GB Classic
Member
Hello all
I hope I’m posting this in the right place as it is my first post on the forum.
This is the first time I have owned a Mercedes since 1980 - when I had a 1965? 220S.
Many cars have gone through my hands since then and for the last 4 years I have been driving a 1990 Granada Scorpio 12v which has now seen better days despite having had over £3000 worth of repairs since I have owned it.
For the last 2 weeks I have been looking for a suitable car to replace it with. I like the look of the C class and wanted a rear wheel drive car which would have good performace and handling. There was no way I would look at BMW (a story I may tell later) so really it had to be the Mercedes.
I went and looked at quite a few C280's registered between 1994 and 1996, and priced between £2000 to £2750 but many weren't worth a second look for various reasons including rust, very high mileage & bad oil leaks et al.
On Wednesday I found a 1994 C280 Esprit at a local car dealer advertised at £2495. I took it our for a drive and it seemed fairly quiet and smooth compared with the other ones I had driven, and the 84000 recorded mileage seemed to tally with the service book. The bodywork seemed to be in excellent condition and was finished in Imperial red. After a bit of negotiation I paid £2000 for it and picked it up yesterday with a years MOT on it.
I don't really know what to expect from it but after driving about 100 miles today I think that there may be one or two things awry. The handling is a bit twitchy and at times vague needing a bit of correction here and there on camber changes and there seems to be a little play in the straight ahead position. I also find the car turns in very quickly. The tyres are Goodyear Eagles - Is it right that they should be 33psi front and 36psi rear?
The brake pedal also seems to have quite a long travel compared to the other cars I have driven but they do seem to pull the car up well. I noticed that there was an advisory on the MOT that the rear pads are getting low and wondered if it could be this? If it is - is it an easy job to do?
The other thing I noticed was that under hard acceleration the gearbox does seem to whine rather although probably no more than the others I have driven and is not exactly loud so assume this is normal but please correct me if I am wrong.
I am sincerely hoping I have not bought a lemon! as apart from these niggles I am very pleased with this car and I hope to enjoy many miles in it.
Any comments appreciated.
Ps Hope to put some pics up soon
I hope I’m posting this in the right place as it is my first post on the forum.
This is the first time I have owned a Mercedes since 1980 - when I had a 1965? 220S.
Many cars have gone through my hands since then and for the last 4 years I have been driving a 1990 Granada Scorpio 12v which has now seen better days despite having had over £3000 worth of repairs since I have owned it.
For the last 2 weeks I have been looking for a suitable car to replace it with. I like the look of the C class and wanted a rear wheel drive car which would have good performace and handling. There was no way I would look at BMW (a story I may tell later) so really it had to be the Mercedes.
I went and looked at quite a few C280's registered between 1994 and 1996, and priced between £2000 to £2750 but many weren't worth a second look for various reasons including rust, very high mileage & bad oil leaks et al.
On Wednesday I found a 1994 C280 Esprit at a local car dealer advertised at £2495. I took it our for a drive and it seemed fairly quiet and smooth compared with the other ones I had driven, and the 84000 recorded mileage seemed to tally with the service book. The bodywork seemed to be in excellent condition and was finished in Imperial red. After a bit of negotiation I paid £2000 for it and picked it up yesterday with a years MOT on it.
I don't really know what to expect from it but after driving about 100 miles today I think that there may be one or two things awry. The handling is a bit twitchy and at times vague needing a bit of correction here and there on camber changes and there seems to be a little play in the straight ahead position. I also find the car turns in very quickly. The tyres are Goodyear Eagles - Is it right that they should be 33psi front and 36psi rear?
The brake pedal also seems to have quite a long travel compared to the other cars I have driven but they do seem to pull the car up well. I noticed that there was an advisory on the MOT that the rear pads are getting low and wondered if it could be this? If it is - is it an easy job to do?
The other thing I noticed was that under hard acceleration the gearbox does seem to whine rather although probably no more than the others I have driven and is not exactly loud so assume this is normal but please correct me if I am wrong.
I am sincerely hoping I have not bought a lemon! as apart from these niggles I am very pleased with this car and I hope to enjoy many miles in it.
Any comments appreciated.
Ps Hope to put some pics up soon
As mentioned on the forum, you should check the wiper mechanism is nicely greased and clean, as these can be expensive to replace, so best to keep it running smoothly and greased well. Good luck.
