Finally got my hands on an E320 CDI Estate Sport

[renault12ts]

no - i'm not!

I wouldn't keep a car past 50k - just the way I am - I think all this about "bulletproof" diesels ended when manufacturers tried to get over 200BHP/Litre out of them in std trim (as BMW have recently with the 123d).

Sorry - it just seems a lot - the engine has done a lot of miles, it;s an old car and yet still fetches £12k?

You're young I guess. 20 years ago 50,000 miles was l lot, but not nowadys on these engines. Or just showing off that you like new cars??

 

[gkerr4]

You're young I guess. 20 years ago 50,000 miles was l lot, but not nowadys on these engines. Or just showing off that you like new cars??

i'm 36 - so yes, very young!

I'm not trying to show off - I tend to buy 1 to 2 yr old cars with <20k on them and keep them for 2ish years.

I'm genuinly shocked that someone would pay that sort of money for a car with that sort of mileage on it.

 

[gkerr4]

actually - I tell a lie - a long while back my first company car was a ford focus 2.0 Ghia (petrol) - i had it 2 and a half years and gave it back with 98,000 on the closk.

This did nothing to help my current beliefs as it was well and truly knackered when I gave it back....

 

[renault12ts]

As I said, young, 20 years ago you were not driving.

Why the shock? That's lack of experience of how modern mechanicals are light years from what they used to be. 20 years ago company cars were changed at 40,000 miles. They had to be, they were done.

 

[st4]

i'm 36 - so yes, very young!

I'm not trying to show off - I tend to buy 1 to 2 yr old cars with <20k on them and keep them for 2ish years.

I'm genuinly shocked that someone would pay that sort of money for a car with that sort of mileage on it.

Everyone is different. You are like my Dad who thought my 45k miler E320cdi was a very high milliage and I was mad to pay £15k for it. He was amazed my last car did 72k miles with just routine servicing although the torque convertor was potentially on the way out on that one.

Modern diesels take about 50k miles to bed in. Fact. My 220cdi was so much nicer once it was on 50-70k miles than when i bought it with 30k.

Many here have cars with over 100k and a few with 300k+ miles on them. I paid 1/3rd of what my car cost new, and its got more than a 3rd of its life left in it, more like its done 20% of its life tops!!!

 

[Charles Morgan]

My E320 petrol W124 has done 120k, and when Olly opened it up recently, he said the engine looked as though it was brand new. I see no reason with proper maintenance why it shouldn't get to 300k minimum, which on current mileage would be another 18 years at least.

 

[rajkundra]

no - i'm not!

I wouldn't keep a car past 50k - just the way I am - I think all this about "bulletproof" diesels ended when manufacturers tried to get over 200BHP/Litre out of them in std trim (as BMW have recently with the 123d).

Sorry - it just seems a lot - the engine has done a lot of miles, it;s an old car and yet still fetches £12k?

If you only keep them till 50K then you have lot more money to burn. The day I fetched it I was offered 13.5K by a taxi firm (after he looked at undersite and engine bay).

 

[A140driver]

Even the A-class which I drive, which isn't really regarded as the most durable car in the world has done over 92k miles now and is going perfectly.

 

[jpspencer]

Its a great car, the best I have ever owned! It ticks all the boxes by being smooth, fast, spacious, luxurious, without status but admired. Economical too.......

 

[SilverSaloon]

I tend to buy 1 to 2 yr old cars with <20k on them and keep them for 2ish years.

I'm genuinly shocked that someone would pay that sort of money for a car with that sort of mileage on it.

i've just rolled over to 230,000 on my car. i dread to think how much you'd value it at or should i scrap it now? seriously, the car drives as good as any 40k car i've driven, and thanks to it being looked after well, its in excellent condition elsewhere too.

mileage is just a little number on a dashboard.

the 2 year old car you buy with 10k on it is probably much more worn mechanically-wise than a 2 year old car with 70k on it. 5k a year means to me a lot of cold engine driving with it not getting up to temp....

when i do eventually purchase another new-ish car, i'll be seeking out the 120k - 150k cars to benefit from the price drop i get.

 

[donohoeIRL]

Our W210 300TD clocked 310k before being traded in, the W124 300DTE wasn't too far behind when we got rid (and is still going strong), the 300D W124 saloon was at 370k, and the E320 CDI W211 we have is going strong with 180k.

Preventative maintenance kept them going - torque converters went on both W124 300D's at around 250k.

 

[Londonscottish]

Mine's on 95k and is in perfect nick. These cars are built very well.

 

[gIzzE]

That car new is around £43,000.
At 12 months old you may be lucky and find one for £35,000.
If you pay cash for that and drive it for 2 years and put 80,000 miles on it you will get around £15000 back at best, costing around £20,000 over the 2 years.

Buy the one at £12,000 and drive it for 80,000 miles and you will still get £5k back for it in 2 years, costing you £7000.

I am not saying one way is right or wrong, but you can't really compare.

 

[Peter DLM]

My W210 was clocking on for 200k, and you really couldn't tell its age at all.

 

[c955]

I'm just pleased there are such different views about mileage and values...it's what keeps the used car market alive and provides bargains for those who know what they're looking for

 

[gIzzE]

no - i'm not!

I wouldn't keep a car past 50k - just the way I am - I think all this about "bulletproof" diesels ended when manufacturers tried to get over 200BHP/Litre out of them in std trim (as BMW have recently with the 123d).

Sorry - it just seems a lot - the engine has done a lot of miles, it;s an old car and yet still fetches £12k?

I take it you have never driven a well looked after Merc with 100K+ on it??

I went out in an E270cdi the other day with 340,000 miles on it and if he had told you it was 40k miles you would have no reason to doubt him. He has just swapped for a 70k mile E320cdi and still got £3k for his even with that milage. Cheap motoring.

 

[timskemp]

My E270 is showing 172k at the moment. I'll say it again - condition and maintenance...

Rover 414 - 160k miles. Mitsubishi Spacewagon - 180k miles, Sierra XR4x4 140k miles, Volvo S60 (chipped) 130k miles. VW Jetta - 200k miles.

I've never been afraid of high mileage, you have to appreciate that things will wear out and therefore some big bills will hit from time to time, but even though I just dropped 1500 quid on a torque converter / radiator job, it's still less than the cost of replacing the car with another one.