Had a 1988 300CE for many years then chopped it in for a Chrysler Voyager when twin Boys were born and we already had a 3 year old LOL All grown up now and my Wife has a nice MK1 TT 3.2 VR6 which is lovely but we could do with a 4 seater convertible - There seem to be a lot of Nice looking 4th geration W212 e Class convertibles on the market 2009 - 2016 . Question is which is best for mainly local milage with occasional long trips - looks like the cars are all Diesel and I'm fed up with DPF and other Engine related problems like I had with a Q7 Diesel not long ago. What model year and spec is likely to be less troublesome and what should I look for buying this model? E400 is atractive but a lot more money? Thanks in Advance for any tips
Advice please
- Thread starter smudger29
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Welcome.
Firstly, the E-Class cabrio of that era isn't a W212, instead it's an A207 (based on the C-Class W204).
Then, if you don't want a DPF, then you'll need to opt for a petrol car, which are rare, because this was the Golden Age of Diesel.
And, the 4-Cyl petrol engine used in earlier cars will be the M271, which is best avoided due to timing chain issues.
You can either opt for the newer 4-Cyl M274 petrol engine, introduced in 2013, or any of the 6-Cyl petrol engines.
EDIT: And avoid red cars....
Firstly, the E-Class cabrio of that era isn't a W212, instead it's an A207 (based on the C-Class W204).
Then, if you don't want a DPF, then you'll need to opt for a petrol car, which are rare, because this was the Golden Age of Diesel.
And, the 4-Cyl petrol engine used in earlier cars will be the M271, which is best avoided due to timing chain issues.
You can either opt for the newer 4-Cyl M274 petrol engine, introduced in 2013, or any of the 6-Cyl petrol engines.
EDIT: And avoid red cars....
Wow thanks, Why avoid red? are the DPF and emissions gubbings troublesome? anything i should be looking out for specifically - I was originally planning on a 350 2012/13 but read some stuff that suggested they are riddled with faults - even those with full MB service history which the dealers of course want to charge a premium for. is milage an issue my old 300CE did 150k miles while I had it and never skipped a beat.
- Joined
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- Location
- London
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- 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 RWD / 2016 Suzuki Vitara AWD
DPF, and on later cars also AdBlue, are always a potential issue. I would advise against AdBlue due the high repair costs, but regarding DPF this is entirely down to you. Petrol engine is the safe bet here, however - if you can find one (while avoiding the M271).
Also, keep in mind that pre-AdBlue Diesels are not compliant with the London ULEZ, if that's relevant to you.
Regarding red cars, some variants of the red paintwork had a factory defect that required bare metal respray to fix. MB have been respraying these cars for free, but it's an uphill struggle to get MB to accept the warranty claim. So best avoided.
EDIT: Regarding your 300CE... well, the old saying "they don't build them like that any more" sadly applies.
