What would you do? W211 vs W212.

[gIzzE]

I have been considering selling the A6 3.2 Quattro avant and buying a 2005 E320cdi, E350 or even an E500 estate.

Then I decided that I would sell the Audi and sell my 123d M-Sport, that I have as a company car, as well and get a W212 E250cdi or E350cdi estate instead.
This would mean I have a car that is fairly frugal for moving stock around for work, and cheaper for family hols and days out.

I would then buy a cheaper second car, maybe even an older 1 series as I do adore it.

However, after taking both the E250cdi our and the E350cdi out they have left me a bit cold and I am not sure why???

Our W210 E320 elegance always felt special, our E270cdi W211 always felt special, the E320 W211 again special, however the W212 just feels like a nicely put together car, but not that special.

I decided that because of this a contract hire E250 cdi estate with bluetooth would do the job, although the 33mpg was a serious let down as I get 27mpg from the 3.2 V6 4WD audi, but it was the right price.

Then I started considering a later W211 E320cdi. Now I would never usually buy a car at the end of its model cycle, let alone if it had only just been replaced, but I did pop into my dealer to see what they had.
Now they had a 57 plate E280 cdi Sport estate, which is older than I wanted, but I had a look and took it out and I was smitten, that luxury feel was back, that was what I think is missing from the W212, it is all put together well but didn't feel luxurious.

I then had a look around and found one with less miles, more spec. and £2000 less, I called them up and told them I wanted to swap the 123d and told them what I wanted to pay and what I wanted for the BMW and they came back within £200 which is fine.

Now, I will be buying this through my company and it will cost me £400 a month over 48 months and then I own it, however for £50 more I could be in a W212 estate.

There is something that is telling me to get the W212, but should I go with my heart??
Do you think I will regret the W211 when more and more people get the newer car and start discussing it??
I know that sounds silly but part of the ownership experience for me is discussions on boards like this. I think that is what I liked about my 535d so much, it was the busiest forum I have been on, and all about one car, the E60 5 series, really added to the whole experience.

So, head or heart, need to decide by 9am tomorrow.

Thanks.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Heart - it's cheaper too. Never buy a car you don't think you could love.

 

[mykulmerc]

Go with your heart W211!

 

[Chrishazle]

If you buy with your head you'll spend every minute of ownership and driving wishing you'd bought the car you really wanted.

 

[gIzzE]

I think you're all right.

I think the worry is that I always buy my cars sensibly, and I know this will loose shed loads in the next 12-18 months as more W212s come up used, so I would have to stick with it for at least a couple of years, and that scares me!!


I will decide by tomorrow morning.

 

[bpsorrel]

Comparing the two, I prefer the interior of my S211. Definately feels more special, albeit not quite in the same league for build quality, but it certainly looks nicer! Personally I never like to buy the first versions of a new model and have always felt the final editions of an outgoing model are the most sorted...

 

[Mactech]

I have to agree on the 211. I have driven both the coupe and the saloon 212 and as you say, nice cars but failed to feel special.
Is it the lack of real tree wood and less than top notch plastics in the interior?
Even down-sizing from the S Class, the 211 based CLS still manages to feel 'special' and I have no technical justification for that word

 

[d w124]

Each to their own but in my oipnion w211 is the best looking E class yet

 

[Ratz]

I have just bought an 09 w211 and it's just fantastic. While I was at the showroom collecting I looked at the W212, but I just don't like the angular styling. Plus you can haggle hard, mine was up at £20,900, I bought for £19,500!

 

[SL300-24]

I sold my E320 CDI saloon 6 months before the W212 arrived thinking that it would lose shedloads. However they have not really depreciated too much.
I Looked at a W212 and bought another W211 Estate and thought to hell with the depreciation.....I want to drive what I like...W211 all the way for me.

 

[Mudster]

If it's a business vehicle foremost, I take the new car purely for warranty and reliability - but I'd go with a new 350cdi Estate over the 250....there seems to be nothing in it for fuel consumption.

If it's a personal car it's a different decision.

Which is the more important factor to you?

I do know what you mean about the cold feel of the W212 - until I tried one I was set to order one - a 350cdi sport estate. By the time I'd speced what I wanted in it it was basically the same price as a Range Rover sport that had all the goodies as standard...

