New to forum, on the look out for a new car

[Iceviolet]

hello I am new to this forum, currently own a 2002 e-class e220 cdi estate avantgarde, and also vw corrado vr6.
love both cars but I am currently on the look out to replace both with a w211 e63 AMG estate!
Don't see any for sale on here at the moment and only a handful on autotrader so may be a lengthy search. Any info on these would be appreciated, thanks

Sam

 

[AlanC180k]

Hi and welcome

 

[developer]

Welcome - they are hard to find, and for me, that's part of the appeal. Make sure it's got a full service history and you should be ok.

I buy approved used, with the tier one warranty.

What's the budget? - S212's have some major upgrades that are (IMO) worth the extra.

 

[jamesfuller]

Hi Iceviolet. Would love to see pics of the Corrado?

 

[Iceviolet]

Thanks for the replies!

I do like the S212 but my budget will not stretch that far unfortunately. What are the upgrades on this model over the S211?

Im kind of a fan of the circular shaped lights any way.
I have seen a few on autotrader at around the £18-20k mark so thats what the budget is really.

A couple pics of my Corrado, taken a couple years ago after i rebuilt the engine completely. Back on the original wheels now as i like the OEM standard look these days.

 

[developer]

I do like the S212 but my budget will not stretch that far unfortunately. What are the upgrades on this model over the S211?

The W/S212 has unique suspension, a new steering rack, with a wider front track, and the MCT 7 speed wet clutch gearbox, instead of a torque converter.

S211's are still ace though - good luck with the search .

 

[jamesfuller]

Corrado looks spot on!

 

[John Jones Jr]

A couple pics of my Corrado, taken a couple years ago after i rebuilt the engine completely. Back on the original wheels now as i like the OEM standard look these days.

Very nice, but I'm biased. Had '89, one owner in red. Loved it even if was bit lacking in the poke department. A cop followed me one day and when I stopped he did a deal there & then to buy it! Must agree about the OEM alloys.

 

[Iceviolet]

Well!! I have been looking for a new Mercedes as I mentioned, I had my mind made up on a S211 E63! However after looking at some other Mercs I am now undecided! Had a look at a 2011 E-Class Coupe 350 Diesel which was very nice and also I have seen a 2008 CL 500 which is just stunning!!
What are your thoughts on these three??
My thoughts are:
The thing putting me off the S211 is that they do look quite dated now.
The E-class coupe is more sensible option and looks very modern and classy.
The CL is powerful and doesn't look dated I would say, and brand new you are looking in the region £100k. Why have they depreciated so rapidly?

Cheers, Sam

 

[John]

My thoughts are:
The thing putting me off the S211 is that they do look quite dated now.
The E-class coupe is more sensible option and looks very modern and classy.
The CL is powerful and doesn't look dated I would say, and brand new you are looking in the region £100k. Why have they depreciated so rapidly?

Cheers, Sam

Whoever has enough money to buy a powerful CL new won't care. Then there is a fairly large gap between that and the next person who isn't going to pay slightly less for a 6 month old one as the new plate kudos has gone.

Then after that, as it gets cheaper, it is probably still out of reach of the majority and so it will keep dropping until it reaches a level where more people can afford / want it.

Add to that it's a large thirsty V8 auto Merc which still costs '£100k new' to fix, but is now a lot more reasonable to actually buy, still puts a lot of punters off and so the price will drop accordingly.

Whilst I like the E63 (although not as much as the E55K), the cost of the brakes on the E63 vs. the E55K is quite interesting, so if you don't have your heart set on an E63, you may well have saved a fair few quid on brakes alone - unless you buy another '63' instead.

I prefer the W211 over other cars of the same age range. The E350 coupe is built on a C class platform which is too small for me.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Hello and welcome to you.

 

[Iceviolet]

Whoever has enough money to buy a powerful CL new won't care. Then there is a fairly large gap between that and the next person who isn't going to pay slightly less for a 6 month old one as the new plate kudos has gone.

Then after that, as it gets cheaper, it is probably still out of reach of the majority and so it will keep dropping until it reaches a level where more people can afford / want it.

Add to that it's a large thirsty V8 auto Merc which still costs '£100k new' to fix, but is now a lot more reasonable to actually buy, still puts a lot of punters off and so the price will drop accordingly.

Whilst I like the E63 (although not as much as the E55K), the cost of the brakes on the E63 vs. the E55K is quite interesting, so if you don't have your heart set on an E63, you may well have saved a fair few quid on brakes alone - unless you buy another '63' instead.

I prefer the W211 over other cars of the same age range. The E350 coupe is built on a C class platform which is too small for me.

That is a very feasible explanation, thank you. And I did not realise that the E-Coupe was actually on a C-Class platform, that outs me off that right away as the refinement between the C and E class is quite significant in my mind.

I am drawn more towards the CL at the moment, but I have been reading a few horror stories about cost of repairs and parts etc. I have always believed that if you carry out correct maintenance then you would be unlucky to have a terrible failure.
The thing that kept coming up on the search was the ABC system. Is this a bad system or is just poor maintenance?

One thing I think I would need to invest in is the MB Star diagnostic software. I have the Carsoft 7.4 which has been great for my current car but I believe it only covers models up to 2004.

 

[John]

I am drawn more towards the CL at the moment, but I have been reading a few horror stories about cost of repairs and parts etc. I have always believed that if you carry out correct maintenance then you would be unlucky to have a terrible failure.
The thing that kept coming up on the search was the ABC system. Is this a bad system or is just poor maintenance?

One thing I think I would need to invest in is the MB Star diagnostic software. I have the Carsoft 7.4 which has been great for my current car but I believe it only covers models up to 2004.

To be honest, if you read everything you found on any AMG model on Honest John, you'd buy a skateboard.

I also believe correct timely maintenance is part of the answer to a fairly pain-free ownership experience but sht still happens and stuff goes wrong - you can be unlucky.

I can't answer the ABC question although arguably, how many people post up stating "I've had another 6 months of problem-free ABC ownership"?

I have airmatic and sometimes get gremlins reporting the car is too low. However, it's yet to have a problem other than one sensor being replaced.

Pinch of salt.

I believe Star is something like £12k to buy legitimately (according to my inde) - I think there are cheaper alternatives though although not sure what is recommended on here for that - anyone?