Just bought a used C-class estate...Thoughts please.

[pembssurf]

Hello all. Iv new to the forum as i have just put a £500 deposit down on a 11 plate C CLASS estate C180 CGI BLUEEFFI Auto Executive SE Trim with command nag system.

My last mercedes ownership was about 10 years ago when i owned a 1989 190E (which by the way was the best car iv have ever owned to this day). By the time i sold it it had completed over 165,000 miles and still drove as tight and as well the day it left the factory.

Now i have stayed away from Mercs deliberately for the past 10 years since early 00's due to what i have seen to be massive corrosion issues, electrical issues and just poor build quality. However since 2007/2008 i have noticed the build quality has been upped back to the usual Merc standard. Is this a fair assessment? Will this used C-class i have just bought likely last as well as the 190E i had?

I opted for the petrol version as i am a massive fan of the longevity of Merc petrol engines, its slightly under-powered i know for the size of the car but can anyone tell me what MPG i am likely to average with the 1.8CGI in normal rural driving. My 190e reg returned 35mpg so i was expecting it to be the same or slightly better than this with a modern engine...Any advances?

What is the general reliability and running costs of the c-class with petrol engines like? From what reviews i have read it seems to be pretty strong.

I am going to have lots of questions to fire to the community in the next few weeks so please bear with me.

Hopefully i can contribute as much knowledge as i gain from here in the future.

Adam

 

[mbenz1]

Hello all. Iv new to the forum as i have just put a £500 deposit down on a 11 plate C CLASS estate C180 CGI BLUEEFFI Auto Executive SE Trim with command nag system.

My last mercedes ownership was about 10 years ago when i owned a 1989 190E (which by the way was the best car iv have ever owned to this day). By the time i sold it it had completed over 165,000 miles and still drove as tight and as well the day it left the factory.

Now i have stayed away from Mercs deliberately for the past 10 years since early 00's due to what i have seen to be massive corrosion issues, electrical issues and just poor build quality. However since 2007/2008 i have noticed the build quality has been upped back to the usual Merc standard. Is this a fair assessment? Will this used C-class i have just bought likely last as well as the 190E i had?

I opted for the petrol version as i am a massive fan of the longevity of Merc petrol engines, its slightly under-powered i know for the size of the car but can anyone tell me what MPG i am likely to average with the 1.8CGI in normal rural driving. My 190e reg returned 35mpg so i was expecting it to be the same or slightly better than this with a modern engine...Any advances?

What is the general reliability and running costs of the c-class with petrol engines like? From what reviews i have read it seems to be pretty strong.

I am going to have lots of questions to fire to the community in the next few weeks so please bear with me.

Hopefully i can contribute as much knowledge as i gain from here in the future.

Adam

Hi and welcome to the forum. Concongratulations on your new putchase. I think you took a wise choice to go for a CGI engine - excellent refinement and good economy. Its obvious that these newer MBs cannot come to the level of the old legendary models like the 190E you had but you can see the difference between both for yourself!

Im sure some C-Class CGI owners should report their views of the engine and its reliability, economy, running costs etc. Many people own the CDI models so you may get limited response.

Enjoy your motoring!

 

[pembssurf]

Thanks for the reply. Yes i can see the CDI engine seems to be the mot popular, and to be honest to get one with reasonable mileage was a bit out of my price range. Have just come up against one obstacle though. I am buying from a main mitsubishi dealer who said they had completed all HPI checks however when i went home and did my own RAC HPI check it comes up as having outstanding finance against both the VIN and VRN. After this i called the finance company who the money is owed to and they confirmed it was actually a "sales finance agreement" basically a personal loan that is non-secured. Asked them if thats the case why is it listed as having finance outstanding against the VIN to which they could not answer. Immediately followed this up with a call to the dealer who said "oh yea we knew about that we have actually already settled the finance with the company it will just take some time for it to come off". Are they trying to pull a fast one or is this the case? Either way i have let them know i am not picking up the car and paying the remaining balance (have paid £500 deposit) until the HPI check is clear. Anyone have any experience of this?

 

[markjay]

Assuming your engine is the M271, it traditionally suffers from two potential issues, though these may have been fixed in later versions - I do not know.

Anyway, the traditional M271 woes are:

(a) Failed timing gear, resulting from the combination of having a single-link chain that stretches over time, and cog wheels made of soft iron that wear. If the timing gear is allowed to fail, which usually happens at around 100,000 miles, then this will cause valve and piston damage which can write-off an older car.

But if the timing gear is replaced preemptively at 80,000 miles, then the engine will be fine.

