W220 320 CDI or W211 280/320 CDI - What to do?

[Irresistance]

Hello everyone.

I am in the market for buying a new Benz, as the one I am driving now (W210 320 CDI Estate) is slowly on its way out, and the evil rust problem is becoming too much to bear.

The two models I am interested in are W220 from 2004 or 2005 320 CDI or the W211 280/320 CDI estate from 2007 or older. I am having real difficulty making up my mind - on the one hand a real S-Class is something I would really love to drive, but I am equally tempted by a 3-4 year younger E-class, with a huge loading space to boot.

Now - the W210 was good, I love the car, but, as it got older, it did have more and more issues, and the missus is slowly getting tired of it. Not like... very bad, but I am sure you know that women are not understanding of faults even if they are minor, and me being me I like to keep the car in the best condition I can afford, so I have done quite a few repairs which probably were not necessary (replacing all break disks, etc.) just coz I felt it would give me a smoother ride. She also does not seem to distinguish between regular maintenance and repairs, so as far as she is concerned, the car is too expensive to maintain. We did 170.000KM in it over 4 years, but hey...

Anyhow. So. What I want, of course, is the luxury, the smoothness and the grandeur of an S-class, but I want it to be reliable. I am aware of the potential Airmatic problems, but that aside, as far as I can read and tell, the late W220 seems pretty decent and without major problems.

The W211 (post-facelift) also seems to have a good rep. But my question, I guess, is aimed at people that service both these cars, and to know what in their opinion would be the more reliable choice. I aim to buy a car that has done 180-220TKM, and I hope to have it for at least 4 years without any major disasters. I drive gently, almost grandpa-like

One advantage I can see for the W211 is the 7-speed gearbox, although I do believe it is a first generation 7-gear so I am curious how the reliability is on that.

Any advise is greatly appreciated
W

 

[S.Speed]

Hi,
I cannot direct you one way or the other regarding the S class..
But I can comment on the 211 as I have now owned 2 of them.
Both mine have been 2007 models.
My first one was conventional springs and my current car has airmatic which I really like.
This is my third merc with the 7 speed box and I have had no issues with any of them.
As with all auto gearboxes makes sure you get them serviced every 40k.. That means fluid renewal and filter.. Use one of the excellent indys on here rather than a main dealership.
If you go for the 211 I HIGHLY recommend you go for the face lifted models. Mercedes advertised "over 2,000 improvements over the pre facelift model"

The S class is going to be more expensive in its upkeep.
They are physically massive.. Are you sure you need something that big?
Harder parking etc..
The E class I have now also has parktronic which I must say works very well indeed with minimum fuss or false alerts.
In a weeks time I will be upgrading my COMAND system for the later version..
This means I will have a 6 CD changer and the old COMAND NTG1 for sale..
If you buy a 211 and you want those extras then keep me in mind.

Good luck with your searching

 

[Corned]

If/when you get to the stage of looking round some examples, then make sure you take a VERY close look at the bodywork.

Unbelieveably, there are still reports of both these cars developing rust problems. The 211, despite it's 2,000 improvements, is still capable of rotting along the front edge of the rear arches, and there was a recent report of a 2008 S Class with (I think) rusty front arches. 2008 CLS too, for that matter...

Personally I think I would go for the S Class if I was in your shoes, unless the E Class estate rear end is particularly useful to you.

 

[st4]

Both 211s and 220s can rust. The wheel arch liner is a poor design.

I think the 7sp box is utterly dreadful and driven a fair few cars of side ring age to come to this conclusion.

A 211 220cdi estate would be the pain free and reliable plus practical option and it comes with 5g. The 220 is a great car but really quite an old design, the 211 is in 220cdi guise more reliable abs nearly as luxurious.

 

[Developer]

A facelift E estate, particularly from 2007 onwards, is just about as complete a car as you can buy.

Mine has been superb and makes me smile every time I drive it.

There's loads around, so you can, likely as not, get the spec you want.

 

[toby1]

Facelift 211 would be my pick from that choice

 

[Irresistance]

Aaargh... all these reasonable, rational arguments... I know, I am also tempted to err on the side of the W211 post-facelift. But it is not an S-class, and I would very much love to drive one, while fuel is still somewhat affordable.

Thank you so much for your comments so far. I'll keep on looking

 

[st4]

Your hearts set on the S. get that, s320cdi straight six is very good in fuel and bar rust and airmatic one of the finest cars on the road.

 

[Irresistance]

So yes, it ended up being a 2004 W220 320 CDI with a mere 100K miles on the clock. Of course checked on STAR - the mechanic had some trouble believing the mileage but he said it was genuine, and also that some of the issues the car had were consistent with being driven very little (rusting rear brake discs, for instance, and also tires that basically had become slightly egg-shaped)

Car will need a bit of TLC and, given its low mileage and the fact it has been standing around, I suspect a thing or two will still fail due to more extensive and intensive use from now on - but its an absolutely wonderful car, very, very happy. And all this for just over 8000 quid. I put aside another 1800 or so to get everything up to spec.

The only thing I am a but hmm about are the wheels - it has 245 tires on 18 inch rims - not quite what I would want on a limo... so i will change these back to 16, maybe 17's... and hopefully improve the comfort coz right now it's a little bit bumpy on these Polish roads. But - details Engine is dry (no oil, no stuff around injectors, no leakage of anything of any kind anywhere) Airmatic has new compressor, which I can not even hear, no faults of significance in STAR (ok, the boot lid does not close well, whoopie doo!) and once I sort out the correct type of MP3 file for the Comand's consumption - everything's great!

 

[television]

Thanks for posting back and that you have found the right car, yes the smaller wheels will improve the ride