Thinking of buying this...any feedback, pointers please

[ALFAitalia]

They seem to not be an easy sell (or more likely over priced)....as therr have been a few on AT on and off for years that have not sold...and since I have the AT price tracker and can see the old prices....thats despite some biggish price reductions.

 

[Will]

I have seen a few W213'2 E43's cropping up now - are these a good buy compared to the W212 facelifted versions - any major issues?
For example - Mission Prestige,

Used Mercedes-Benz cars for sale. Mercedes-Benz Dealer Acle | The Prestige Car Company

Welcome to The Prestige Car Company, the best place to find a great deal on a used Mercedes-Benz for sale in Acle. Book a test drive today.

www.theprestigecarcompany.co.uk

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If the V8 isn’t important to you, they’re definitely worth some consideration.

Performance will be more than adequate, and being a newer car with 4matic they would probably be a better choice as a daily driver with the mileage you’re thinking of.

£190 VED too and probably better on fuel.

Cabin and tech will be a league above the 212 also.

Probably worth a read up on the reliability aspect but otherwise I’d be checking those out too

 

[such01]

If the V8 isn’t important to you, they’re definitely worth some consideration.

Performance will be more than adequate, and being a newer car with 4matic they would probably be a better choice as a daily driver with the mileage you’re thinking of.

£190 VED too and probably better on fuel.

Cabin and tech will be a league above the 212 also.

Probably worth a read up on the reliability aspect but otherwise I’d be checking those out too

I'll have a read up, something inside of me does prefer the shape of the W212 tough, and North of £23k I need to square in my head vs my original listing of prob £16k.

 

[Will]

I'll have a read up, something inside of me does prefer the shape of the W212 tough, and North of £23k I need to square in my head vs my original listing of prob £16k.

I personally think a £16k E63 is likely to cost you more in the medium to long term, and potentially a couple of routine bills will take you to £20k plus anyway.

And if you’re buying a 13 year old complex performance car like an E63 AMG with close to 100k miles, expect the risk of larger unexpected bills if you’re unlucky to increase too (see the example with the £15k engine repair bill)

Not trying to be negative, just a realistic view on these things - as I’m sure you can appreciate older cars with more miles cost more in repairs and maintenance - especially ones that cost £80/90k new

 

[TrueSpirit]

There should hopefully be plenty of info online on the reliability of that V6 engine.
Some of those ones come with an uprated burmeister sound system with the speaker grille that rotates as you turn it on !
My suggestion is if you're looking at them and do thousands of miles a year... driver assistance package might be a great option. If you need folding rear seats I'd double check the car specifically has that (it wasn't standard on my w212 E63s !)
You get so much more tech in the 213 , but when I was test driving both the FL and PFL e63s I couldn't even work out how to find the oil temp on the dash as I wanted the engine warm before ragging it ! Bloody complicated if you don't know how to use the system, I'm sure once you do, it's amazing and you can click the manual transmission mode button and exhaust loud button in any driving mode unlike the 212 they're definitely a step up in many respects and value for money wise they're obviously much better value than the 63 versions ! Maybe i should get myself a e43 estate hmmm damn

 

[ube63]

If it at all matters to you, E43 and E53 are considered mass produced units and engines are not hand-assembled. It does not mean that they are bad engines

 

[such01]

I personally think a £16k E63 is likely to cost you more in the medium to long term, and potentially a couple of routine bills will take you to £20k plus anyway.

And if you’re buying a 13 year old complex performance car like an E63 AMG with close to 100k miles, expect the risk of larger unexpected bills if you’re unlucky to increase too (see the example with the £15k engine repair bill)

Not trying to be negative, just a realistic view on these things - as I’m sure you can appreciate older cars with more miles cost more in repairs and maintenance - especially ones that cost £80/90k new

Thanks Will iirc the £15k bill was for changing the chain and other gubbins. The one I'm looking at has the new chain from the factory so perhaps this risk may be less?
I do appreciate the running costs potentially could be high on the 13yr old E63, would the same apply to a late 2015 with 50K?

 

[Will]

Thanks Will iirc the £15k bill was for changing the chain and other gubbins. The one I'm looking at has the new chain from the factory so perhaps this risk may be less?
I do appreciate the running costs potentially could be high on the 13yr old E63, would the same apply to a late 2015 with 50K?

I think any older complex car has the potential for some large bills.

I mentioned before that I think you bought your existing W212 when it was quite a lot newer and it’s a far less complex machine than an E63 with the AMG bits, so that might be a factor to consider when looking to buy a 10 year old example and putting quite a few miles on. I think you mentioned your CDI has just thrown up a £1.7k bill - just to give an example. Similar things happen on more complex cars but some of these repair costs can be higher.

