Thinking of buying E Class estate; advice welcomed.

[219]

Buy a manual Merc is financial suicide. You will never be able to sell it unless you take it to Spain and fit a meter.

There is a limited market for such things , especially once the car is older/higher mileage .

I bought a late , Indian assembled manual W124 E250D for my girlfriend because she specifically didn't want auto . As it turned out , she felt the car was too big and replaced it with a diesel Golf .

With the manual box , that W124 returned 50mpg+ and I had no trouble selling it on to a member of this forum ; he later exported it to Hong Kong where it presumably lives on .

Once the car is , say , 10 years old with 150K + on the clock , there won't be a lot of money in it anyway and the auto/manual part of the equation won't play a big part . There are still plenty of ( misguided ) people in the UK who don't like automatics , so it won't be that hard to sell .

 

[219]

The issue must be that a manual MB will have a very limited market so will be much harder to sell.

For those that keep a car long term there must come a point in time when there is no financial disadvantage. A late model manual MB will cost at least £1000 less than an auto so once the car is 10 + years old and worth only a couple of thousand then surely there can be nothing in it.

At one time reliability would have been in favour of the manual as an auto box fault could easily write off an old car. Dual mass flywheels in manual cars has changed that to some extent.

Yes , I bought the E250D cheaply ( £500 ) because there there was an issue with the box , had planned to swap it for a spare box which came with the car but turned out to be wrong , so just continued to drive it and put up with noisy 2nd gear and occasional jumping out . My local garage , who were going to swap the boxes , also commented the DMF needed replacement , so I just had it built back up as was and sold the car with fault disclosed for £250 .

We drove it that way for a year , it was a very pleasant car to drive and otherwise totally reliable , and the forum member I sold it to kept it the same length of time .

 

[zipdip]

Well Nick,I gave my viewpoint,you told us what you normally buy,and as you buy with 60,000 on the clock you do not buy new,you are running a Octavia,so unlike many who post here you are not too concerned with driving a "special" car with the 3 pointed star,you do high mileage,all these things say that my advice about a nearly new Ford Mondeo Titanium estate was in my opinion the best advice,the E class is a very good car,but the Ford has far less problems while racking up the miles,it also does not suffer from the mystique surrounding mercedes,every garage in the country can repair a Ford,and the parts are cheap,it is up to you Nick,but for £16,000 you can buy a 15 reg Ford with less than 20,000 on the clock and trade your Octavia.

 

[219]

Despite all the good things said about these cars no one has answered the 'seat 5 in comfort bit'. I have yet to see any German car that is comfortable for the middle passenger at the back. Same goes for Jaguar. Why they don't just say they are an occasional 5th seater I don't know. The transmission tunnels make you bandy legged and knock kneed after just a few miles. There is often little mentioned about this in road tests. I go with my family to Germany every year to see my wife's parents. It's 600 miles each way. A day in the car. My children were born doing long trips since we lived near Munich. I ended up with an old S203 as it was so much more comfortable in the back than a 3 series or A4 and had more room. I have 2 children though and if we were 5 I'd be looking for something without a transmission tunnel ( if they exist!) or a third row or a six seater car.

If rear seat comfort is a concern , and it might be a valid one going by my experience of W123 and W124 models owned long term , then an 'outside the box' notion might be to look at a LWB S Class which , if you look for something like an S320L CDI should return similar economy and has acres of room in the back ( not only legroom but elbow room as the cars are wider inside too ) . S Class cars usually have better seating all round , MUCH better comfort on long journeys , and a cavernous boot which might be enough for your requirements - do try and look at one . If the boot isn't quite big enough , a roof box for the long trips to France might be an option .

I'd guess you'd be looking at W221 or thereabouts , which I've never owned , although I have had one W116 and three W126 cars down the years and can vouch for the comfort , safety and reliability of these larger cars .

 

[zipdip]

Well I own a W221 and believe me it is a nice car but the boot is not it's strong feature it is not that big and it's shape means you have to pick your suitcases to suit,the only cool feature of the boot is a nylon black double hook that folds down so you hang shopping bags so they do not roll around,the Mondeo I advised Nick to buy is auto,can seat 5 well has a enormous carrying capacity and is a great car to drive as have all the Mondeo's since they first came out,a friend has a V reg one he will not part with loves it,the 14/15 reg cars have all the toys,I would buy one if I was doing anywhere near 20,000 a year with the mileage Nick is doing I would not hesitate.

