If you were buying a 2 yr old E Class would you always go MB Approved and if so why?

[Londonscottish]

Following up from the thread on 2019 E Class trim levels, my mate showed me one on AT. It was a 2019 on 16k with a decent spec. But it had already had two owners and wasn't being sold by MB.

That struck me as maybe being a bit odd. I've never bought a 2 yr old £30k car but was under the impression that people would generally want one that was MB Approved? Presumably for warranty reasons or something? Or is more about resale value? The latter isn't important as he'll keep it for a very long time.

Anyway, I'm looking for advice from people who've been through this. Is a non-MB Approved car necessarily a bad thing? Would having an approved one be a ballache as you'd have to use the MB dealer network?

Thanks in advance.

 

[A.J.]

I bought my C200 from a non franchise dealer 16 months ago. It was just under 3 years old and had only done 12,600 miles. The dealer I bought it from I would highly recommend, they were excellent even to the point of one the partners personally delivering it to me 150 miles away up here in Suffolk from Whitstable in Kent FOC.

The car was obviously bought online and over the phone. When it arrived it was exactly as described and has so far been faultless. I am more than pleased with the car. As a result I see no point going to a main MB dealer and paying over the top to have the pleasure of contributing to the cost's of maintaining their over the top premises and greed.

The dealer I used was Northover Cars in Whitstable if it is of any interest to you. The guy I dealt with was Jason who I found most helpfull. The car was actually delivered to me by Matthew, one of the partners of the business. They have a long. long list of reviews which Jason said they were very proud of. Have a look at their web site.

Apologise for the advertising but I was just emphasising that there are other sources of a used MB than an MB dealership Approved. In my opinion that just makes them more expensive for the same car

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The newer the car, the less important it would be to buy approved used, because the risk is mitigated with the the manufacturers warranty.

Buy on condition and history and do5 get too hung up on being approved used. The quality of stock and preparation will be no better than anywhere else.

 

[Londonscottish]

The newer the car, the less important it would be to buy approved used, because the risk is mitigated with the the manufacturers warranty.

Buy on condition and history and do5 get too hung up on being approved used. The quality of stock and preparation will be no better than anywhere else.

Aha - that makes sense.

Thanks for the explanation. I've realised I know nothing about this topic as I've only ever bought new (via a company car scheme) or 3 years old+.

 

[Londonscottish]

I bought my C200 from a non franchise dealer 16 months ago. It was just under 3 years old and had only done 12,600 miles. The dealer I bought it from I would highly recommend, they were excellent even to the point of one the partners personally delivering it to me 150 miles away up here in Suffolk from Whitstable in Kent FOC.

The car was obviously bought online and over the phone. When it arrived it was exactly as described and has so far been faultless. I am more than pleased with the car. As a result I see no point going to a main MB dealer and paying over the top to have the pleasure of contributing to the cost's of maintaining their over the top premises and greed.

The dealer I used was Northover Cars in Whitstable if it is of any interest to you. The guy I dealt with was Jason who I found most helpfull. The car was actually delivered to me by Matthew, one of the partners of the business. They have a long. long list of reviews which Jason said they were very proud of. Have a look at their web site.

Apologise for the advertising but I was just emphasising that there are other sources of a used MB than an MB dealership Approved. In my opinion that just makes them more expensive for the same car

Thanks AJ. Really useful.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Concentrate on the cars history, many delaers sell Approved Used with FMBSH which can be complete bull.

As mentioned, a younger car with a correct history is less of a risk.

 

[Harrythedog]

The 1st owner could possibly be MB as a demonstrator and the fact it has decent options may lead towards this

 

[vijilants]

If you do decide to go down the MB Approved used, don't take it for granted that everything is fine with the car just because it says Approved Used.

Have a good look around the car including car brake disks, tyre wear etc before you purchase and see if you can get things put right that you are unhappy about.

Unfortunately the average buyer who is not mechanically minded will accept the fact that MB approved Used means that all is well, however if you are not mechanically minded, I suggest that you take someone who knows these cars to have the car checked over.

Speaking from personal experience of MB approved used, I had to point out several areas on the car that I bought that needed rectifying, which the dealsership sorted out without too much fuss.

And if you don't get much joy from the salesman, speak to the branch manager.

Unfortunately I have found that the attitude of Mercedes dealership salesmen as being far from helpful.

 

[Londonscottish]

If you do decide to go down the MB Approved used, don't take it for granted that everything is fine with the car just because it says Approved Used.

Have a good look around the car including car brake disks, tyre wear etc before you purchase and see if you can get things put right that you are unhappy about.

