Evening all.
I'm Dan, and I've joined your fine forum as I'm 90% sure I'm in the market for an E class, flexible as to whether estate (if so 7 seats preferred) or saloon. Must I think be Avantgarde spec. Looking for an oil burner, likely 220 or 270, but wouldn't rule out 320.
New to the marque. Previous conquests of note include Saab 99 turbo, Lotus Carlton, Lotus Elise, and e39 M5.
Currently, I drive a Mazda RX8, and my better half a Touran auto which is used to ferry around our 2 demanding daughters, aged 9 and 6. Reason for the change is that my wife, who only has an auto licence, wants a smaller car, possibly a B class, Golf or something of that ilk. However, we still need a family sized car, so I'll be chopping in my allegedly impractical RX8. I've always liked Mercedes, and in researching, I was pleasantly surprised by the apparent value of E class cars. I'll be looking for a 2006-2008 model, for which good examples seem to command circa 9-12k for 30-50k miles models.
Having never owned a Mercedes, I'd be extremely grateful for any tips to a prospective purchaser. I did try to find this by having a look through the forum but could not do so. Perhaps as there are just too many models to cover? In particular, advice on whether there are any known issue with these models I ought to look out for. How concerned should I be on looking for low mileage models? (I'll only be adding another 8-10k per annum). Is it advised to pay the premium for a main dealer sale / peace of mind? Just how good are these cars in terms of reliability, longevity, and quality? Any thoughts on the pick of the diesel engines....is one a gem, or are they all fit for purpose? How ridiculous are servicing costs, either from MB or a good indy? What about cam belt changes (usually advised at 4-5 yrs I think...hence at about the age of car I'm looking for...) very expensive on the VW, more I imagine on an E class.
Any pearls of wisdom most gratefully received.
Dan
I'm Dan, and I've joined your fine forum as I'm 90% sure I'm in the market for an E class, flexible as to whether estate (if so 7 seats preferred) or saloon. Must I think be Avantgarde spec. Looking for an oil burner, likely 220 or 270, but wouldn't rule out 320.
New to the marque. Previous conquests of note include Saab 99 turbo, Lotus Carlton, Lotus Elise, and e39 M5.
Currently, I drive a Mazda RX8, and my better half a Touran auto which is used to ferry around our 2 demanding daughters, aged 9 and 6. Reason for the change is that my wife, who only has an auto licence, wants a smaller car, possibly a B class, Golf or something of that ilk. However, we still need a family sized car, so I'll be chopping in my allegedly impractical RX8. I've always liked Mercedes, and in researching, I was pleasantly surprised by the apparent value of E class cars. I'll be looking for a 2006-2008 model, for which good examples seem to command circa 9-12k for 30-50k miles models.
Having never owned a Mercedes, I'd be extremely grateful for any tips to a prospective purchaser. I did try to find this by having a look through the forum but could not do so. Perhaps as there are just too many models to cover? In particular, advice on whether there are any known issue with these models I ought to look out for. How concerned should I be on looking for low mileage models? (I'll only be adding another 8-10k per annum). Is it advised to pay the premium for a main dealer sale / peace of mind? Just how good are these cars in terms of reliability, longevity, and quality? Any thoughts on the pick of the diesel engines....is one a gem, or are they all fit for purpose? How ridiculous are servicing costs, either from MB or a good indy? What about cam belt changes (usually advised at 4-5 yrs I think...hence at about the age of car I'm looking for...) very expensive on the VW, more I imagine on an E class.
Any pearls of wisdom most gratefully received.
Dan
