S213 E class estate buying advice

[Janchee]

Hi all, an update.. just as i was turning my attention to buying a volvo xc90 (as its right up there in terms of safety equipment and looks smart), I've ended up putting holding deposit on an e class...

Now its not white and it hasnt got the dark wood interior inside but its only done 19k miles, one previous owner and always serviced annually at the same merc dealer. Dec 17 registered and gentleman's agreement at £23k

I am going to test drive it tomorrow and can decide to not buy it without giving any reason.

It seems a fair enough deal, what do you guys think?

Good man! Any photos?

 

[John Laidlaw]

Sounds decent !
Agree with above , I’m verrrrry lucky to see 45mpg in the XC90 on a long run

 

[Champak]

Good man! Any photos?

https://www.sandown-group.co.uk/use...-automatic-diesel/id-1649113419/#lg=1&slide=0

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[grayb]

https://www.sandown-group.co.uk/use...-automatic-diesel/id-1649113419/#lg=1&slide=0

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Haha! Link has gone - says 'Someone has snapped it up'.

 

[Janchee]

https://www.sandown-group.co.uk/use...-automatic-diesel/id-1649113419/#lg=1&slide=0

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We should never park next to each other ... we would forgot who’s is who’s

Great buy

 

[John Laidlaw]

Sandown group has a particularly interesting E43 estate , July 2019 for sale with 91k in the clock...

 

[JBell]

Sandown group has a particularly interesting E43 estate , July 2019 for sale with 91k in the clock...

When did it have time to refuel??????

 

[Janchee]

When did it have time to refuel??????

They used the mobile refuelling idea from Top Gear if you remember the episode haha

 

[Champak]

Haha! Link has gone - says 'Someone has snapped it up'.

Impressed... I thought the manager was just saying it but actually wasnt necessarily going to follow it up...

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[Champak]

We should never park next to each other ... we would forgot who’s is who’s

Great buy

Does your car's headlights fog up.... I didn't notice this before the test drive but afterwards there was lots of condensation inside the headlight assembly and it didn't go away for another hour which is when I left. Dealer says it's quite normal but I didn't see any other car with fogged up headlights, mind you none of them had been driven.

I'll attach the pics but it may not be very clear to see.

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[John Laidlaw]

Does your car's headlights fog up.... I didn't notice this before the test drive but afterwards there was lots of condensation inside the headlight assembly and it didn't go away for another hour which is when I left. Dealer says it's quite normal but I didn't see any other car with fogged up headlights, mind you none of them had been driven.

I'll attach the pics but it may not be very clear to see.

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They all do that sir...

 

[John Laidlaw]

When did it have time to refuel??????

A fair question and how much did it cost ??

 

[Champak]

So thoughts after the test drive:
Good points:
Car's nice to drive as expected, a new set of good year tyres, break pads have got 6mm to 8mm left (presumably that's over 50%)

Not so good points:
The motorised steering column for adjustment only moves front and back not up and down, rattle in the cabin, few scratches here and there but nothing through paint, one scratch on an alloy

So I'm minded to give them a thumbs up tomorrow provided:

1) they've got to fix that rattle (source is the passenger reading light at the bottom of rear view mirror) and

2) The steering column works properly.. test would be that it moves in all the directions it's supposed to and when I open the door to get out of the car, it automatically moves back to its original position.

3) the blemishes are sorted out although my understanding is they'll be hidden with polish etc as opposed to corrected with paint

4) I'll also ask for that one scratch on alloy wheel to be put right but get a feeling they'll say no to that as it's so small.

Please feel free to share any thoughts on the above

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[Champak]

They all do that sir...

Thanks for that, it helps me worry less about it...

Net seems to be split on this one.. some say it's ok nothing to worry about, others say they had the headlight assembly changed over warranty and that solved the issue... Test would be in the night time really and probably next to a car that doesn't have any condensation in it...

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[JBell]

A fair question and how much did it cost ??

£12k in fuel and a service every 2 months!!!!!!

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Headlights are a big cost to change so the dealer will be very reluctant, some seem to condense up and others don’t my feeling is that some do leak and obviously there is a quality issue.

The alloy can be sorted with a fine brush and clear lacquer touch up I do this with my wheels if they are stone chipped or scratched.

Very likely the discs and pads will need changing at the next service if the brakes have been used hard so £800 hit at the dealers.

Reinstating the steering wheel convenience settings shouldn’t be a problem

 

[Champak]

Headlights are a big cost to change so the dealer will be very reluctant, some seem to condense up and others don’t my feeling is that some do leak and obviously there is a quality issue.

The alloy can be sorted with a fine brush and clear lacquer touch up I do this with my wheels if they are stone chipped or scratched.

Very likely the discs and pads will need changing at the next service if the brakes have been used hard so £800 hit at the dealers.

Reinstating the steering wheel convenience settings shouldn’t be a problem

So you reckon I need to worry about headlights...??

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[Janchee]

Does your car's headlights fog up.... I didn't notice this before the test drive but afterwards there was lots of condensation inside the headlight assembly and it didn't go away for another hour which is when I left. Dealer says it's quite normal but I didn't see any other car with fogged up headlights, mind you none of them had been driven.

I'll attach the pics but it may not be very clear to see.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

I’ve never seen my headlights do that ... Was it just washed at that point? I would keep an eye on that ...

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

So you reckon I need to worry about headlights...??

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yes!

 

[John Laidlaw]

@Craiglxviii Has some real insight (excuse the pun) into headlamp design and function , hopefully he will pick up