Welcome to my Newbie thread (on the hunt for a estate)

[Badgerbaitz]

Firstly I would like to thank the host and owners of this very informative forum that I have been studying for the best part of two days.

Me: Nearly @ the big FOUR OOOOOOOH..my god! With my first baby on it's way. Been driving VW Golfs (new every 2 years) for the last ten years even when other options were available. So I like quality of build. I am about to become a stay at home daddy and sending the pretty other half to do a honest day.....nuff about me.

I am on the hunt for a Benz estate that is in the region of 4-5g. I am trying to whither it down to one type of Benz and to get the finest example of it's kind for my price range. I intend to run the car into the ground and for it to potentially cost me as little as humanly possible.

Some bullets to ponder over.

• 4-5 g
• estate
• cheap to run
• bullet proof
• reliable as my Giant mountain bikes
• less (to go wrong) is more
• Insurance
• Tax
• Holds it's goodish looks better than a overworked porn star
• Oil burner (diesel) would be the preferred option
• I will consider naming my child after he who helps me most

I would also really appreciated links to useful threads and "what to look for" advice as I do most of my browsing on a mobile.

Again, many thanks peeps.

 

[st4]

Sounds like a 300TD 124 estate is what you need, and will leave you some cash in bank

 

[mykulmerc]

So your child could end with a name like "Dieselhead Badgerbaitz" ??:bannana:

Welcome and good luck. MB Estates are good solid cars, but it would be wise to leave something in the budget to take care of niggles (no car is perfect, and anything costing £4-5k will need some TLC at some stage)

 

[hawk20]

Trouble is with that kind of budget you just cannot be sure. You could strike lucky or you could run into a load of bills. With a child on the way and just the one income to live on, I'd be tempted to look for a much newer version of a cheaper car. Maybe an 18 month old Kia with a 5 or seven year guarantee?

 

[MrMotul]

I would advise you to look on Autotrader.co.uk, then Pistonheads in that order for private sales, Trade is OK, but if you find one for sale by a trader, dont listen to what he says, make your own mind up or take someone who knows what they are looking at, not all of them are like that, but most are, so you will probably find a better car/deal private. C or E class you will have to decide, E220 CDI Estate upto 2002 great, apart from the rust, but if you are running it into the ground, no probs. E320 CDI Estate, great too, but nowhere near as good on fuel but you may find one cheaper than an E220 CDI as the people that have the four pot diesels know what theyve got and they are quite happy to keep them and do with them what you want to!

C Class diesel, same rust issue, but once again the C220 CDI is very good, but for me the C270 would be the one to have with better performance and fuel economy not much worse than the C220. Its your choice and what ive wrote is just a suggestion, please dont take my word for it, but if I was you, this is what I would look for,

Good luck with your search,

Regards,

Terry.

 

[Colin_b]

Trouble is with that kind of budget you just cannot be sure. You could strike lucky or you could run into a load of bills. With a child on the way and just the one income to live on, I'd be tempted to look for a much newer version of a cheaper car. Maybe an 18 month old Kia with a 5 or seven year guarantee?

There is truth in this. New mothers suddenly get funny ideas about babies and cars, not to mention decorating, leading to depleted walletitis

 

[BlackC55]

C250TD 202 estate. Bullet proof.

 

[Supacool1]

C250TD 202 estate. Bullet proof.

That is exactly what I have and I got it for the same reasons as we've had our baby daughter in the last month! :bannana:

 

[Sonny Burnett]

C250TD 202 estate. Bullet proof.

very true gets about 30mpg the 220cdi 202 gets more on the 40 side can you get a C220CDI estate 202??

 

[Supacool1]

I've had closer to 40mpg on a run.