Choices, Choices, Choices

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MrGundam

MrGundam

Active Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2021
Messages
170
Location
Hampshire
Car
2012 C207 E350Cdi
So I am looking at getting my first E350Cdi and I cannot decide:

Motor 1: Local Dealer. 71K miles, late 2011 Blueeffeciency Sport, Black, 6 previous owners- £9000.
Motor 2: Private seller 100 miles away. 102K miles, 2012 Blueeffeciency Sport, Meteorite Grey, 3 previous owners - £7250

I always wanted black but hearing they can be nightmare with dirt and marks, and slightly put off by the high amount of past owners. On the other hand I would get 3 months dealer warranty.

Motor 2 I like idea of the savings, but put off by higher mileage. Colour growing on me.

Anyone have any things to consider if all being equal condition wise?
 
Keep looking. There are certainly plenty out there to choose from! Personally I try and steer clear from traders, and actively seek out black cars with light interiors, however thats a personal choice.
If you could find one without the stop/start system that will save you a lot of potential headaches down the line.
 
For me my criteria were.
FSH comprehensive and up to date. Not necessarily FMBSH.
Under 70K mileage. 265 BHP with Pan Roof, Silver grey Leather.
Low ownership. Premium Tyres.
 
I would say don't rule out the rare e350 V6 petrol. There are a few on Autotrader at the moment.

Dieseasles are probably likely to suffer steeper depreciation and the risk of significant tax hikes due to new diesel hatred by Politicians and the environmentally woke. Plus, you have the threat of NOx sensor and oil cooler seals big bills at those ages, and Merc will wriggle to avoid a helping contribution to costs.

There is a black ex-diplomatic E350 petrol (or there was yesterday) that might fit the bill.
 
Abb said:
Keep looking. There are certainly plenty out there to choose from! Personally I try and steer clear from traders, and actively seek out black cars with light interiors, however thats a personal choice.
If you could find one without the stop/start system that will save you a lot of potential headaches down the line.
Click to expand...

Thankyou for the reply.

Can I ask, do you find having black is as big a pain as people say? I have always liked the look of black cars but wondering now if a dark grey might be more practical.

Is there a reason you avoid dealers? I like the idea of not having to foot the dealer premium added on to the price, but are there other reasons to go private? I assume you can ask the previous more questions about its history and get a feel for how it was treated.

I appreciate this is a difficult question, but is a 71k mile motor worth over £1500 more than a 102k motor? So difficult to know what to expect for the money.
 
W
davymead said:
For me my criteria were.
FSH comprehensive and up to date. Not necessarily FMBSH.
Under 70K mileage. 265 BHP with Pan Roof, Silver grey Leather.
Low ownership. Premium Tyres.
Click to expand...
What price would you look for that mileage and spec from a private seller?
 
As an example of some dealer/trader/private choices.

On the w212 E63 (because I've been looking at them) you might be able to find and approved used Mercedes dealer supplied car for, say £22k. BUT, this could come with a 2 year warranty that would cost you £5k to buy, and I would trust over a third party e.g. RAC warranty. Merc won't have detailed history of the car, but that warranty is peace of mind.

A trader might sell the same car at £21k, and supply varying length of third party warranty, thinking the car is more attractively priced than main dealer. They will know zero about the car (unless they were the Merc Independent Specialist looking after it for the past X years) and are only interested in flipping the car for good profit. If you have issues later down the road, they will be pointing you straight to the warranty company (major mis-selling issue aside).

Then private sellers, who in my view are often asking WAY too much, considering the lack of that £5k warranty and zero comeback if you find out later the car is a death trap with disintegrating subframe and chassis rust. I've seen private asking in the region £20-21k, so hardly any difference.
BUT if you find a meticulous OCD seller, the likes of exist on this forum, then you might get a car in very good condition with a folder full of receipts. However, depending on the car (in my example the E63) that warranty is again massive peace of mind, so I would as a starting point looking to have that value made up elsewhere; basically a combination of reduced price and receipted history and condition. If it's an expensive car with potential massive bill (usually engine, suspension or brake known issues) an inspection at a Mercedes Specialist would be strongly recommended.

At the other end, if it's a known reliable 2 litre petrol that sold in massive volumes and has plentiful spares and servicing at reasonable prices and costs £3k to buy, I would take a much more measured approach, plus I'm very handy with spanners.

It will in large part come down to what you will be comfortable with risk-wise.
 
MrGreedy said:
I would say don't rule out the rare e350 V6 petrol. There are a few on Autotrader at the moment.

