• The Forums are now open to new registrations, adverts are also being de-tuned.

Newbie

S

st4

Banned
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Messages
14,373
Location
In the driving seat
Car
C220cdi tourer
Hi all.

I would like to introduce myself. I am Stephen, 23 and live in Helensburgh and work in admin in Glasgow

I am looking to buy a 2005 E220cdi Saloon. I currently drive a BMW X5 4.4i (2004) and used to drive an X5 3.0i.

I know the E won't be as powerful as the 4.4i X5, but IMO it is much more suited to my budget, and the X5 4.4i has been a massive dissappointment :mad:

When I test the E220 what should I be looking for?

I have heard bad tales of Merc reliability, and have heard E classes from 2002-2003 can be iffy, but will an 05 car/55 car be better.

The E class was highly recommended to me by my old man who hired one from enterprise, it was "excellent to drive" comfortable, fast enough so it got me thinking.

Here is the car I am looking @ http://www.mercedes-benz.motortrak....3343994,13343993,13344011,13694106&vidindex=3

I would be very grateful if people would respond to me with their thoughts.

***
 
Hi ***! Sorry can't answer any of your questions, suffice to say welcome to this great, and friendly forum. I actually work very close to you at the north end of the Gareloch! I am sure you know what i am talking about. Hope you get the answer you want. Peter.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Generally speaking, the newer the car, the less likely you are to encounter difficulties. The 2004 MY E-class had lots of updates/revisions, so aim for 2004 or newer if you can - sounds like that fits your budget too.

PS It was driving a hired W211 E200K that prompted me to get an MB. Very nice to drive.
 
It's called being open-minded :D Mercedes aren't the be and end-all ;).

I drove an E220cdi hire car and it was woefully underpowered and hesitant in accelerating. May just have been that one car but is was brand new :confused:.

When did they fix the squeaking door mirrors and grumbly brakes/steering?
 
I will get to find out if its too weak for me.

Is the 270cdi engine better? From brousing owners reviews it seemed to cause owners more trouble. The 2 BMW's I have had have never missed a beat, and I hope the benz will be fine.

I am not after a fast car-I don't really drive that fast, and my 4.4i X5 is way to quick IMO to drive lawfully in the UK as it comes into its best @ speeds one should not be doing. I am wanting something that I can soak up miles on sweeping roads on and motorway stints, my X5 is good in this respect, but the seats are uncomfortable. I do expect to to be better to drive than the X5's I have had as its lower and lighter. I also want a much more economical car, 40-50mpg and the 220cdi will be able to deliver that.

My cousin and I are thinking of buying a Caterham and sharing it, for trackdays and holidays, again probably a 1.6 one of these will be more than sufficient for my skill (I have never really sampled RWD).
 
As already said go for a 2005 or later car, they are much more reliable as all the issues have been addressed and better quality components are used.

Going from your 4.4 down to a 220 is going to be noticible. I would go for a 270 or even 320.
Power and smoothness are significantly better and economy is nearly as good and will make your X5 look like it had a leaky fuel tank.

Look forward to seeing you around here with the benz.
 
What's the insurance like for a 23 year old with a X5?
 
Hello and welcome to the forum mate
 
Hello and welcome.


How about gassing the X5 ? the 4.4 would be ideal for that.

Not sure what you would think going from a V8 4.4 to a 220cdi.... quite a change. My dad did similar years ago from a V8 500SEC to a 525d touring estate, kept it 6 months.....


If I were you I would look for a 320cdi
 
Thanks for the warm welcomes. Thanks for the tip about 2005 cars onwards, that is exactly what I shall do

The insurance for the 4.4i X5 is joke. £1800/annum. The 220cdi is £950 which is about half, which is bad, but for a young who passed his test in a model of car which was still in production 6 months back its not so bad. I haven't yet passed the IAM test, but am in preparation for it.

I will try the 270cdi as there is one within my financial grasp. I can't afford a 320cdi or a 280cdi unfortunately, and have had my dose of petrol power :bannana:

The 4.4i X is a very fast car IMO, and the 3.0i that I had before was plenty fast. Both cars have roughly comparable fuel consumption. The 4.4i car being better for motorways @70mph 28mpg is do-able just. Around town try 8mpg. The 3 litre car was lighter in fuel in town but worse for the dual carriage way type driving as it worked harder.

I also noticed that whilst the 4.4i car is humerously fast, it doesn't handle nearly as well as the 3.0i X5 due to the extra weight of the engine. Is this a concern with a 270cdi or V6 280cdi/320cdi vs the 220cdi car.
 
Last edited:
The 4.4i car being better for motorways @70mph 28mpg is do-able just. Around town try 8mpg.

Ummm-My friend has a 540i and that's pretty quick-he is doing slightly better than you at 11-12mpg round town. I believe the 540i is also a 4.4.
 
Hi & welcome

I have a 280 cdi E class 55 plate.A great car,no problems whatsoever,except tyres last only 15K miles and MPG around 33mpg,but otherwise it has been practically faultless.Good lick in your hunt for the right car.MB milton st,Glasgow have a good service dept imho.

Regards
 
*** said:
Hi all.

I would like to introduce myself. I am Stephen, 23 and live in Helensburgh and work in admin in Glasgow

I am looking to buy a 2005 E220cdi Saloon. I currently drive a BMW X5 4.4i (2004) and used to drive an X5 3.0i.

I know the E won't be as powerful as the 4.4i X5, but IMO it is much more suited to my budget, and the X5 4.4i has been a massive dissappointment :mad:

When I test the E220 what should I be looking for?

I have heard bad tales of Merc reliability, and have heard E classes from 2002-2003 can be iffy, but will an 05 car/55 car be better.

The E class was highly recommended to me by my old man who hired one from enterprise, it was "excellent to drive" comfortable, fast enough so it got me thinking.

Here is the car I am looking @ http://www.mercedes-benz.motortrak....3343994,13343993,13344011,13694106&vidindex=3

I would be very grateful if people would respond to me with their thoughts.

***
Click to expand...


Welcome. That spec isnt bad. Here is another one. MB direct will deliver.
http://www.directmercedes.co.uk/veh...iant%3d%26startdate%3d%26perpage%3d%26page%3d
 
reflexboy said:
The 4.4i car being better for motorways @70mph 28mpg is do-able just. Around town try 8mpg.

Ummm-My friend has a 540i and that's pretty quick-he is doing slightly better than you at 11-12mpg round town. I believe the 540i is also a 4.4.
Click to expand...

His will be the 286bhp engine. Mine is the valvetronic 320bhp engine which is more economical. However my car is heavier, and less aerodynamic.

8mpg is laughably low, as is 11mpg.

Thanks for the link for the direct Mercedes in Manchester, I have made an enquiry :D It is nice to hear that the Merc dealer in Glasgow has a good reputation. They seemed on the ball when I visited on Thursday and the salesman wanted to sell a car.

I originally enquired about a car in Western Mercedes in Edinburgh, and I didn't think the salesman was receptive to any kind of haggling :mad:, and his offer was laughably low for my X5. He orginally said that £20k was a fair offer, then came back with £16.5k. I told him that was £3k under book value and that he'd have to do better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

S
What do you think of this car?
Replies
15
Views
1K
Dryce
Dryce
Back
Top Bottom