Help please

[morf]

Hope you are all sitting comfortable.Looking for my first MB car,After years of being obliged to buy a new Ford every 3 years i am looking for a very clean E320 cdi.
Can anybody advise if the 320 is much better than the 270,It appears that many 270 models have lower kms.Secondly what trims levels are available as all seem similar apart from alloys and leather or part leather (I am over in Spain by the way)Going back to an older car i would want a fully loaded vehicle.
I am OCD with servicing so would do oil and filter changes long before MB recommend but looking not to buy genuine parts so in regard to GSF in the UK and Eurodoc in the UK are non genuine filters ok MANN or Bosch for example.
Would a E270/320 be OK with 250 000kms if supported by an MB service history.There is a 2009 280 for sale with 795 000kms would love that to take it to a million lol.Any advice greatly received.
Anything really to look out for thanks in advance guys from Alicante.

 

[Smiley]

I would suggest that condition and service history are more important than mileage. The 270 is a 5 cylinder in line. The 320 is 6 cylinder in line up to 2006 then 6 cylinder v6 post 2006. The in line engines seem to be a bit more economical (esp the 270) and reliable. The pre 06 cars all have a "SBC" braking system which includes an electric motor to provide servo assistance - it is very good when it is working but can fail and can be expensive. Post 06 cars reverted to a standard braking system; but these v6 engines can suffer from oil cooler seal failure which is an expensive repair. They suffer badly (compared with other German cars) from rust in the UK probably not a problem in Spain. If you are coming from a newish Ford and you are under the impression that all Mercedes will run forever without ever going wrong then you are sadly mistaken; the E class 211 diesels are some of the better ones. Either do your research well or arrange a pre purchase inspection by an independent MB expert if you want to avoid buying a lemon.

 

[Azeem]

I never owned an MB till 2015 and I bought one in 2015 (E270) with SBC. It was well maintained with service record and 150k on the clock. I was never a mechanically inclined person but my experience is that buying an old MB you have to be mechanically inclined to fix minor repairs yourself.
So if you like lots of reading on the internet and forums, its a good start to learn about these cars; secondly, you need to have a scanner, I bought iCarsoft v2.0 which is an entry level decent scanner for minor tasks. I change air, fuel and oil filters myself, upgraded the audio system myself, fix the rear sun shade myself, fixed bouncing door lock on one of the door etc and various interior repairs, the interior parts become very fragile with age and heat. For suspension and other repairs I go to specialists.
After driving 100k, I can say it is a comfortable and economical car especially on long routes and I am enjoying it and I intend to keep it.

 

[morf]

I would suggest that condition and service history are more important than mileage. The 270 is a 5 cylinder in line. The 320 is 6 cylinder in line up to 2006 then 6 cylinder v6 post 2006. The in line engines seem to be a bit more economical (esp the 270) and reliable. The pre 06 cars all have a "SBC" braking system which includes an electric motor to provide servo assistance - it is very good when it is working but can fail and can be expensive. Post 06 cars reverted to a standard braking system; but these v6 engines can suffer from oil cooler seal failure which is an expensive repair. They suffer badly (compared with other German cars) from rust in the UK probably not a problem in Spain. If you are coming from a newish Ford and you are under the impression that all Mercedes will run forever without ever going wrong then you are sadly mistaken; the E class 211 diesels are some of the better ones. Either do your research well or arrange a pre purchase inspection by an independent MB expert if you want to avoid buying a lemon.

Thanks for reply.

 

[morf]

I never owned an MB till 2015 and I bought one in 2015 (E270) with SBC. It was well maintained with service record and 150k on the clock. I was never a mechanically inclined person but my experience is that buying an old MB you have to be mechanically inclined to fix minor repairs yourself.
So if you like lots of reading on the internet and forums, its a good start to learn about these cars; secondly, you need to have a scanner, I bought iCarsoft v2.0 which is an entry level decent scanner for minor tasks. I change air, fuel and oil filters myself, upgraded the audio system myself, fix the rear sun shade myself, fixed bouncing door lock on one of the door etc and various interior repairs, the interior parts become very fragile with age and heat. For suspension and other repairs I go to specialists.
After driving 100k, I can say it is a comfortable and economical car especially on long routes and I am enjoying it and I intend to keep it.

Yes I am handy enough with a spanner but hate electrics so leave that to somebody else Thanks for your reply.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hope you are all sitting comfortable.Looking for my first MB car,After years of being obliged to buy a new Ford every 3 years i am looking for a very clean E320 cdi.
Can anybody advise if the 320 is much better than the 270,It appears that many 270 models have lower kms.Secondly what trims levels are available as all seem similar apart from alloys and leather or part leather (I am over in Spain by the way)Going back to an older car i would want a fully loaded vehicle.
I am OCD with servicing so would do oil and filter changes long before MB recommend but looking not to buy genuine parts so in regard to GSF in the UK and Eurodoc in the UK are non genuine filters ok MANN or Bosch for example.
Would a E270/320 be OK with 250 000kms if supported by an MB service history.There is a 2009 280 for sale with 795 000kms would love that to take it to a million lol.Any advice greatly received.
Anything really to look out for thanks in advance guys from Alicante.

Hi , assume you have exchanged your UK driving licence for a Spanish driving licence !

As you are in Alicante check the car for rust ( just check for rust anyway) underneath.

No idea what pre-owned Spanish cars are like but if they are anything like Portuguese cars be very very careful.

Check title carefully.