 

[219]

Certainly the 221 boot is a different shape from the W126 one , being relatively short and high compared to earlier cars , but should still have a similar cubic capacity .

A lot depends on the OP's requirements , but unless he needs to load his estate boot to the roof , or occasionally fold the seats and carry long items , a large saloon boot may well suffice .

I went from having a succession of W123 and W124 estates which had served me well , to becoming tired of estate cars and back to saloons , both W201's with a fairly small but adequate boot , a W124 saloon with a somewhat larger boot , to W126's with boots which were at least the equal of the 124 estate boot up to window height .

For most of the year , the S Class boot was more than adequate for my needs as a photographer and videographer , always needing to carry a lot of photo and video kit around , for most family trips with luggage it was also plenty , and for the odd trip maybe once a year where I needed extra capacity , I still had my Halfords 470L roof box ( which I had used on my estate cars for camping trips , along with a trailer ) and all I had to do was get a different foot pack for my Thule roof bars .

If the extra load capacity is only needed once or twice a year then the saloon plus roof box is a good option .

Certainly , in terms of passenger space and comfort on a long trip , an S Class will blow just about anything else away , and the running costs won't be significantly different from a similarly engined E Class .

Of course it might not suit the OP for a variety of reasons , and it is entirely his choice , but I'd urge him to go look at one , sit in both the front and the back , take a look at the boot , then decide for himself .

As a footnote , if carrying capacity is important , I'd advise against C Class estates - having had a S203 , there is a noticeable downsize in boot capacity , as well as rear passenger space , which is OK for kids or adults on short trips , but cramped for adults to spend long in there .

 

[zipdip]

Well Nick the thread starter made it quiet clear,he was looking at a E class estate,he does big mileage and needs capacity for trips down to France and it must be auto and needs to seat 5 he buys with 60,000 and then trades the car when it gets to 160,000,he needs around 45 mpg and he is no racing driver,with all that I suggested a Mondeo Estate,because it fits everything he wants with ease,no transmission tunnel so rear middle passenger has leg room,he does 20,000/30,000 a year,in the Ford that will cost £750 in services the Merc will be north of £1,000,then spare parts are far cheaper for the Ford,it drives very well,of course it is the blue oval and not the star,without doubt the Mondeo is one bargain car for those that can use it to it's potential,but I well know the lure of the Mercedes,but you pay for your folly.

 

[Lennox]

Swings and roundabouts..... A 160k Mondeo vs a 170k Merc used prices may turn this into an equal cost position.

Buy what do you and your family want to spend 100k miles in? Those things you spend your time in should not Be a compromise.... I buy expensive comfy shoes, I have an expensive high quality bed, mattress and linen... I've had 30+ Fords but now that it's my choice, nope!

 

[219]

I'm not looking to start an argument , and all you say might also make perfect sense for Nick .

Since he is getting rid of his current car because it is lacking in comfort , all I'm doing is suggesting a look at what would be the most comfortable car for all passengers , a car which may not have been on his radar at all , but should have quite similar running costs to the E Class he was thinking about . It has to be worth a look , but I agree it might not be suitable for any number of reasons .

I , too , do 30,000 miles plus per year , and tend to buy my cars with 100,000 plus on them then at least double it , as I did with my 500SEL , and my current SL , bought a year past May on 137K and just turned over 170K ; then there was my 430,000 mile 300TE-24 , so I know about Mercedes-Benz reliability and durability .

My cars tend to all be petrol ; I've had two diesels , the W124 was a good car and the S203 C270CDI was the biggest money pit I have ever owned , mainly with engine issues , the fuel savings over my petrol cars being more than wiped out by expensive repair bills which I never got on top of , as soon as one thing was fixed something else always cropped up . My older petrol cars with easy DIY maintenance are actually cheaper to run and more reliable - that's my experience and choice but I know it won't suit everyone else .