Unfortunately the average buyer who is not mechanically minded will accept the fact that MB approved Used means that all is well, however if you are not mechanically minded, I suggest that you take someone who knows these cars to have the car checked over.

Speaking from personal experience of MB approved used, I had to point out several areas on the car that I bought that needed rectifying, which the dealsership sorted out without too much fuss.

And if you don't get much joy from the salesman, speak to the branch manager.

Thanks. Must admit the only time I've ever used an MB dealer was for for a replica key - and that was before I found a 3rd party who could do that.

I much prefer independent traders. I bought my 212 from Maundrells and they were very finickity it getting it perfect before releasing it to me. And very transparent about the whole process.

Turns out, based on feedback from here, that my mate can give MB Approved & MB dealers a swerve.

 

[clk320x]

I hate buying from car dealerships so much that when I bought my Tesla despite originally looking at one at a car trader I thought I’d just buy it privately and take the gamble of no warranty as the traders only wanted to give a 3 months warranty anyway and in my opinion it’s not worth the paper it’s written on in most cases.

 

[Londonscottish]

The 1st owner could possibly be MB as a demonstrator and the fact it has decent options may lead towards this

My mate paid for a check. It's had an odd ownership pattern. Might be legit reasons, might be a lemon. If it was my money, I'd look for one without all the owners as I'm wondering why a fairly ordinary E Class is getting passed around like this.

First registered 28/06/19
Changed hands 14/12/19 (@ 6months)
Changed hands 25/02/20 (@ 8 months)
Changed hands 20/04/21 (1yr 10 months - I think the dealer reg'd it in his name at this point)

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Remember and check its service history, can give further insight. A few of us here can look this up.

 

[Eddy77]

There are myriad reasons why it may have had multiple owners. I wouldn’t personally put any particular store on MB approved. My CLK was MB approved and - well - the car was OK but I ended up spending a fair amount of my own cash resolving issues which shouldn’t have been present on an approved used car. Irritating. Also, more relevant, in 2010 I bought a six month old Mondeo. It had already had a couple of owners as it was an ex lease / hire car. It was half lost price with 6k miles. Condition was immaculate and I ended up keeping it for ten years and 100k miles. Best car I ever had! So don’t be too worried by number of owners. Just focus on condition!

 

[Londonscottish]

Remember and check its service history, can give further insight. A few of us here can look this up.

Aha. What do you need to run a check?

 

[Londonscottish]

There are myriad reasons why it may have had multiple owners. I wouldn’t personally put any particular store on MB approved. My CLK was MB approved and - well - the car was OK but I ended up spending a fair amount of my own cash resolving issues which shouldn’t have been present on an approved used car. Irritating. Also, more relevant, in 2010 I bought a six month old Mondeo. It had already had a couple of owners as it was an ex lease / hire car. It was half lost price with 6k miles. Condition was immaculate and I ended up keeping it for ten years and 100k miles. Best car I ever had! So don’t be too worried by number of owners. Just focus on condition!

Fair enough, just not a pattern I'm familiar with. All the cars I've owned have had a fairly low number of owners spread over 2,3 or 4 year intervals.

I get the 1st few months being MB but one of the next owners only had it for two months. Who buys a £30-40k car and only keeps it for 2 months?

 

[Spider10]

The way the market is at the moment I can sell the wife's 6 month old Q2 with 7k miles on it for £2k more than she payed for it in April and then buy another new 1 which won't be happening

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Aha. What do you need to run a check?

Ideally VIN.
Can also use reg. no but can be problematic due to cherished plates and number swaps.

 

[Londonscottish]

Ideally VIN.
Can also use reg. no but can be problematic due to cherished plates and number swaps.

want me to post the vin here or PM it to you?

 

[Londonscottish]

The way the market is at the moment I can sell the wife's 6 month old Q2 with 7k miles on it for £2k more than she payed for it in April and then buy another new 1 which won't be happening

Actually, the market's nuts. The E500 Coupe he got from his boss earlier this year was supposed to be worth £24/25k. Then it was nicked and the insurance paid out north of £30k.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Understand the caution about buying a lemon, but it’s important to understand that many cars get “pre-registered” as the manufacturer shoves stock into the mouths of dealers to achieve sales targets and clear stock.

Then there are demonstrators, showroom and “management cars” which have brief first owners.

For plainer cars there can be up to a year in rental fleets. These are best avoided but hard to identify as the “first owner” is usually an unrecognisable asset management organisation.

Then there are company car users who move company and have to give back their vehicles.

Private first owners who stick with a vehicle for a while end up being a rare breed.