Buying advice

[Desmondo]

Hi all,

New here and to MB, just looking for some advice.

I’m currently looking at 3 used cars, as 07 plate C220 CDI with , 56 plate C320 CDI and a 55 plate E280 CDI. All have around 70k on the clock and look in pretty good condition. Hovering around the £4k mark, FSH on all, from MB on the E.

Any pointers on which might be the more reliable or anything specific to these models to look out for?

I’m not mechanical at all, yes I can check it's looks ok, the electrics work and seems to drive ok, but ideally I’d like the car independently checked before parting with any money. I don’t have any mechanics as friends that could come along, so how might someone go about this?

 

[W1ghty]

What are you going to be using it for buddy , long/short runs , annual mileage ?

 

[Desmondo]

Daily drive to work, about 14 miles each way, half motorway, bit of town and country roads at either end. Similar at the weekends. maybe a little more in town and then the odd longer trip 300 mile round trip once or twice a month, mainly motorway.

 

[W1ghty]

You could post the links for members to look at ?
All those age cars are due age related issues, some of the C class have suffered rear subframe rusting/failure from those ages .
All should have had a gearbox oil and filter service at 37k miles by MB , they will all be due another at 75k ish , budget £200-250 at an MB specialist.
The E class went through a facelift with a lot of improvements at around 06/56 plate , although some people like the inline 6 cylinder diesel rather than the later V6 diesel , which will be in the C320cdi .
The 220 diesel will feel very underpowered compared to the other two cars

 

[Desmondo]

Here's the cars currently on Autotrader - C220 and C320.

This is the E280 - although I'd prefer the extra space, I'm leaning aware from this for the time being.

I figured that they'd be coming up for some bigger maintenance task, so I guess those would be the ones to check for in the maintenance history.

I've heard the rear-subframe can rust, but would have no idea how to check for these sort of things (I'm not even sure what a subframe is!), hence wondering if it possible to get someone to check the car before buying.

 

[Desmondo]

So what do people do about checking the car? Like I said, I'm not the best judge due to lack of knowledge. If it's tidy, shiny and drives well, seems ok to me, but it's what lies beneath that concerns me.

 

[Benzowner]

The C320 and E280 will seem smoother being V6 engines as opposed to the C220 being a 4 pot, what to look for in these cars, if you are unsure of yourself it may well be worth employing someone to look for you or if you have any friends in the trade ask them to look.

 

[Gbrowncls55]

Well the E280 and the c320 will both be V6 disels. and are basically the same engine. The 320 will be quicker as its more powerful and lighter but there wont be much difference in economy. depends what you like really and howmuch space you need. The E probably feels a bit of a step up in class/quality/design over the C particularly inside but its more a feeling than a reality

 

[Desmondo]

'Employing someone to look for you' - is that a thing,? That sounds very useful.

I would much prefer the space of the E, but I feel it's looking very dated now, inside and out, and I can't really stretch to a S212 this year, which is what I ideally what.

Possibly also looking at a couple of slightly higher mileage (bit over 100k) but a few years newer, w204s as well. aside from the styling, are they a big improvement over the w203?

 

[Grovesy]

You can ask the AA/RAC etc to come out and check the car and inspect it for you, a lot of the technicians are knowledgeable on the known faults and will write a report for you on the condition of the car.

Some good independents will do a similar thing which is added peace of mind. If you google car inspections you’ll see the different prices.

Well worth it if you don’t have a mechanic friend or don’t feel confident to give the car a decent once over.

 

[W1ghty]

Well the E280 and the c320 will both be V6 disels. and are basically the same engine. The 320 will be quicker as its more powerful and lighter but there wont be much difference in economy. depends what you like really and howmuch space you need. The E probably feels a bit of a step up in class/quality/design over the C particularly inside but its more a feeling than a reality

Won’t the E280cdi be the inline 6 in a 55 plate ?

 

[DrNick]

Won’t the E280cdi be the inline 6 in a 55 plate ?

Was there an inline 6 for the 280? Thought they were all V6 and the 280 was a toned down 320 V6 with a different turbo ie good for mapping!

EDIT: Yes there is an inline 280. Still a good engine though. I'd go for a 6 cylinder CDI whether C or E. Very smooth and powerful!

 

[W1ghty]

Was there an inline 6 for the 280? Thought they were all V6 and the 280 was a toned down 320 V6 with a different turbo ie good for mapping!

EDIT: Yes there is an inline 280. Still a good engine though. I'd go for a 6 cylinder CDI whether C or E. Very smooth and powerful!

I don’t know buddy , I’m sure you are correct if you have researched it

 

[W1ghty]

Was there an inline 6 for the 280? Thought they were all V6 and the 280 was a toned down 320 V6 with a different turbo ie good for mapping!

EDIT: Yes there is an inline 280. Still a good engine though. I'd go for a 6 cylinder CDI whether C or E. Very smooth and powerful!

Yep , I just checked as well , in 2005 went from inline 6 to V6

 

[zipdip]

Well the 220 will be the economical car,and it is cheaper than the others,if you are buying from a garage that also has a MOT bay I would ask that the MOT guy look at the rear sub frame to check it for rust,for me I would go for the 320 only because the v6 is a very smooth engine and it can hustle along if needed,but given the use you want it for the 220 would be fine and save you a few pennies.