2001 W203 C320 Elegance Saloon (ULEZ exempt!) - £1250

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A-AvantGarde

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 11, 2003
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Location
South Bucks
Car
2015 911 Turbo S, 2019 Volvo XC90 T5 Polestar Optimised
2001 Mercedes C320 Elegance Saloon – on a ‘Y’ plate, recently featured in Mercedes Enthusiast Magazine

Introduction
This is my W203 C-Class finished in Brilliant Silver Metallic (744) with contrasting black / anthracite leather interior. Powered by the M112 3.2 litre petrol V6 which is mated to a 5 speed automatic gearbox, power output is circa 215 bhp with 315 Nm (232 lb ft) of torque at between 3,000-4,800 rpm.

Originally supplied by Hughes of Beaconsfield in March 2001 at a list price of circa £37,000, this vehicle has now had 9 previous owners (including myself).

I have the full V5, comes with two keys and leather dealer keyring, Mercedes book pack and service book with many receipts and old MOT certificates.

For those of us that know Mercedes of this this era well, they suffered particularly badly from corrosion issues. Although it looks like this one has had some paint in its life, the car is very presentable and looks very good for its age. There are some minor signs of corrosion (detailed below and pictures). It’s not in ‘concourse’ condition but then neither is the asking price.

Just check the photos, it’s really a credit to the previous owners. The car still has the original dealer registration plates.

12 months MOT – expires end November 2020 (only advisory listed was that the vehicle has undertrays fitted!).

Background
I bought this car locally for use in a Charity event ‘The Doughball Run’, which saw us cover 2,500 miles in June 2019 over 4 days from London to Lands’ End, to John O’Groats and back to London. The car performed superbly and without incident, we went on to raise over £13,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. I would still happily jump in the car and do another 2,500 miles!

The car and charity event featured in Mercedes Enthusiast Magazine in September 2019 (I’ll include a copy of the magazine with the car). From the article you’ll see that I bought the car cheaply, however we spent quite a lot bringing it up to scratch and to make it more saleable.

The vehicle
The car has covered just over 123,600 miles, considering the car is almost 19 years old, this is very low for the age and for the M112 3.2 litre V6. HPI clear of course.

Specification / key highlights
• 5 speed Auto Gearbox with Tiptronic function and Cruise control with Speed limiter
• Black leather interior
• Walnut wood trim
• COMAND navigation system with CD player
• Electric windows all round
• Electric and heated folding mirrors
• Headlamp washers
• Air Conditioning
• Retrofitted colour coded rear parking sensors with rear interior warning display installed by Mercedes-Benz of Northampton (£320+ invoice in 2010)
• Four recent tyres for the 2018 MOT, mounted on 16 ‘Avantgarde’ model alloys (nicer design than the standard ‘Elnath’ alloys fitted to the Elegance model)

Service History
The car comes with an almost a full-service history (many sellers would be tempted to say it has a FSH but it appears to have missed a service in 2018. However, it has quite a few receipts and has 9 stamps in the book, 6 main Mercedes main dealer stamps and 3 local garages.

Most importantly, we gave it a B (major) service when we purchased the car in June 2019 (this was carried out by a friend and receipts for all parts used are also included but the book has not been stamped). We changed; engine oil (Mobil 1 0W 40), oil filter, air filter, pollen filter, 12 spark plugs (two spark plugs per cylinder), front brake pads & disks. Next service (A Service) shows as due within next 9,700 miles.

Service Date Location Mileage
1 26/06/2002 Hughes of Beaconsfield (A Service) @ 10,872 miles
2 20/01/2004 Hughes of Beaconsfield (B Service) @ 21,827 miles
3 13/09/2005 Greenoaks Maidenhead (A Service) including spark plugs @ 32,455 miles
4 20/07/2007 Hughes of Beaconsfield (B Service) @ 42,453 miles
5 28/07/2009 Hughes of Beaconsfield (A Service) @ 50,481 miles
6 07/03/2011 Sunny Motors (B Service) including spark plugs @ 60,832 miles
7 09/10/2012 Calcot Cars (Oil change & MOT) @ 70,156 miles
8 14/08/2014 Greenoaks Bracknell (B Service) @ 88,625 miles
9 20/03/2016 Bryants Garage (Oil change) @ 103,621 miles
10 17/06/2019 Self-serviced (B Service) including spark plugs @ 121,039 miles

The car has also had a new Yuasa battery fitted (at £120) and new Michelin wiper blades. The battery has a 5 year warranty, not sure if it’s transferable but I will include the receipt.

Images






















Bodywork
Some paint peel to the front bumper corners (sadly this occurred when I removed some of the stickers from our charity event). The bonnet has stone chips and there are other age related marks on the vehicle.

Rust – as many of you know, Mercedes vehicles of this era are notorious for rust. This particular W203 isn’t too bad. The arches are all scab free, although looking at the inner arch it looks like there is some surface rust. The front doors on both sides are showing signs of corrosion.

Dents – again very presentable all round, no signs of major scratches or parking dings. There is a dent on the near-side rear door (see pictures).

Wheels – fitted with the 16” ‘Algieba’ wheels from the Avantgarde model. Ideally all 4 alloys would benefit from being refurbished.

Interior
Full Black leather interior with no rips or tears.
Black carpets and original Mercedes-Benz velour over mats in excellent condition (these are difficult to source now).

Summary
This is a solid car with the bullet proof 3.2L V6 engine that is smooth and silky. Drives straight and true, no suspension knocks or rattles etc. For anyone living in or near London this car is also ULEZ exempt, so unlike many modern diesels is therefore not subject to the £12.50 daily charge in the ULEZ zone!

I would really like this car to go to someone that appreciates and drives the older larger engine classic cars. I truly believe that we don’t really own these, we’re merely custodians for the next person.

Here’s your opportunity to grab a true bargain. In my eyes, this is potentially a real future classic, surely to appreciate in value over the coming years (just look at the way values of good condition 6 cylinder W201 and W202’s are going).

Please note: the car is advertised elsewhere so I will remove if sold sooner.

£1,250 – If I achieve this asking price, I’ll also make a donation of £100 to Macmillan Cancer Support.

I am located in Iver, South Buckinghamshire (in between Uxbridge & Slough). Not far from M25 J16 and M40 J1.

If you have any questions or you need additional information or pictures etc. Then please do contact me.
 
SOLD!

Deposit taken, awaiting collection.
 

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