New Merc 200 E Estate Owner Here

[Merc pilot]

I'm about to buy a 1999 E200 Classic Estate, petrol, manual, 193,000 on clock. It's my first ever MB, so I've just joined the forum.

I'd be grateful for any observations anyone has from the vast pool of knowledge.

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

The 200 is not the most powerful engine especially without a kompressor attached. The T210 bodywork is also rather heavy so the combination is rather sedate. Depends how you drive and the state of your licence.
Is it is a facelift model ? (Indicators in the mirrors is the easy give away) as these are nicer however all 210's of this era do suffer quite badly from rust. It is also dependant upon service history if MB would honour any corrosion warranty.
To be honest this is probably one of the least desirable Mercedes being a manual and a 200, I would expect this to be reflected in the asking price. I would recommend trying it out, especially the foot operated handbrake it can take a lot of getting used to in the manuals.
I would expect to see lots of service and repair paperwork with a car of this mileage.
There have been problems with the seat backs not folding.

 

[Merc pilot]

Many thanks. I'm not a speed merchant, and have a clean license, touch wood. It must be a facelift model. There is some rust, which I intend to get seen to, haven't explored the warranty aspect yet. The price is £5,500 from an independent dealer, seems fair (?). Also, I intend to have a thorough look at the service manual before parting with my money.
I did test it out for about 25 minutes, and being the first time driving an MB, I really found it to be smooth and impressive. After all, I've been driving a Kia Sedona for last three years!

 

[alexspurs61]

Hi Mercpilot - the forum's great, if addictive.

I'd back up what blobcat said. Many of my posts will lead you to rust and back seat issues in particular. There are pics of my rusty bits - oo err missus- for instance. As with all 'issues' contradictory comments abound; I'll just say I had my car thoroughly checked out and accepted some cross member welding as part of the downside of a cut price deal.


The car's no fireball in term's of performance - mine is a non-Komp 5 speed auto, a 1996 E200/t210 estate. However, there are many other qualities to overall performance, such as the 'loping' feel at a steady ninety, general relaxation and just feeling 'planted' on the road. 60 in 11 secs and 125 top end? It'll do , but then my mileage is thankfully low and the car was bought down to a budget. Only rarely do I crave a 320 CDi mmmm...torque

The car should average high 20s mpg I reckon, or more seeing as yours is a manual. Into the 30s with good fast motorway work.

Allow a good hour for going through all the W210 stuff on this forum!

 

[Blobcat]

For that kind of money you could get an auto E220CDI which has more performance and much better economy. You may even stretch to an early E320CDI. I would try a few before you commit yourself. I would also recommend searching the forum for the rust issues.

 

[alexspurs61]

For that kind of money you could get an auto E220CDI which has more performance and much better economy. You may even stretch to an early E320CDI. I would try a few before you commit yourself. I would also recommend searching the forum for the rust issues.

You beat me to it Blobcat.

Re-reading your post Mercpilot, the price looks high. Mine's admittedly three years older but has half the miles and has the auto box which is (generally - don't start!) more favoured. My car came in a shade over £3K with some entertaining negotiation.

At £5k I'd have been well into smaller diesel territory as I remember.

 

[Merc pilot]

Sorry, I meant 93,000 miles, not 193,000! Price still high?

 

[Blobcat]

Yes, have a search on Exchange & Mart and Autotrader, there are quite a few petrol estates around for £4,500. One thing with Mercedes is that the smaller engines don't always equate to a greater fuel economy. The larger engine working less should not be discounted. I've just seen a '99 E320 Petrol for £4,490 with 90K miles.
The Classic is the most basic of the specifications, Elegance is the comfortable one and Avantgarde the 'sportier' one.

 

[BarryG]

Sorry, I meant 93,000 miles, not 193,000! Price still high?

Theres some nice looking Mercedes estates on ebay at the moment. A few with FSH too.

Barry

 

[Merc pilot]

Thanks to everyone for the advice, it's appreciated.