19 year old looking to buy a mercedes coupe

[sabik13]

hi,

im 19 years old who passed last year, i just finished my 1st years no claims with my first car: vauxhall corsa 1l manual petrol and have decided i want to buy an automatic diesel car.

I want to buy either a hatchback or a coupe. I was looking at the audi a3/bmw 120d hatchbacks but they are a little bit expensive for the mileage i want. so i found c200 and c220 cdi mercedes coupe which are reasonably priced.

Im looking to buy a mercedes coupe cdi auto diesel with between 100k-110k mileage and be post 03 reg with the facelift.

Are there any common faults/problems that I should be warned about...i'm looking to keep for at least 3 years.

Also how costly is the servicing on these cars or repairs?


There is a car at the moment that is in my budget but did have this on the most recent mot advisory notice items:


Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)
Offside Rear Anti-roll bar rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)


Is this a major issue or am I fine to purchase?


Any other tips or recommendations would be appreciated as I don't know much about cars

 

[dinoy]

best wait until u r 21 and have had license for over 2 years and have the car insured by an adult as classic and include you on the policy

otherwise insurance will be a killer

 

[acej]

Can't comment on mechanical but my eldest bought a c220 when he was 20 and was cheaper than a fiesta to insure. Not many younger folk owning and crashing these.

 

[NDFR]

best wait until u r 21 and have had license for over 2 years and have the car insured by an adult as classic and include you on the policy

otherwise insurance will be a killer

Or

You only live once, drive a car you like and hang the cost.

 

[DSM10000]

Watch out for rust, it is very common around wheel arches, doors, bonnet, etc.

Early models had issues with Valeo radiators contaminating gearbox fluid. It may have been changed to a different type by now. Check the car over as you would any other, all electrical items, A/C working etc

Check the injectors are not leaking by looking under the plastic engine cover for signs of black tar like deposits, fairly cheap to fix if caught early on.

Make sure there are two working keys, they are around £240 from the dealer. The anti roll bar bush advisory is just that, an advisory. Bushes wear and crack with age but it would not be expensive to replace.


Lastly; find a local MB specialist to help with repairs and servicing and good luck!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

best wait until u r 21 and have had license for over 2 years and have the car insured by an adult as classic and include you on the policy

otherwise insurance will be a killer

Is that not 'fronting'?

 

[Dave.tam]

Yes it is, and is illegal

 

[MWCLS]

The insurance companies it seems happily collect premiums for fronting.

Sorry op off track. My wife 26, recently purchased a facelifed c coupe insurance is a killer she is paying £2,000.00 fully comp 2 years ncb always had her own policy London postcode maybe the cause of the ridiculous cost.

 

[wil992]

Is that not 'fronting'?

Yes, agreed, and they may well take your money and then not pay out, and you might get prosecuted too. So, if you're the main driver, insure it in your own name.
As for premiums, just get quotes, everyone will be different (eg my E63 costs £400 pa) so there's not much point people guessing whether it will be insurable.

 

[Abb]

OP, my nephew recently went through the same process and I helped him with it. Went from a corsa, to a W209 220 CDi CLK coupe, and he absolutely loves it. Insurance IIRC was around the £2k mark, which at 19 I thought was a great deal. Has a good postcode to be fair, but still!

 

[Yugguy]

Arb bushes shouldnt be too much to xhange and can last for years anyway.

 

[OliverLloyd96]

If your looking for a cheap insurance quote try admiral bell, get a quote directly through their website.

I recently got a 2004 c220 cdi saloon and my insurance costs 1300, I turned 20 a few months ago and I don't have any no claims bonus(due to being a named driver). Its only a 10 month policy but its much cheaper than most other companies.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

The insurance companies it seems happily collect premiums for fronting.

Oh, that's OK then.

 

[Bonecho]

Put your parents on the policy as named drivers. Comp is also often cheaper than Third party fire and theft.

 

[AMGeed]

^ +1
TPF&T is no longer any cheaper.
And putting an experienced close relation as named driver can bring down the cost.
My missus is on my E55 insurance although she refuses to drive it. Says it scares her

 

[sabik13]

thank you all for your help

in terms of insurance, it isn't really a problem as the premium is not much of a difference from the other cars i'm interested in.

i've been quoted £1.7k thus far from comparison websites, which provides me with a telephone number...do you think i could haggle it down some more over the phone ?

 

[zipdip]

thank you all for your help

in terms of insurance, it isn't really a problem as the premium is not much of a difference from the other cars i'm interested in.

i've been quoted £1.7k thus far from comparison websites, which provides me with a telephone number...do you think i could haggle it down some more over the phone ?

Well it seems you want to spend £3000 on a car and insure it for £1700 a year,are the joys of being young but who are us oldies to say do not do it,you may well be at the start of a long partnership with the Mercedes car,I hope you find a good C220 and it serves you well.

 

[kid-jensen]

Definately get as many drivers with good records as possible on the policy as well.

This will bring the cost down.

My 19 year-old daughter got a quote for £1500 for a Polo, but using the Admaral Multicar system, we got cover for my ML, the Wife's Fiat 500 AND the Corsa for £1500!

Talk about a no brainer!

If you are prepared to get your hands dirty on the basic servicing and repairs stuff, there's no reason why the Mercedes shouldn't be just as cheap to run as a Corsa.

 

[Robbo Cop]

Just my two cents ...

I hope you go with MB, great cars. I would advise you to be very careful of any BMW 2.0d built after september 2007 (N47 2.0d), potential timing chain failure and very costly rebuild.

Best of luck mate,

Rob ..