Am I mad...

[chrisn]

Hello everyone
As i'm new, I intoduce myself a litlle. I used to be diriven in Mercedes when I was a child (my father used to drive Mercedes cars from late sixties to mid-eighties than he went mad and bought VW and continue with the brand until now). I started my motoring with Fiat 125 and now Peugeot 206 gti is parked in a garage. I've been driving it for 7 yerars and i cannot get tired with it, but as my son arrived 10 months ago I need a bigger staff. I decided to go for a second hand Mercedes 211 estate. At the begening i wanted E320 CDI but I've convinced my better half (and myself) that we need E500!:bannana: I'm afraid that could be last chance in my life to drive a V8 as EU legislation will kill such cars and any fun you can get driving it sooner or later.
I'd like to ask u guys what you think about driving V8 these days;
wheather fun factor won't be overshadowed by petrol expenses;
Is AIRMATIC something to worry about in the future?
I'm going to keep it until death- mine or its becouse I don't think I would ever need any other family car!
Regards Chris

 

[recycled]

forget about the eu.
one life, live it to the max.

 

[BlackC55]

Splang has an E500 for sale.

 

[glojo]

Splang has an E500 for sale.

But his is not an estate!! If you really want a V8 petrol then I would go whole hog and get the E55AMG. We all tend to buy cars that we will keep forever, but who are we kidding? The E55 estate is not the most popular choice of vehicle and I would suggest a test drive in both the 320CDI and the 500 before taking the plunge. If you like a sportier suspension and then sometimes feel the need to enjoy a moother ride, then airmatic is well worth the extra outlay.

The E55 is a flying machine with four wheels

Good luck

Regards
John

 

[glojo]

Duplicate

 

[jaymanek]

Splang has an E500 for sale.

sorry no he doesnt anymore..

 

[recycled]

will he be looking for rhd or lhd

 

[chrisn]

Thank you very much for help!
I'm afraid I cannot strach to get E55 and I'm positive to have 211 rather than 210.
I live in Poland and i'm going to import lhd car from Germany or Swiss.
I've already done test drive E320 cdi, E500 and E55 210 and I think acceleration from standstill is similar for E500 and 210 E55 and E320 cdi is well behind. Though in real world in-gear acceleration matters and all seems similar in kickdown.
For me personally having all gagets is important and it is easier to find E500 with most toys then E320 CDI. Roads in Poland are the worst in EU and I hope AIRMATIC will smooth mi ride a little .

 

[Ian B Walker]

V8's need I go on?

 

[chrisn]

Yes please!
I can't wait for any comments about driving V8 engined petrol cars!

 

[Birdman]

Yes please!
I can't wait for any comments about driving V8 engined petrol cars!

On the one side, they can cost a fortune in tyres, brakes, service bills, fuel and insurance. However, they also give an unbeatable feel-good.

I would not compare an E55 AMG with any other big-engined V8 Mercedes, but not because of acceleration although that's important. Driving an AMG is an altogether different experience. Ride, handling, engine sound, throttle and steering response, all are significantly sportier than anything else in the model line-up. It's not for everyone, of course. And I drove several big-engined W211s and CLS's before making my decision - which was to keep the one I have and buy a Phaeton.

Speak to the man who will service the car before you buy and he will tell you what to beware of. Better yet, have him look at it himself, before you buy. A word of advice can spare a sackful of trouble. Or am I talking to a motor mechanic??

 

[chrisn]

Unfortunately I'm not a mechanic although dirty job isn't unfamiliar to me!
The 211 E55 is too expensive for me now ,( especially purchase cost and servicing bills) so I'm sticking to E500 or E320 CDI with all gadgets and waiting for second hand about 3-year old E63.:bannana:
Thank you very much for the comment!

 

[Birdman]

You asked a question about Airmatic. I think the E500 211 Estate variant has Airmatic. The advice I keep getting from my independent Mercedes specialist is go for the simplest suspension because it is much cheaper to diagnose and fix. His garage services all the Mercedes cars built from 1980 up to current models just out of their manufacturer's warranty. My E55 has self-leveling suspension and I've already spent over £1,000 on getting it fixed - first a control valve (£250) and then the main controller ECU board (£700). Plus labour of course. The suspension controller ECU looks exactly like a PC card in a metal box, which tells you these cars are not for the amateur mechanic. All modern Mercedes estate cars have self-leveling suspension as far as I know.

I guess my point is, if you can afford to get the car regularly serviced at a main dealer go for the W211 Airmatic V8 and have fun. If you want to run a Mercedes on a tight budget however, go to your trusted mechanic and get his opinion before you commit yourself to the latest technology.

In the end, it's a case of, if you want it enough, you'll do it. I always have!

 

[C240Sport97]

V8 AMGs rock

http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=40013