Dieseasles are probably likely to suffer steeper depreciation and the risk of significant tax hikes due to new diesel hatred by Politicians and the environmentally woke. Plus, you have the threat of NOx sensor and oil cooler seals big bills at those ages, and Merc will wriggle to avoid a helping contribution to costs.

There is a black ex-diplomatic E350 petrol (or there was yesterday) that might fit the bill.
Click to expand...
Having a C350 V6 petrol myself, I would completely endorse that view. The direct injected engine returns surprisingly good mpg, only a little down on the CDi.

However, they do still have NOx sensor issues. They’re no doubt as bad for that as the diseasles but being far less common means they’re not mentioned as much.

Regarding the OP’s latest mentioned choices, the dealer supplied car with SIX owners would be one to steer well clear of IMO. There has to be a reason that people have got shot of it so quickly.

As for black bodywork, I haven’t found mine to be any more of a chore to look after than any other colour. I’d be more inclined to avoid totally funeral black interiors because they really do show up every speck of black. The difficulty is finding something that isn’t black indoors because MBUK seem to think that’s the only colour that people want. If you can’t avoid black interiors, at least ensure that you get a panoramic roof to let in a bit of light.
 
Just to say that a 2012 car with 3 previous owners and 102k miles would be more appealing to me than a 2011 car with 6 previous owners and 71k miles.

But that's on paper, cars need to be purchased on condition.

That said, if the dealer is a reputable one, then they would have fixed any issues prior to sale, and will provide at least a statutory warranty.
 
Petrol options if you were considering it.

£10,250, 48k miles.
Advertised since 20-Jan.
Additional rarer options are night view assist (indicated by the moon and road button next to headlights) and 4 zone climate control (see rear control panel screen).
Later 'straight' foglights, rather than the older 'downwards tick' foglights.
The dash display is the earlier white text on black (late 2011 onwards had a coloured dash display).
I don't know what's going on with that boot tray, unless it's a liner.
Continental tyres all round and looking in good condition, which I always take as an indicator that the car has been looked after. So many are sold with Ling Long ditchfinder Pro tyres, and that makes me wonder what other financial corners have been cut.

£7,750, 91.5k miles.
Advertised as 'import', but as the advert says, this is because it was a UK based ex-diplomatic car.
Advertised since 6-Jan.
Additional rarer options are night view assist, 4-zone climate and rear heated seats. Memory position front seats.
The older white text on black background dash, but the later straight foglights.
I can only make out 1 tyre in detail, but again Continental.

£7,450, 71k miles.
Can't see any notable spec upgrades, but has lighter leather if that's what you're after.
An 'early' version, note the downward 'tick' foglights.

£10,600, 50.7k miles.
Now we're into the later of the pre-facelift W212. Note the (dreaded to some) ECO button (stop/start) on the central dash. Just turn it off at the start of every journey.
I think power went from 292BHP to 306BHP.
Note the dash/speedo which is now in colour (image 20). Properly 'ruffled' leather in the door cards, so I'm guessing top of the line leather interior.
Front and rear sunroof. Rear camera. FOLDING REAR SEATS!! (rare)
The later better Brembo brakes (in my view, which also means you will be able to get ceramic/low dust pads, which you can't with the others listed above).
Continental tyres all round.


Some might say a benefit of not having night view assist is that if you ever need a new headlight, it will be much much cheaper. Someone on here found that out recently with their S-class. They had to order from Europe as getting one at all in the UK proved almost impossible (but that was 1st lockdown).

All these options will apply to the E350 CDI, so I hope this has given you a few things to look out for as part of your search
Good luck 👍
 
My problem with the ~£9-10k mark is that you're into facelift W212, Euro 6 with slightly higher milage territory. And personally I'd probably go that route for the more modern looks, but then I travel to London a lot (expanding ULEZ).
 
MrGundam said:
W

What price would you look for that mileage and spec from a private seller?
Click to expand...
Just to point out, up until Covid I’ve spent a lot of years buying cars for the Indie I work at (when I can) so I’ve a different perspective to buying with my garage backup.
In that sense I would talk caution in buying privately, as if a seller is rigging himself of a pup, comeback is very limited. Bearing in mind the vehicle you search for is renowned for its durability, it still like many has plenty of potentially very expensive repair bills.
Best bet if buying privately would be to hopefully relieve a forum member of their pride and joy, that way you’ll buy a vehicle that’s been properly cared for.
Good car dealers are rare, but they are governed by a host of laws designed to keep you covered in the event of a disaster, so personally I’d recommend someone like Mercland who specialise in Mercedes and have plenty of recommendations on here.
 
