W211 Mileage/Cost... Worth it?

[CanisMajoris]

Hello all,

I'm currently in the market for a W211. I generally tend to steer clear of vehicles that are around 7+ years old as they usually have a high mileage however, I've come across quite a few vehicles with a significantly low mileage & would like to know what you would regard as value for money given the specs of the vehicle.

Assuming the vehicle is an E320 CDI:
2009 Registered
Full Dealership History
~31,000 Miles
SAT NAV/COMAND

What would be the absolute max £ you believe the vehicle is worth? I don't want to believe I'm getting good value for money only to fork out significant maintenance costs in the short term, granted the vehicle has low mileage but I wouldn't know what to expect on a vehicle that's 10 years old.

CM

 

[Smart320]

Well I had a 2008 E320 cdi Avantgarde ( had been exported to Jersey and reimported to uk by myself ) it was immaculate with Full MB service history ( including gearbox service ) and had only 42k on the clock when I part ex changed it for an ML about 2 years ago, got only just under 5 k for it and it dealer had it listed at about £7 k.
It was very reliable and needed nothing in the 4 years I had it however they do need to be used regularly and mine did not have a DPF , am not sure if a 2009 manufactured 211 would have one. If it has not got one then you have less chance of problems long term especially if you're using it for shorter runs.
I suspect the dealer wil be wanting top price and it may be that if you really want a low mileage 211 you will have to pay. In the end it's worth what a buyer will pay. Have a look to see what the going rate is for a similar model at roughly the same mileage.
For what it's worth I only sold mine as my wife had a problem getting in and out at the time , it was a great all round car, especially on long runs , light on fuel and I would have another in preference to a later model E class.

 

[DrNick]

My facelift 2006 320 CDI was my favourite car so far. It is an excellent engine and gearbox combination in my view and the 211 is nice place to be.
Type it into WeBuyAnyCar and see what the trade value is and see how that compares with what you are being offered. If its cheaper than what comes out then there will be a reason!

 

[Deletedmember130310]

that seems very low mileage for a 10yr old deasesel....so i would be wary of potential issues later on, especially if it has a DPF

Does full dealership history mean all works have been done to spec - eg brake fluid every 2 years, ATF (gearbox fluid) change, etc etc - or just an oil change every 15k miles?

Are the maps on the sat nav up to date? They can be expensive to update, depending on what version is installed

Are you looking to have the car maintained at a MB dealer or an independent?

 

[CanisMajoris]

that seems very low mileage for a 10yr old deasesel....so i would be wary of potential issues later on, especially if it has a DPF

Does full dealership history mean all works have been done to spec - eg brake fluid every 2 years, ATF (gearbox fluid) change, etc etc - or just an oil change every 15k miles?

Are the maps on the sat nav up to date? They can be expensive to update, depending on what version is installed

Are you looking to have the car maintained at a MB dealer or an independent?

I have yet to scrutinise the paperwork do determine what work was done on the vehicle at the dealership.

I am concerned about it being 10 years old but unsure what kind of costs to expect on the vehicle regardless of it having only done 30k. Any thoughts on this?

I intend on taking it to the dealership. But given that the vehicle is that old and I'd probably be the last owner as I'd like to keep it for some time, I'd suspect I may take it to an independent garage to keep costs down.

CM

 

[Deletedmember130310]

I have yet to scrutinise the paperwork do determine what work was done on the vehicle at the dealership.

I am concerned about it being 10 years old but unsure what kind of costs to expect on the vehicle regardless of it having only done 30k. Any thoughts on this?

I intend on taking it to the dealership. But given that the vehicle is that old and I'd probably be the last owner as I'd like to keep it for some time, I'd suspect I may take it to an independent garage to keep costs down.

CM

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[Baldbloke]

Hello all,

I'm currently in the market for a W211. I generally tend to steer clear of vehicles that are around 7+ years old as they usually have a high mileage however, I've come across quite a few vehicles with a significantly low mileage & would like to know what you would regard as value for money given the specs of the vehicle.

Assuming the vehicle is an E320 CDI:
2009 Registered
Full Dealership History
~31,000 Miles
SAT NAV/COMAND

What would be the absolute max £ you believe the vehicle is worth? I don't want to believe I'm getting good value for money only to fork out significant maintenance costs in the short term, granted the vehicle has low mileage but I wouldn't know what to expect on a vehicle that's 10 years old.

