Newbie - buying advice

[declang]

Hi folks,
new on here. Been reading a lot of threads over the past week or so.

Firstly, I don't own and never have owned a MB of any sort. (unless nitro rc model with a clk shell counts )

I'm trying to do some research into C class specs & values, common problems, etc etc, with a view to buying a "good" one in UK and then importing it to Ireland.

Basically I *think* I'm looking for a 2004 or 2005 C-class. Probably Diesel, as it will do about 20K miles a year. Leather is a niceity, but not a necessity.
I think I'd like the automatic, as the manual box is a bit clunky for my taste, and I'm not taken with the parking brake
What else should I be looking for (or avoiding) in the spec of these cars.

I'll be changing from a petrol 2005 Honda CR-V.
I'd envisage keeping it for 2/3 years before changing again, so I'd like something "nice", but not too expensive.
I don't need super performance, (as I have my other toys for that) but something with half-decent power for overtaking, etc.

I'd envisaged buying something from a dealer, with good service history & some warranty left.

Hope the above makes sense.

All advice & suggestions welcome.

Thanks.
Declan.

 

[Blobcat]

Hi & Welcome,

There are numerous buying recommendation threads running around the forum at the moment. Pls have a search.

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

Hi Declan, welcome aboard. If you are looking at 2004/5 then you should avoid MB's "questionable" build phase. Like you say, avoid the Manual. It's a bind witht the parking brake and will be much harder to sell.

If you go for petrol I'd go for the 230, which gives you a nice smooth V6 with average economy and "enough" grunt. I've not owned a merc diesel so I'm ot the best to comment on them. I'm not a big fan of diesels in general (owned one for 5 years) so others would be best to comment. Stick to colour like Silver or black for earier re-sale (although they do quite a nice blue as well).

If you want smooth ride go for the elegance. If youwant more sporty look go for the avantgarde. It depends on what floats your boat.

I would think you are looking arounf the £16-20k mark for the sort of car you are looking for, although with the new C-Class due out shortly you may get some deals on that.

Above all, test drive it. You need to check if if drifts to the left. This is reported a lot, although mine doesn't. But those that have this problem say it is infuriating. The elegance has a more spongy suspension and some have complained that it can get a bit of a tank-slapper on when overtaking at speed. I can't confirm or deny this as I own an avantgarde with additional sports suspension.

Personally I'd avoid the "classic" model as again I think they are probably harder to sell as they equate to the "L" model, even if the previous owner has put lots of extra's on.

The only issues I would say is that it MUST have folding rear-seats. Mine doesn't and the boot is a tad small. The rear leg room is a bit pants too IMO, but then I came from a bigger car so I may be a little unfair there.

Test drive it for as long as you can. Buy one that is as new and with as low milage as possible. You will pay more from a Merc garage but the warrantee will probably be better. At that age you probably wont get many problems. The build quality is better than the earlier ones and the panels are galvanised so you shouldn't suffer as badly from stone-chips and subsequent rust

 

[declang]

OK, I'm searching again.

Oops, cross-posted.

If you are looking at 2004/5 then you should avoid MB's "questionable" build phase.

When was that - is there a specific period when the quality was poorer ? or do you mean I am ok in 04 and 05 that it was before then ?

Edit : Sorry, forgot to say thanks for the replies. Thanks.

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

you should be fine. The period up to the 2004 face lift (i.e. mine) is when most of the build issues apply. You can tell the difference because of the headlights (they are completely clear on the facelift model) and the dashboard (has round dials instead of half-moon ones).

There is one other thing to look out for I forgot about. Listen for a rattle/knocking noise at lowish speeds. This is a very minor problem but the front anti-roll bars go at very low mileages, about 25k. You can fix them yourself for about £30 if you are feeling brave or about £120 at an MB dealer. Obviously if you buy one from an MB dealer they would fix if for you anyway

 

[declang]

Do you mean its anti rollbar bushings that go ? I presume so at only £30.

I've spent nearly all evening looking at reviews, specs, prices, dealers, etc etc, but there is such a wide range of specs that I'm no further forward !

I;ve also been checking out the vrt costs to import to ireland in a bit more detail .. i.e taking specs of advertised cars for sale & getting import costs for those specs.
I think my budget is a bit lower than I'd hoped.. Allowing for the huge vrt costs, I'm more in the 11-13K bracket, but then I am buying for "cash".
Should I expect to get 2-3K knocked off the sticker price ? is that realistic nor am I in cloud cuckoo land ?

Advice welcomed

 

[declang]

OK, I've done some more research & figured out what I think I need.

I'm looking for a 2004 C220cdi avantgarde. Now my problem is finding one in my budget, with decent low miles, in a nice colour !

Any recommendations for dealers ?

Thanks,
Declan

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

have you tried mercedes direct?

http://www.directmercedes.co.uk/search-offers.aspx?slRange=c25a7204-078c-4034-a5e3-fd901e8c9986

p.s. 2004 is the changeover point so make sure you get the facelift version i.e. late 2004 not early 2004.

 

[declang]

Hi again,
Apart from the instrument cluster & the clear headlight lenses, is there anything else obviously different in the newer 04 models.