As you’re looking to do quite a lot of miles, and have expressed some concern relating to costs, it’s a real consideration IMHO.

The chain is just one possible issue - sure that may be something to cross off the list on a later car but that’s not the only thing that can go wrong with these either.

It really depends on your budget and plans for running costs but I’d definitely take a look at some of those newer cars you posted too

 

[ALFAitalia]

Thanks Will iirc the £15k bill was for changing the chain and other gubbins. The one I'm looking at has the new chain from the factory so perhaps this risk may be less?
I do appreciate the running costs potentially could be high on the 13yr old E63, would the same apply to a late 2015 with 50K?

Must have been more than that.....you could get a complete exchange engine change for £15k....sounds more like the bill for replacement to me....there a lots of low miles M157 engines available to 10 to 13k. A quick google shows a full rebuild only coming in at 5 or 6 k....

 

[Jukie]

Must have been more than that.....you could get a complete exchange engine change for £15k....sounds more like the bill for replacement to me....there a lots of low miles M157 engines available to 10 to 13k. A quick google shows a full rebuild only coming in at 5 or 6 k....

The vendor was driving it while waiting for the upgrade parts to become available. I remember he/it was featured in an edition of Mercedes Enthusiast.

No suggestion AFAIK that the engine needed replacing.

 

[such01]

They seem to not be an easy sell (or more likely over priced)....as therr have been a few on AT on and off for years that have not sold...and since I have the AT price tracker and can see the old prices....thats despite some biggish price reductions.

I'm having a bit of a wobble and seen this:

Vehicle Details | Quality Cars Today Ltd

Prestige Car Sales in South Yorkshire. Offering Used Prestige Cars from our Sheffield showroom. CCL and FCA regulated, finance available.

www.qualitycarstoday.co.uk

I do like these S Class's but not sure if I look old enough to drive one - no intent on offending anyone who has one. I suppose potential for big bills will be less than an E63?

 

[zipdip]

I would say the bills will be less,the S you are looking at is a standard size so will not have the sunroof,and it looks like a low spec car but it looks great heated front and rear seats ,driving a S is a must for any Mercedes owner .

 

[AMGeed]

I'm having a bit of a wobble and seen this:

Vehicle Details | Quality Cars Today Ltd

Prestige Car Sales in South Yorkshire. Offering Used Prestige Cars from our Sheffield showroom. CCL and FCA regulated, finance available.

www.qualitycarstoday.co.uk

I do like these S Class's but not sure if I look old enough to drive one - no intent on offending anyone who has one. I suppose potential for big bills will be less than an E63?

I'd rather be sat in that S class doing 20k miles a year than any E63. You'll save big on fuel for a start.
Looks a nice car too.

 

[such01]

I'd rather be sat in that S class doing 20k miles a year than any E63. You'll save big on fuel for a start.
Looks a nice car too.

Any thoughts to how the OM642 in that responds to a stage 1 map?

 

[AMGeed]

Any thoughts to how the OM642 in that responds to a stage 1 map?

Never had one so can't really comment. But I'm sure its pretty rapid as well as economical without a remap.

 

[fabes]

That S class would be the choice for mile munching.
Yes it's not an E63 but it is very, very special

 

[ALFAitalia]

But that one has Adblue....so thats NO from me!....
....even though it pays half the road tax that my E350 with basically the same engine pays!

 

[Will]

I’ve mentioned before that the 212 E63 seats are literally the only seats I’ve ever found uncomfortable in a Mercedes on longer journeys - and I know at least one other owner had a very similar experience too.

Cue for someone to claim the absolute opposite but to me it doesn’t matter, and that doesn’t change those experiences. You might find that they’re the best in the world or whatever - that’s just my own personal experience!

Ride comfort is surely high on your list of priorities if you’re going to be covering a lot of miles?

 

[350cls]

Dynamic multi contour seats are the Dogs dangleys, super comfortable

 

[such01]

Right - having weighed up the pros and cons of AMG ownership and potential length of service and distances, plus residuals, with all your invaluable inputs, I have decided to....
Get an S class 350d non limo. I'll fix my W212 and run it for a bit longer to get the most out of the money I'm, putting into it and try and sell it privately. WBAC value it @£2k.
I'm not in a rush and there are a few S classes up for sale with decent mileage in the sub£20k bracket.
Is adblue nox sensors an issue with high mileage use vs lower mileage?
Thanks