(b) The camshaft positioning sensors can leak, and the oil then travels up the wiring loom and kills the ECU. There is a low cost modification you can buy - in a effect an extended connector plug - that prevents this.

So unplug the CPS and check that the plug contacts are dry and not oily.

 

[SarahAnn200]

Hello there,

I have the CGI blue efficiency petrol C180 SE Executive but it's the 1.6

I love it being so quiet compared to the A class AMG diesel and E Class AMG I borrowed as courtesy cars.

I have had mine a few weeks now. I'm getting 49 mpg and I'm happy with that. I'm trying to get over 50 mpg. Nearly there 49.7 today

That is combined driving (went to my parent's house today 60 miles away, some motorway)

When I was looking for a c class, I remember the 1.8 wasn't quite as good on mpg but I'd have had either. I bought the one that I liked

It's less to insure that my last car but that was an Audi tt but 1 year older
Tax is cheap 1.6 engine is £130 and the 1.8 I think was £180

I just wanted a more practical car than my TT so didn't need a big engine Mercedes. Just something to fit my golf gear in and a big dog

I'm loving mine. I don't want to get out of it when I drive it

PS I get 44 mpg local driving

 

[SarahAnn200]

I bought a Volvo v60 from motorpoint (2 cars ago) and that hpi check came up as finance owing.
They said it was 'normal' as it takes time to clear when they have bought the car in. They sent me an updated hpi check a few days later and it said the finance was cleared.

 

[A-AvantGarde]

I bought a Volvo v60 from motorpoint (2 cars ago) and that hpi check came up as finance owing. They said it was 'normal' as it takes time to clear when they have bought the car in. They sent me an updated hpi check a few days later and it said the finance was cleared.

If buying from a dealer it will be quite common, did they say it was something called unit stocking? This is a type of finance dealers use to purchase stock.

 

[edstrom76]

Hello all. Iv new to the forum as i have just put a £500 deposit down on a 11 plate C CLASS estate C180 CGI BLUEEFFI Auto Executive SE Trim with command nag system.

My last mercedes ownership was about 10 years ago when i owned a 1989 190E (which by the way was the best car iv have ever owned to this day). By the time i sold it it had completed over 165,000 miles and still drove as tight and as well the day it left the factory.

Now i have stayed away from Mercs deliberately for the past 10 years since early 00's due to what i have seen to be massive corrosion issues, electrical issues and just poor build quality. However since 2007/2008 i have noticed the build quality has been upped back to the usual Merc standard. Is this a fair assessment? Will this used C-class i have just bought likely last as well as the 190E i had?

I opted for the petrol version as i am a massive fan of the longevity of Merc petrol engines, its slightly under-powered i know for the size of the car but can anyone tell me what MPG i am likely to average with the 1.8CGI in normal rural driving. My 190e reg returned 35mpg so i was expecting it to be the same or slightly better than this with a modern engine...Any advances?

What is the general reliability and running costs of the c-class with petrol engines like? From what reviews i have read it seems to be pretty strong.

I am going to have lots of questions to fire to the community in the next few weeks so please bear with me.

Hopefully i can contribute as much knowledge as i gain from here in the future.

Adam

Interior quality was vastly improved in 2011 - is yours the facelift model? Dead giveaway is whether you've got a flip-up sat nav screen or integrated. Other than that, they are fantastic cars, very relaxing to drive and I love mine. In fact I'm that pleased with it I'm struggling for reasons to replace it - I'll probably end up running it to the ground

 

[pembssurf]

Interior quality was vastly improved in 2011 - is yours the facelift model? Dead giveaway is whether you've got a flip-up sat nav screen or integrated. Other than that, they are fantastic cars, very relaxing to drive and I love mine. In fact I'm that pleased with it I'm struggling for reasons to replace it - I'll probably end up running it to the ground

Hi there. It has the sat nag command system that pops up from the dash and folds away. Its registered as march 2011 however i am thinking it is pre face-lift :/

 

[pembssurf]

If buying from a dealer it will be quite common, did they say it was something called unit stocking? This is a type of finance dealers use to purchase stock.

Hi there. No i have come to the conclusion after lots of internet research it is actually a unsecured loan from a company called creation finance who have actually put a HPI marker against the car even though it is loan that is not secured against the car. Phone the company myself but got some B/S excuse about data protection ya de da and they would not give me any further information until i become the registered keeper (go figure) either way i won't be buying it until the dealer successfully gets the marker removed. Im giving them 10 days and if its not done by then i am moving on and asking for my deposit back which i think is fair.

