a bit better imo than pre. Avoid cars with ADS as an option. When it goes tits up you are basically screwed.

 

[JEZ.S320L]

I think the V8 S class is a fairly solid beast. Doesn't have the same loom problem as the 320, though the 600 does. Check all the electrics work. Get black, blue or silver for best re-sale and parktronic helps on such a big car. Try and seek out a business edition car. They are loaded with kit. You are looking at facelift cars which are a bit better imo than pre. Avoid cars with ADS as an option. When it goes tits up you are basically screwed.

Thanks. Pardon my ignorance - but what is ADS?

I have seen a Business Edition advertised for similar money. What extra kit would it have, over and above standard equipment?

 

[hawk20]

Thanks. Pardon my ignorance - but what is ADS?

?

Think its called Adaptive Damping System or some such. Stops the car leaning over when cornering hard: clever electronics tell the lower side to push upwards a bit and the upper side to relax a bit. Normal suspension is plenty good enough, tremendous IMO like a magic carpet ride.

SWB if you like driving; LWB if you like being driven (so said the What car review). The LWB is a pig to park as so many marked out parking spaces nowadays just about fit the C class.

I had the 320cdi, an awesome machine IMO, and did about 24k in her in 18 months. Magic. But heavy on tyres. I complained to a high level contact I have at Mercedes that I only got 12,000 miles from the back tyres. "Wow" he said, "12,000, that is fantastic. Well done. I only get 9,000 from my S500". I had the optional larger wheels at the back and tyres were £1,000 per set of four. But it was enjoyable.