E class dilemma

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Aoraki

Active Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2007
Messages
742
Location
Mansfield, Notts
Car
W204 C250 Cdi AMG Sport Coupe
I dropped off the W204 for it’s first A service, and as you do, had a walk around the line of MB’s. One caught my eye, a black E class 220CDi Avantgarde. It’s on a ‘08 plate (pre reg by dealer) with 50 miles on the odo for a tad under £27k.
The dilemma? Well, is it worth me swapping (p.ex deal aside) the 204 for this. Would I be suitably impressed by it over and above my 204 (which is only 1 year and 10k miles old). Would losing the Bluetooth and full artico be out weighed by “moving up a notch”.

The E 220 has a few extras, link…. http://www.mercedes-benz.motortrak....4085070,14044095,14044086,14098063&vidindex=0

Does anyone know when the E class is to be updated, would be my luck for that to happen sooner rather than later and thus lose a bucket full of residual value.
 
Does anyone know when the E class is to be updated, would be my luck for that to happen sooner rather than later and thus lose a bucket full of residual value.

Next year.

And before buying a pre-reg 08 look at the prices on an 07 with 10K to 12K on the clock (and then figure how much more you negotiate off).

Or alternatively look at the price of an 07 E320.
 
Can you afford this?

The E-class is a completely different vehicle and don't go for a test drive if your undecided. :devil: :devil:

The C-class is a nice vehicle and a lot of folks envy you. Your choice, your decision.

I must confess my wife was impressed with the very latest 220 engine in the E and it is certainly NOT underpowered.

Regards
John
 
The E-class is a completely different vehicle and don't go for a test drive if your undecided. :devil: :devil:

I must confess my wife was impressed with the very latest 220 engine in the E and it is certainly NOT underpowered.

Regards
John

Same engine as the W204, it is good.
That's what I wanted to know, in what respect is it different?
 
Same engine as the W204, it is good.
That's what I wanted to know, in what respect is it different?
If your a fan of the C-class then not much ;) ;) but if you have an open mind, have the extra room to park the car then a test drive will show the differences.

The Avantgarde has a firmish suspension which my wife did not like, but if you like a sporty type feel then this suspension is the one for you.

I have not sat in the latest C-class so it is really unfair for me to make these comparisons but when we were looking at both the C and the E, the sales person gave my wife a fully specced C-class to play with, but the instant she sat in the E-class it was the end of any thoughts about buying the C.

Good luck
John
 
The new C is so good it's hard to recommend the W211 E over it, but for a couple of things. Longer wheelbase in the E makes the ride much better, in fact the damping is so good it's a wonder anyone buys anything else.

Boot and interior space, especially rear legroom and elbow room are better in the E.

I'd not hesitate to buy a W204 but I spend 99% of my miles in the car on my own. The W211 comes into its own with a a few passengers.
 
The E class is not just a bigger car, I feel it's built to a higher standard with a better quality of interior trim especially. The longer wheelbase will give a better ride also and since they have been around so long most of the niggling faults have been eliminated. Its value will take a hit with the intro of the new 2009 model ( more than the newer W204 which won't change much for at least a couple of years-and then only a facelift-the basic body shape remaining the same) so if depreciation is a worry then stick with the W204. If you want the true authentic Mercedes owner experience then the E class is the only way to go.
 
Please think. I hate to see hard-earned money poured down the drain.

1. I saw an 07 280 Cdi with 15k miles sell for £18k on eBay.

2. The new E-Class model is in the wings - this time next year your 'new' E-Class will be worth at least 10K less than you paid for it today. And then are you going to trade up again?

3. We are in a recession: luxury cars and the new tax hike are making some E-Classes a bargain. But that will happen early next year - not now - as the impacts have not yet taken hold.

So, this is the worst time to buy a new E-Class in my view.
 
I'd stick with the W204 unless you're not going to lose out too much financially on selling it (which I very much doubt). All car values have fallen seriously, the W204 is a much newer car, with the new E-Class just around the corner the W211 will become dated in the way W203's are going :-(

Sorry, just doesn't seem to make sense. I do like the W211 but in your situation I wouldn't trade a W204 for one unless you really want a bigger car and don't mind taking the depreciation hit (both on your W204 and the W211 as soon as the new model comes out)
 
You can buy new for a lot less than that for they are trying to get rid of current model in preparation for the new model in 2010. Search in autotrader for new. Even better deal as found on the other website

http://www.capitalcarfinance.co.uk/ £26583.45

It depends really what you really want out of it, the new model or save some money. Whether it the current or new model, it the same inside, just the look is different. Some features like the SBC will be missing in the new model.
 
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The E Class will be replaced next year (search google there are already lots of pics) and an estate will come later. Purely from the feel of solidity and quality the E Class feels much more "expensive" than the new C Class but obviously what you want in a car is a matter of taste, the E Class had a facelift and I understand many improvements about 18 months ago but it is still of course an older design. Changes to car values are always a possibility and any largish "luxury" car will have had its used values attacked recently. I bought my E (a March 07 220) last year when Diesel cost 98p... well lets just say I take a lot more notice of the trip computer's consumption info now!!! The modern 220 certainly has enough power for a good drive and the interior is well insulated so even if (from the outside) it is a little noiser at lowe revs it is very civilised once on the move...
 
ps... I meant to add that the Avantgarde suspension makes the car nice to drive but, especially with larger wider wheels, it does give you a lot of road feedback... passengers don't seem aware of it but as the driver you know what's going on beneath your wheels... I happen to like that but again it's a matter of personal preference.
 