CM

Mine was an ex Jersey 2007 211 estate with 25 k miles when I bought it in 2014. First problem soon after acquiring it was the stepper motor. Probably because of short trips. Then no issues for the next 50,000 miles. Still have her and will be keeping her if she continues to behave.[emoji1303]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gollom]

Service history in many ways more important than mileage. Get one that has been well looked after and it will run and run and run

 

[219]

Hello all,

I'm currently in the market for a W211. I generally tend to steer clear of vehicles that are around 7+ years old as they usually have a high mileage however, I've come across quite a few vehicles with a significantly low mileage & would like to know what you would regard as value for money given the specs of the vehicle.

Assuming the vehicle is an E320 CDI:
2009 Registered
Full Dealership History
~31,000 Miles
SAT NAV/COMAND

What would be the absolute max £ you believe the vehicle is worth? I don't want to believe I'm getting good value for money only to fork out significant maintenance costs in the short term, granted the vehicle has low mileage but I wouldn't know what to expect on a vehicle that's 10 years old.

CM

Don’t worry about mileage : most of my cars run well beyond 200,000 and don’t give problems , a couple have seen 300,000 and one got to 470,000 , running perfectly, when a stupid woman with no insurance ran into it whilst parked on my drive ( she demolished my garden wall and rammed the car into the side of the house ) but for that incident I’d have expected it to be on 6 or 7 hundred K by now . My SL just now is nudging 200 K and doesn’t miss a beat .

The one bad car was the only diesel I ever bought , only 100K and endless trouble .

Buy on condition and service history, and don’t be afraid of mileage .

10 years old , 31 k , not even run in .

Price ? Look at others for sale and decide .

 

[David404]

I've got a 2009 E320 sport (W211) now on 115000 - I got it 3.5 years ago on 68000.

Its NOT got a DPF.

Its had a few issues only one to shout about turbo + Inlet port shut off motor £1500 at MB indipendent specialist at 80000' ish not an uncommon issue.

Other stuff had been more minor and sort of thing any car could have.

Generally it's a very nice place to be and still drives well. As others have said don't be too concerned about miles buy on condition and service history which after 2008 is all on line.

Find a local indi specialist to keep costs down.

Review MOT history

Insist on seeing MB service history printout

Check spec carefully lots of stuff is an option I missed fact that mine doesn't have folding rear seats. I'd say minimum to look for;
SatNav
Parking sensors f&r (parktronic)
Heated seats
Pre wiring for phone

I've not updated map disk in mine (2007/8) it'd not fantastic but gets me there most of the time.

Buy new = massive deprecation low maint costs

Buy used = low deprecation higher maint costs + older tech but ultimately you'll be driving a £40k car for Fiesta money.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Two points to consider:

1) Cars sell for less than their advertised price. I've been pondering an SL500 for nearly a year now, intending to buy one after the last University trip this Autumn, and I can point you towards handfuls of cars that have taken nine months or more to sell. They eventually go, once the buyer bites the bullet and drops their asking price.

2) Mileage is an indicator of condition, but usage and clocking are important to consider, especially for a diesel E class. Check the service history, check the MoT history (easily done online), and choose a car with a scrupulous history. If it doesn't look and smell immaculate, buy another one.


.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

And on the general theme "older" cars, I used to run expensive new cars "back in the day," but switched to running low mileage ten year old Mercs about 10 years ago. Hand on heart, I can say that I've never come near to burning my fingers on one, over 10 years and 150k miles. The only painful issue I've had was an unused "footbrake" on a ten year old S500, which was stuck (in the off position) having been seldom used by the chauffeur, refusing to operate. A grand (cough) put that right. Looking forward, I'm expecting to pick up 10 year old SL500 on 60k miles for about £10k this autumn - again I don't expect any issues maintaining that £70k car. A minor fettle or two, maybe, but nothing fundamental.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

A top tip is to look at the URL to get a rough idea of how long your target car has been advertised.

Here's an example of a car which has been advertised for over a year. If you look at the URL, you'll see the advert was placed 5 month ago in March 2019, but I do remember seeing this one advertised last summer.

See the URL behind this link: Auto Trader logo