Which 2nd Hand Merc (C or E)?

[MercManners]

Hi All,

I currently have a 124 E220 2 Door Coupe and is the most comfortable car I have ever owned in my life. I mean you really don't mind being stuck in traffic jams because it just feels like you are on your favourite sofa.

However, I now need to change my car to a 4 door saloon, and I obvioulsy want to stick to a Merc. I have 4 questions:

1. I have about £3500 to spend on a 2nd hand Merc, but all the ones I see advertised have huge miles above 175000. I know that Mercs are built to last but will a 175000 mileage car run well enough? Obviously I will only go for one with a FSH.

2. Also is it important if the mileage was done progressively over many years or just over a few years?

3. Which model should I go for? As mentioned previously I have an old 124 E Class which is super-comfortable. I was thinking of going for a C Class C250 TD (say 97 or 98 model). Will this be just as comfotable? Or for the same price should I go for a E-Class E250D (say 1996 model)? Any other suggestions would be welcome. I also need it to be a diesel automatic. I am also quite tall (6'2") if that is important.

4. I am a bit worried about rust problems which I have heard about. Do either of the cars in (3) above suffer from this at all?

Please let me know the answers to the 4 questions above and I will be all set.

I thank you so much for your help, and I love this site.

MM

 

[Blobcat]

Depends upon how much space you require, the E is much larger inside, especially in the back than the C class.
IMHO there are good and bad in both the C & E. I would recommend you look at as many as possible and really go over them with a fine tooth comb. If you are not happy move on as there are a lot out there.
There is a lot of information on this forum, however you could easily become overwhelmed with it all and find it impossible to make a decision. Base each car on it's merits and use this forum to look for known issues and you should not go too far wrong.

 

[Myros]

We have a 94 C280 w202

with one 1p piece sized bit of surface rust in one of the door frames on the sill.
Nuff said. Others have had issues with boot lids.

Can't speak for the diesels, as ours is petrol, but it's 100, 000 up and still fresh and tight.

Comfiest car I've driven in a long time. Flog it down the autobahn at light speed all day and don't even notice. ( when on the continent of course)

I'd have another, if that's any test.

 

[jberks]

I completely agree with Blobcat. I've had both and would recommend either. The E is a lot bigger so lower fuel economy, more expensive tyres, harder to park etc but these things tend to be swings and roundabouts.
You need to drive them. One will probably appeal more than the other but there is no real technical reason to choose one over the other.

 

[MercManners]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I like them both, the C250TD and also the E300D which is what I am looking at right now.

So if I get a Merc with over 200,000 Miles on the clock, this should be okay and nothing to worry about I take it?

Has anyone here had experience of buying a very high mileage Mercs??

 

[jberks]

Nothing lasts forever. In theory, a gently driven, well maintained car can do 250k+ but there are lots that die before, despite being lovingly maintained. Depends on so many factors...

I'm not sure I'd buy one with 200k on it, or if I did, I would be expecting something to give out in the near future.

For 3.5k you can do a lot better than something on it's last legs. A quick trawl on autotrader shows for example a '96 C230k with 70k on it for well under your budget, and that's without haggling. There is even a '96 E250D with 80k (so not fully run in yet!)

Set your sights a bit higher.

 

[Bolide]

Saloon

I wouldn't worry too much about mileage if the car has been consistently maintained. Above 200k you're approaching the point where gearboxes need to be rebuilt or replaced so be very picky about the shift quality. I bought an E300 Diesel Estate with 195,000 miles a year ago for my own use and it is superb. I've replaced front ball joints, springs & arb bushes in that time but the total of that work was less than £500 and within what I had budgeted for. Ideally get a car that has full dealer history - as mine did - even if it means paying a little more

You should find the estate and the saloon ride as well as the coupe with the estate maybe slightly better because of the self-levelling rear suspension

An E250 or E300D would be an ideal choice. I can't really comment on the C Class except to say that they are considerably smaller inside, particularly the estates

There are plenty of cars out there - particularly saloons - so be picky. You know what to look for if you have a coupe

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[MercManners]

Okay thanks, that has been really helpful.

I think I am getting a feel for what I should be aiming for now.

Thanks again, and if I need to ask anything else I will let you know.

 

[davebox]

Thanks again, and if I need to ask anything else I will let you know.

Not just if we hope post as often as poss. I'm new'ish to the site and have enjoyed the company. Lots of good friendly people, what more can be said?

All the best with your hunt
DB

 

[MercManners]

Yes of course I will DaveBox, thank you for the warm welcome.

I am currently looking at 2 cars, please tell me which of these 2 would you go for?

They are both going for around £4000 and have Full Service History:

1. 1998 S Reg MERCEDES-BENZ C250 TD CLASSIC AUTO Auto (127,000 miles) 2 Owner

2. 1999 V Reg MERCEDES-BENZ C220 CDi CLASSIC AUTO (Tip) (155,000 miles) 1 Owner

Is it worth going for a DIESEL for mainly around town driving with the occasional long distance trip, or should I stick with petrol? The reason I ask this is that there seem to be a lot more choice for petrol Mercs.

As you can see I have decided to spend a little more and I am also aiming for mileage around < 150,000 as I don't want to bare the brunt of expensive repairs.

Please let me know.

Thanks

 

[jberks]

Is it worth going for a DIESEL for mainly around town driving with the occasional long distance trip, or should I stick with petrol? The reason I ask this is that there seem to be a lot more choice for petrol Mercs.

Bottom line, you have a much greater chance of picking up a loved low mileage petrol than a diesel. What you save on fuel has already been spent on the fact that the diesel is more expensive to buy. Around town you aren't going to save that much on fuel anyway and the mileage you will do is probably too little tomake the difference.
I do 25k pa motorway mileage and reckon to save around £1000-£1500 per year on fuel against my old v6 petrol but I could probably have bought an equivalent E240 for 3-5k less in the first place, so I'll probably just about break even. In my case, I'll no doubt get it back on resale value, but once you've passed the £5k value, that ceases to be a valid point really. Look at both and if there is a difference in the quality of the cars you are looking at, disregard the diesel. If they are identical, buy the diesel.

 

[davebox]

Yes, yes and yes. For around town, I could see no advantage in the heavy oil. Petrol cars are easier to find and as Jberks said, more likely to have been privately owned and looked after. I only bought Diesel because it was the right price and I do intend on holiday driving more next year (hopefully I'll be able to find a Cvan to site somewhere, not intending on touring though). If you look around, I'm sure you can get a good C class with less than 100K on the clock for the money you quoted.