 

[pembssurf]

Thanks everyone for your input. Its good to get such good feedback. I will post back if and when i finally collect it, finance depending :/...

Either way i am definitely getting a c-class estate

 

[edstrom76]

Hi there. It has the sat nag command system that pops up from the dash and folds away. Its registered as march 2011 however i am thinking it is pre face-lift :/

Yes sounds like pre-FL. Here's an FL model, for reference: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410238448111

Exterior wise, the headlights are a different shape, and reshaped bumpers - typical FL stuff really.

Wouldn't worry too much about it being a pre-FL though, so long as the price is right.

 

[pembssurf]

Well I think iv got a decent price. See what you think. C180CGI SE EXEC estate auto March 2011 with 40000 miles on the clock full MBSH checked with my local dealer last service was a B service 1000 miles ago. Condition is "A1". Extras:
Command system NTG4
Parktronic
Karman whatever sound system
Comes with 6 months VGS warranty which I'm guessing is not worth the paper it's written on but being supplied by a dealer at least I know I have at least 3 months comeback .

Got it for 12k cash with New MOT. Old one expires in March and new rear disc pads (last Merc service said 80% worn) and new wiper blades

 

[johns E350]

Well I think iv got a decent price. See what you think. C180CGI SE EXEC estate auto March 2011 with 40000 miles on the clock full MBSH checked with my local dealer last service was a B service 1000 miles ago. Condition is "A1". Extras: Command system NTG4 Parktronic Karman whatever sound system Comes with 6 months VGS warranty which I'm guessing is not worth the paper it's written on but being supplied by a dealer at least I know I have at least 3 months comeback . Got it for 12k cash with New MOT. Old one expires in March and new rear disc pads (last Merc service said 80% worn) and new wiper blades

Sounds like a good price to me. There is no notable difference between the pre face lift only the flip up sat Nav the head lights are a slightly different shape and a few other tweaks the fuel consumption some have quoted on here is to say at least atomistic. I have owned both the 180 petrol and 220 diesel my preference was the 220 as the petrol needs more accelerator to get the same power other than that they roughly give the same performance. The petrol returned under 30 mpg around town driving and low 40 on a motorway drive the the diesel around 35 and 50. I was more than happy with mine and only changed to the E 350 coupe as a mid life crisis thing and wanted a V6 with twin exhausts sticking out the back end. I traded mine back to M-B 4 months ago and got £11500 for it. This was the petrol 180 blue efficiency. So £12000 from a dealer sounds a good price mine had done 37000 miles and was a AMG sport but did not have sat nav etc. Don't know why they badge them as AMG only thing you get is AMG wheels and bigger cills no more power. Mine was a 59 plate and a compressor so slightly not as good on fuel consumption.

 

[pembssurf]

Well picked her up today.. All i can say is what rock have i had my head under for the past 10 years... Beautiful car to drive, 42000 and feels tight as the day it left the factory. Just got to read up on how to operate this whole sat nag command system :/

 

[johns E350]

Well picked her up today.. All i can say is what rock have i had my head under for the past 10 years... Beautiful car to drive, 42000 and feels tight as the day it left the factory. Just got to read up on how to operate this whole sat nag command system :/

Quality is how I describe Mercs hope you enjoy it

 

[edstrom76]

Well I think iv got a decent price. See what you think. C180CGI SE EXEC estate auto March 2011 with 40000 miles on the clock full MBSH checked with my local dealer last service was a B service 1000 miles ago. Condition is "A1". Extras:
Command system NTG4
Parktronic
Karman whatever sound system
Comes with 6 months VGS warranty which I'm guessing is not worth the paper it's written on but being supplied by a dealer at least I know I have at least 3 months comeback .

Got it for 12k cash with New MOT. Old one expires in March and new rear disc pads (last Merc service said 80% worn) and new wiper blades

Sounds a very good price!

 

[pembssurf]

Yup only done the long motorway journey and 2 short trips this evening but so far very very promising. Feels like a proper quality car. Something iv not felt since my 190 back in the day. Just wish i made the jump or could have afforded to make the jump sooner. In actual fact it was after driving a friends used BMW 1 series that convinced me i needed to get back to driving german cars again.

 

[pembssurf]

Update. Car is going like a dream. Iv been driving very "uneconomically" and still got 37mpg, so happy with that I'm pretty sure i can get 45ish on a run if i drove like a nun. Quick question have just found a fair bit of water in the boot well where the spare wheel lives...Where is the likely source of the water? I have checked both light clusters and wiring and seems dry in there as does all the carpeted area in the whole upper boot. :/