Is there any way to tell from the VIN ?
I guess there was a changeover date sometime during 04 ?

I have searched & googled on this but cant see the wood for the trees.

Any pointers would be welcomed.

I'll check out the directmercedes link. (I had a quick look there already but there were so many cars I got sidetracked !)

p.s. Should I be asking these questions in one particular buying advice thread, or just keep asking here, or does it matter ?

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

you're in the right place Declan. I'm not sure ecactly when the changeover point was but I'm sure someone will post it soon.

 

[declang]

OK, I'll keep asking my questions here.

If I were to buy a used Mercedes in the UK, with remaining manufacturer's warranty, and then I import this car to Ireland, does the warranty continue, or does it magically disappear because the car was exported from the UK ?

I'd like to think it would continue, but I'm not sure.

Similarly, if it is a manufacturer's warranty, would the warranty work be carried out at my nearest MB dealer in Ireland, or would it have to be carried out at a UK dealer, since it was a "UK car" ? (Probably a silly question, but I need to be 100% sure.)

Are there any manufacturer's "extended warranties" or similar that are good value, or worth the cost ? Not servicing costs, just warranty extensions. I think I read something somewhere (in here ?) about extending warranty periods, but I cant find it now.


Does a "leather interior" mean more than simply leather seats ?
I know that some irish mercs cars are bought with cloth interiors and then retrimmed locally to have leather seats, but I would have thought a mercedes leather interior would include some additional leather trim, mabye on door-cards, or similar ?

And, last question for now... Thinking about resale values, is there a particular diesel model C200, C220, C270 (?) that holds its value better than others ?
I'm looking at C220cdi, but would also consider the C200. (I think a C270 is probably a bit big in engine size, since irish road tax is a killer on bigger engines.)

Thanks.
Declan

 

[Bazzjazz]

Declan, I was in a similar position to you before Christmas, looking at purchasing in the UK and importing to Ireland.

My overall budget was approx 15K euro and I found that when you factored in the VRT (which is very high for Mercs as opposed to other brands) there wasn't a huge saving to be had at that price point.

With my budget I wasn't going to get the original warrenty so that didn't matter to me. I ended up going for an irish car, bought through an independent dealer with a three month warrenty (which I have already availed of). I was happy to pay a bit extra to have the comeback of a local dealer and also avoid the time and hassle required to source a car at a distance. I was able to test drive a few over a period of a week or two without any hassle.

I ended up buying a 1999 E300 TD Elegance estate with 125k miles and full service history for 15k euro and am really happy with it. the tax is more expensive, as you mention, but I reckon the lack of depreciation over the next few years will more than make up for the extra euro paid in road tax.

The other advantage of buying here is I got to trade in my old car, which simplified the process for me.

Best of luck with your search.

regards,

Barry

 

[declang]

Hi Barry,
Thanks for the input. I know what you mean about VRT. Its horrendous.

I'm still tempted to import though. I've been comparing the prices (& specs) of all the C-class cars listed on the mercedes .ie and .co.uk sites, and looking up vrt figures on them. The saving is simply too much to overlook.

I've imported a few (much older) cars over the past few years, so that process doesn't put me off at all. It's easy but expensive !

I guess the hardest part will be selling my own car privately, but its a 1-owner from new, still has a years warranty on it, and will be priced well, so mightn't be so bad.

A few years back, I was nearly tempted by a c180 classic, but opted for a Honda Accord at around the same money. I preferred the Honda at the time because it had leather, lots of gadgets, etc that the merc didnt have and which would have cost an arm and a leg to add as options. Last time I chnaged, I sold that car privately and was able to buy a CR-V straight at a decent discount, but it has devalued so much in 2 years, its scary. Hence I have seen the light and decided I'd better get onto the Mercedes trail.
The only way I can realistically do that is to sell privately and import.

Fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Declan

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

dont forget that there is a new C-Class being released shortly, that will have an effect on the depreciation of any that you buy now. There is another thread on this.

just out of curiosity Declan, where abouts in Ireland are you?

 

[declang]

just out of curiosity Declan, where abouts in Ireland are you?

I'm in Co. Donegal. (Up in the far Northwest corner)

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

Did a lot of work for Udaras na Gaeltachta in Galway. I think they have a couple of buidlings in Donegal too.

 

[declang]

Did a lot of work for Udaras na Gaeltachta in Galway. I think they have a couple of buidlings in Donegal too.

Yes they do. It's to do with the irish language speaking areas - they are called "gaeltacht" regions, and have the Udaras Na Gaeltachta to "look after" them.

I won't comment.

 

[OmniCognateNeutronRangler]

I spent a lot of time (over the last 4 years) in their offices. Lovely people but they may just as well be speaking Klingon!

 

[declang]

...they may just as well be speaking Klingon!

I know exactly what you mean, and I live here ! :roll:

 

[declang]

Kicking this old thread back into life ...

I'm very close to buying a new C200 CDI saloon.
Getting a relatively good deal on it as its a W203 !.

Its an Elegance with a leather & a few other extras on it.

I keep thinking I'm mad buying the "old" model, but I am getting a good discount because of that.

Am I mad ?