I have recently been considering this as I have seen a car which is very tempting. But given that I bought my car 9 months ago, I fear that the loss that I would be taking would be hard to bear. Thats my head talking. I'm currently resisting going anywhere near the midlands just in case my heart takes over!

David
 
...test drive booked for Sunday.
Make sure you get a good long test drive. I had an W211 E220Cdi loaner while the injectors were being replaced on my W204 and while some of the differences between the cars are glaringly obvious, others took longer to notice.

The E has an air of solidity about it that's good, but dynamically in comparison to the C it felt like what it is, a previous generation car. That's not to say there's anything particularly bad about that, but it does feel noticeably "heavier" to drive and the user interface - in particular the display controls on the steering wheel and the menu system - is not as simple to use and as intuitive as it is on the C-Class. The ride quality (the one I had on loan was on standard suspension) was undoubtedly superb. It's marginally quieter, both less road noise and less engine noise when accelerating hard too, the front seats are more supportive than those in the C, and the sound from the standard hi-fi system was much better than that in the W204. If you use your phone in the car then you'll miss the convenience of Bluetooth, but if the E you're looking at has phone pre-wiring and then at least all you'll need to do is pay the Mercedes Phone Cradle Tax for a SAP Bluetooth cradle.

It'll be interesting to hear what you think once you've driven it.

Regarding the economics of changing it will be a hugely expensive exercise, as others have already said. You'll be taking a big hit on the W204 in terms of first-year depreciation, then the W211 will take another big hit once the new model's been out for about 12 months. Just look at what's happening to W203 residuals to see how badly it's likely to be.

Overall, I'd say that it makes no sense financially, but then when was buying a car a completely logic-driven activity :)
 
The E has an air of solidity about it that's good, but dynamically in comparison to the C it felt like what it is, a previous generation car. That's not to say there's anything particularly bad about that, but it does feel noticeably "heavier" to drive and the user interface - in particular the display controls on the steering wheel and the menu system - is not as simple to use and as intuitive as it is on the C-Class. The ride quality (the one I had on loan was on standard suspension) was undoubtedly superb. It's marginally quieter, both less road noise and less engine noise when accelerating hard too, the front seats are more supportive than those in the C, and the sound from the standard hi-fi system was much better than that in the W204. If you use your phone in the car then you'll miss the convenience of Bluetooth, but if the E you're looking at has phone pre-wiring and then at least all you'll need to do is pay the Mercedes Phone Cradle Tax for a SAP Bluetooth cradle.

I'd agree with the above. The extra weight though is I think engineered in to feel heavy - the car is not heavy compared to a 5 series or an A6, and is lighter than a Peugeot 407 or Mondeo. The feel is great.

I noticed the W204 has more engine noise than the W211 as well, however noise is very subjective, and when you reduce one (engine) you subjectively hear more of another (road). Wind noise is impressively low.

Handling though - I think the setup is designed so you don't throw it around as much, but it's very capable with huge levels of grip and the ability to be a hooligan if you're on free tyres.
 
Thanks all for the input. I will still test drive on Sunday, BUT, as has been said, I will look deeper into the financial side of things.
As of yet, I can not find anything to complain about with the W204, probably heart ruling head (again!). I would miss BT, iPod integration, 6 disc changer though.
Financially, a brief talk with salesman pointed to "£17k for W204, but I might get that up to £18K" Parkers valuation (with extras) was p/ex £20.4K and private sale of £22.4K.
Putting on my business head now, "Don't do it" it shouts, oh well, wait and see what ex demos sell at next year.........

(Still going for test drive though)

Thanks again everyone
 
Thanks all for the input. I will still test drive on Sunday, BUT, as has been said, I will look deeper into the financial side of things.
As of yet, I can not find anything to complain about with the W204, probably heart ruling head (again!). I would miss BT, iPod integration, 6 disc changer though.
Financially, a brief talk with salesman pointed to "£17k for W204, but I might get that up to £18K" Parkers valuation (with extras) was p/ex £20.4K and private sale of £22.4K.
Putting on my business head now, "Don't do it" it shouts, oh well, wait and see what ex demos sell at next year.........

(Still going for test drive though)

Thanks again everyone
I was surprised to see that the interior is described as fabric\artico. On older Avantgarde they came as standard with half leather, it looks like this is yet another standard feature now been deleted?

The 6 CD tray is quite a cheap upgrade and if your crazy enough to do this exchange :devil: ;) then that would be a negotiating point. Horse trading is the name of the game and your quite literally in the driving seat.
It sounds like you quite like the C-class but if your getting tempted :devil: :devil:

Enjoy the test drive
Regards
John
 
It sounds like you quite like the C-class but if your getting tempted :devil: :devil:

Enjoy the test drive
Regards
John


No John, I will resist!!!! As I said, I will wait for an ex demo E next year, that's what I did with the 204, 3 months and 4000 miles old, £5k under "new" price.
 
Update

Although the E class is a wonderful car, as pointed out before, it's due for replacement and even the sales guy said I should wait. Hopefully the new E will have BT and iPod integation that I would miss so much from the W204.
So, thanks to all that contributed, but for the time being I'll stick with what I've got.

Andy

PS Is the Parkers price guide a reliable/accurate guide?
 
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