Take a look at www.mercland.co.uk (they are in Nuneaton) - Jay is a long term member on here and you are unlikely to have any issues with cars from him. If you email them and say what you are looking for it could be worth your while. Mention you are a MBclub member and he'll look after you
 
MrGreedy said:
Petrol options if you were considering it.

£10,250, 48k miles.
Advertised since 20-Jan.
Additional rarer options are night view assist (indicated by the moon and road button next to headlights) and 4 zone climate control (see rear control panel screen).
Later 'straight' foglights, rather than the older 'downwards tick' foglights.
The dash display is the earlier white text on black (late 2011 onwards had a coloured dash display).
I don't know what's going on with that boot tray, unless it's a liner.
Continental tyres all round and looking in good condition, which I always take as an indicator that the car has been looked after. So many are sold with Ling Long ditchfinder Pro tyres, and that makes me wonder what other financial corners have been cut.

£7,750, 91.5k miles.
Advertised as 'import', but as the advert says, this is because it was a UK based ex-diplomatic car.
Advertised since 6-Jan.
Additional rarer options are night view assist, 4-zone climate and rear heated seats. Memory position front seats.
The older white text on black background dash, but the later straight foglights.
I can only make out 1 tyre in detail, but again Continental.

£7,450, 71k miles.
Can't see any notable spec upgrades, but has lighter leather if that's what you're after.
An 'early' version, note the downward 'tick' foglights.

£10,600, 50.7k miles.
Now we're into the later of the pre-facelift W212. Note the (dreaded to some) ECO button (stop/start) on the central dash. Just turn it off at the start of every journey.
I think power went from 292BHP to 306BHP.
Note the dash/speedo which is now in colour (image 20). Properly 'ruffled' leather in the door cards, so I'm guessing top of the line leather interior.
Front and rear sunroof. Rear camera. FOLDING REAR SEATS!! (rare)
The later better Brembo brakes (in my view, which also means you will be able to get ceramic/low dust pads, which you can't with the others listed above).
Continental tyres all round.


Some might say a benefit of not having night view assist is that if you ever need a new headlight, it will be much much cheaper. Someone on here found that out recently with their S-class. They had to order from Europe as getting one at all in the UK proved almost impossible (but that was 1st lockdown).

All these options will apply to the E350 CDI, so I hope this has given you a few things to look out for as part of your search
Good luck 👍
Click to expand...
Wow that is a lot to look for that I hadn't even noticed.

I should have made it clearer earlier that I am looking for a coupe, but the information you have given is still very useful. I had not even begun to really consider trim etc, I have little idea of the options. I do know to look for the later 2011 onwards with straight LED foglights as they are 265bhp in the Cdi. I wish I had more knowledge of these and what to look for.

If you see any E350Cdi or CGI coupe, black or silver / grey, in the south of the UK for £7 - 9k please do let me know so I can take a look.
Thanks again for your time in replying.
 
markjay said:
Just to say that a 2012 car with 3 previous owners and 102k miles would be more appealing to me than a 2011 car with 6 previous owners and 71k miles.
Click to expand...
Me too.
markjay said:
But that's on paper, cars need to be purchased on condition.
Click to expand...
100% - although they’re generally the exception, I’ve seen one/two owner cars be absolute skips and some higher owner cars absolutely mint.
 
davymead said:
SE Ed 125 with big spec. Slightly high on miles. In budget.
Click to expand...
That is nice. But not my dream...

Ideally I would like a darker interior (I am a mucky bugger) and I would prefer the sport versions. I also am not keen on the colour and looking for Black, silver or shade of grey.

Picky sod I know but this will have to last me a long time!
 
Out of curiosity what spec are considered desirable?

I see there is differences in display quality in both the entertainment screen and the dash, is this year dependant of an extra? Also any spec which is prone to breaking and to be avoided?
 
OK, a bit of an update on this one.

I tracked a previous owner down on facebook and apparently motor 1 was sold as a P/X. The owner said they previously had a fault that was diagnosed by an independent garage as EGR issues and was quoted the part cost + 6 hours labour! She said this was not mentioned to the PX buyer (Kia) and the issue only ever surfaced when the car was hot in summer.

Given the guy at the garage using it probably never experienced the issue I am not sure I can really use it to bring price down. Also I am confused at the 6 hour labour quote as from some research the EGR replacement is fairly straight forward.
 
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