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Hi folks,

Getting fed up with the impracticality of my little car and looking to supplement it with a diesel estate. Just spotted an E class Merc estate with 199k mile on it since 2000 which is selling below book price. Any thoughts from the collective genius of the board on whether a high milage diesel Merc is a good option as an occasional family load lugger. Looking to get about 4k miles a year out of it, mostly traveling to and from the tip or carting more than 3 passengers from A to B.

Discuss:

Paul

Cool motah

You'd have to spray it matt black though, and remove the hubcaps (if it hasn't got alloys).

I'll have a natter with a mate, who knows Mercs inside out, and get back to you.

forgot to mention it's the 3.2 litre V6 diesel in it

Nice car Paul - I'm sure most Merc diesels do those sorts of mileages without bother.... having said that, the bloke at work with a big Merc diesel estate with 123k on just had 'camshaft failure' - ie they both snapped for some reason simultaneously - and it cost him 3.5k for a 2nd hand engine to be refitted. Mind you, the quote from Mercedes was 11k

I've had a drive of one though and they're luuuuverly

Jason

Paul - just had a natter with my Merc expert mate (he worked for Maloney & Rhodes Mercedes dealer in Cambridge for over 20 years).

He asked if this was a W210? He said for that year it should be.

Reckoned the main things to watch out for are:

Glowplugs on the Diesel as if these end up needing replacing they're a total ****** to fix. They often get broken when being 'fixed' which'll mean £4k+. Engine mountings can be weak, and the gearboxes aren't that tough.

He reckoned it was a nice car anyway, especially if it's the 320 - which I notice you've just said so.

Did say that Mercs stopped being made 'properly' after 1995 though but he's a bit old school (he's now retired)

On any 200k car I would be looking at shocks/springs, clutch (prob auto tho) steering (recirculatiing ball i think on those) wiper motor/mech, discs, brake lines, wheel bearings, U/J's, door locks, ignition barrel. lecky window motors etc

I'm sure that you've considered all this but outside of the engine these are all the bits that I would be looking at if they haven't already been done and may well need doing again if they have at this mileage.

I'd probably buy one. 4k miles a year won't kill it but I would be concerned about having it sit unused most of the time. i have exactly that situation. My car only does 3-4k a year and can sit idle for 2 weeks at a time which is why I have a Honda.

What money is it at?
If its cheap enough it has to be a goer

A 200K car is a 200K car. As f90 said, the engine might be fine but the rest of the chassis has also had to cope with that. Springs, bearings, CV joints, brake systems, PAS, ya-di-ya. For 4000 miles a year it's not like you either need 3.2 litres or a diesel. You could pick up a 1.4 or 1.6 litre petrol estate with low miles easy enough at not much cost if it's room you are after.

Paul wrote: .......... a diesel estate. Just spotted an E class Merc estate with 199k mile on it since 2000 which is selling below book price. Any thoughts from the collective genius of the board on whether a high milage diesel Merc is a good option as an occasional family load lugger. Looking to get about 4k miles a year out of it, mostly traveling to and from the tip or carting more than 3 passengers from A to B.

Discuss:

First of all be wary. Book price? Both CAP and Glass's Guide only go up to 150K for that age, so it could be said that there is no 'book' price for that car.

The chances are that that kind of vehicle was at some point on a Lease/maintenance contract. There will probably be (somewhere) a detailed record of the computer maintenance file. A long look at that would very valuable - it will contain masses more information than will be in the service record handbook. Mercedes Benz (unlike most of the other manufacturers) do not have a centralised computer system where the service repair details can be looked up by any dealer anywhere. Each dealer will only be able to look up the work that they have done. Even if MB have updated their systems recently it will not help you because you are particularly interested in the early years.

199K on a 320CDI? - there is a good chance that it will do another 100K with little more than routine maintenance. However there is always the possibility that, no matter how good the service history, things can happen. Even small things can be expensive. All the sensors, relays etc which are hidden away can cause problems and whether you like it or not these little parts are probably made by the same company that makes them for Ford or Renault et al. It is not unusual these days to have a £300 - £400 bill to change a £5 relay.

The point that I am trying to get to is that it would probably be cheap, quality motoring for what you have in mind. BUT my advice would be to look for a Merc with a smaller engine, preferably a 4 cylinder. They are much easier to work on and access to other things is less of a problem. Sure less performance, not as refined but for 4K miles a year that is not really relevant, and in any event it will be more economical and have less insurance. Also go for one with less 'toys' - as long as it has the basic things that you need (a/c etc) then there many less little bits to go wrong. Don't even ask about the cost of repairing a faulty Mercedes Command system!!!!

Remember these cars are built to be sold to people to whom the cost of service and repair is of little relevance - the user/chooser with the car leased by his company. Mercedes have little or no interest in the purchaser of a 7 year old 199K mile car - except in that they would like to take as much money off you as possible for more servicing and repairs. There will be no warranty worries for them to be concerned about.

As long as it is in the right kind of ballpark, the actual price is of absolutely no relevance to you. If you have decided that it is what you want and the price is reasonable then your only concerns should be condition and service/maintenance history.

Good luck!

sandbar

I would buy this one.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... ns=&page=4

The silver 230TE 116k miles £2650.

In fact I WANT this one.

Gromit wrote: Did say that Mercs stopped being made 'properly' after 1995 though but he's a bit old school (he's now retired)

Your mate is correct as Mercedes chnaged their production and cut back on their build quality to save costs and this is when the marque went down hill big time.

If you find a good old one then go with that as they are built very well. Top Gear (I think) did a destructive test on an old Merc and they were amazed at how much abuse it took before it finally dies.

Paul

I drive one of these most days at work and it gets Thrashed...

Of all the cars in our fleet it shruggs off the miles by far the best and feels as sound as it did when we got it (now approx 100K). Its a nice comfortable car and very well planted.

I can't recall having had any major maintenance issues.

Budget restraints means we have to hold onto them longer now.

If the price is right.........

Ali

put a thread on here: http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/index.php

and you'll get a load of feedback, plus do a few searches.

I bought a 91 C124 with only 51k on it last December. Relatively cheap to buy its cost me a small fortune to get it sorted (new cylinder head gasket, discs, pads, major service, ATF) but it is a superb mile muncher (not that I do any real distance) and far more fun to own than a 100k Focus which would cost the same..

210s are notorious for rust issues (may be covered under MB 30 year warranty).

If you fancy a nice W124 estate, look here Nick Froome sorts out good ones and brings them up to scratch - nice bloke to boot : http://www.w124.co.uk/

A pic of my 300CE 24V



Good luck

Ade

The 300CE is my dream London car. Actually it could be my ultimate real world car.

Thanks for all the replies fellas. Much appreciated. I think I'll go and kick it's tyres next Monday. I know I don't need this, but it could be fun to roll around in assuming it doesn't go bang to soon after I buy it.

Cheers,

Paul