I too have driven Mondeos , and yes they are very capable cars , so too might a Passat estate be along with lots of others . I must admit the last Ford estate I actually owned was a Cortina MK IV 2.0GL , it did the job fine , never gave any problems and I'd have nothing bad to say about it ; we've also had Sierras and Mondeos in the family with equally good records , and I've driven countless ones either as hire cars or Fire Brigade fleet vehicles - so I'm not on any kind of anti-Ford crusade .

However , Nick did come on here to ask about a Mercedes and that is all that I and the others are trying to help him with . If he decides to buy a Mondeo , or anything else , I wish him well with it .

 

[Organist]

Thanks again for all the replies. Have to say, a Ford wouldn't be a consideration for a number of reasons no matter how good they might be. If I was going for a more mainstream brand I'd stay with Skoda and get a Superb.

I'm looking for something beyond a utilitarian mile-muncher to be honest. Accordingly it's E classes I'm looking at. That said (and this might demonstrate how boring I am), I adore V70s! They're REALLY comfortable!

 

[neilrr]

What has the Octavia been like AFA reliability, economy, rust etc goes?

 

[Lennox]

I'd stay with Skoda and get a Superb.

JCs comments from the Sunday Times..

 

[Organist]

Lol! Probably perfect for me!

 

[Organist]

What has the Octavia been like AFA reliability, economy, rust etc goes?

It's been brilliant tbh. 55 plate L&K tdi. Excellent build (there's a little bit of surface rust in an area that had been repaired by the previous owner but other than that it's perfect. Nice interior. DSG works well and as a "mixed traffic" vehicle it's ideal. 55-60 regularly economy-wise with low 50s in town. If the badge doesn't (and it shouldn't) put you off, it's an all-round star. No mechanical or other problems yet and 26,000 miles since last August.

The only negatives are: somewhat limited in back seat space (it's based on a Golf after all), a bit noisy at speed and not as comfy as its excellent leather upholstered seating looks. So it's a bit of a trial after a couple of hours.

Cheers,

Nic.

 

[neilrr]

How much are you selling it for?

 

[Philip1972]

Well, I recently (may) bough an E280 CDi Sport Estate 2009 (W211) so one of the very last.

I love it. I bought it for the same reasons as you, very regular trips to the French Alps. I have 2 large German Shepherds and they fit in and its uber comfortable.

Its not just nice to drive, it makes those long journeys a pleasure.

Last 1900 mile trip I got 36 mpg, but I have a heavy right foot and was doing 90-100 mph all the way, with lots of mountain passes as well.

 

[Organist]

How much are you selling it for?

Well, to be fair it won't be till the New Year, but if you're interested in a nice L&K which by then will have about 77k on the clock, get in touch after Christmas. Won't be expensive!

Cheers,

Nic.

 

[Organist]

Well, I recently (may) bough an E280 CDi Sport Estate 2009 (W211) so one of the very last.

I love it. I bought it for the same reasons as you, very regular trips to the French Alps. I have 2 large German Shepherds and they fit in and its uber comfortable.

Its not just nice to drive, it makes those long journeys a pleasure.

Last 1900 mile trip I got 36 mpg, but I have a heavy right foot and was doing 90-100 mph all the way, with lots of mountain passes as well.

Exactly what I would be looking for I expect. Nice find! Did you compare the 4 cylinder ones?

 

[neilrr]

Well, to be fair it won't be till the New Year, but if you're interested in a nice L&K which by then will have about 77k on the clock, get in touch after Christmas. Won't be expensive!

Cheers,

Nic.

If I forget please PM me when you are flogging it.

 

[Philip1972]

Exactly what I would be looking for I expect. Nice find! Did you compare the 4 cylinder ones?

Yes, I looked at 220s as well. In the end I decided to buy the nicest car I could for my budget, and this was it.

The 220d goes really well, in fact, it felt pretty much as fast, but the refinement wasn't there and nor was the torque. It was sooo smooth and torquey I knew it was worth getting. A chap I know had a re map and sees 48-51 on a run, so that could be an option for you.

Other thing was it was pretty much fully loaded, whereas the 220s were not so much, and when i considered I wanted it for loooong trips, it was the only one to have.