 

[Londonscottish]

I'm actually a fan of the late production versions of any particular car. By the end of the production run the manufacturer has ironed out most production issues and made a lot of improvements. And late models are often specced up.
So a late 211 makes plenty of sense to me.

I think the S212 estate is a good looking machine - but I prefer the styling of the 211 estate - my personal view of course.

 

[gIzzE]

Slight snag on buying this.

We agreed a price for the E280 cdi sport, we agreed a price for the 123d M-Sport trade in and then it came to finance.

They will let me finance it over 4 years with a £7200 balloon, but I can't finance it over 60 months outright?!
Which to me just seems bizarre.
I want to use this as the main car for 12 months and rack up 40k miles on it, the relegate it to the second car and family wagon and run it for another 4 years and put another 60k miles on it.
Then at the end whatever it is worth is a bonus, with 120k miles on it I woul have thought it will still be worth £6-7k.

Also, he kept telling me the APR was 8.2%.
However, I know it is nearly 15% as I have a finance calculator on my desk.

Put it like this, Lombard said they would fun it, £21k over 60 months at £400 a month dead.

Mercedes want £455 a month over 48 months and a final payment of £7300.

Or they would fund it at £535 a month over 48 months, which is 11% apr.

Hmmmm? yeah right.



I can contract hire a new E350cdi avantgarde estate for £540 a month.



So I will speak to Lombard again next week and see what they are saying, unfortunately my guy is away till Thursday so the car may have gone.

I can't see why the dealers need to be so greedy on the finance, I didn't ask them to match the 5.5% from Lombard, but get to 8.5% and I would do a deal. But they wouldn't and more important they wouldn't fun it over the 5 years.

I am hoping the car is still there by the time I get the funding in place, if not it wasn't meant to be.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Each to their own but in my oipnion w211 is the best looking E class yet

W124 definitely! W211 next.

Had a brilliant day seeing W124s. First my own, then another Dunkelblau E320 Coupe parked 20 ft from mine, which I initially mistook for my own until I realised it had grey leather. Then two estates, one being used as a TFL licensed mini-cab, then another coupe and finally, just walking back from Fulham Road, a beautiful dark grey H reg E500 parked at the end of my road. Walk 500 yards in another direction and I bet I could find at least three more.

 

[GordonTarling]

211 or 212? The 211 is now around 8 years old and there are very few showing real signs of rusting away. They were also well sorted by the time production was ended. The 212 is very new, so we don't know if they'll all be a pile of iron oxide in 8 years time. I doubt they will, but you just never know.

 

[Mudster]

Mercedes-Benz UK - E-Class Estate - Contract Hire offers

E350cdi **********e fully maintained - £544 + vat.

That's good value ona vehicle when considering the deals you're being offered on a new car.

It's also worth getting a quote for 4 years on contract hire if you intend to keep the car, It could cut that down to mid £400's + vat.

I have a guy at Lex that does all our business stuff, they've just come up with figures on a new car for me that so far three main dealers can't touch. But it's a non Merc.

For Merc contract hire, it appears you can't beat Merc...just stay off the options list as they are very pricely for contract hire.

 

[gIzzE]

Sorry, I should have said the E350 avantgarde estate is on contract hire through Lombard, £540 including vat with comand as the only option, that is the one option that doesn't seem to add anything to the price, so shows it is classed as an essential option.
The E250cdi was only £30 a month less, and from my test drives the E350 is pretty much the same MPG wise, the small amount gained around town was soon lost on the motorway cruising at 90mph.

 

[shorty]

I would go with the 211 .
I was working on a 212 last week , i reckon its more like an Opel Vectra that a Mercedes . The interior seams cheap and plastic , unlike a 211 , which to me feel better quality .

 

[jeremytaylor]

Maybe the 211 feels special because you have driven them before and know all about them. I suspect that prolonged exposure to a 212 might give you the same feelings?

But I do prefer the look of the 211 estate (but then I would say that, wouldn't I!). I really like my 280, more so than the I6 320 I had before - the quicker response of the V6 and the 7-speed box with the paddle changes really do it for me.

 

[ChrisMc]

I got a 56 E320 Sport Estate a month ago, £20k, which works out at £380/mth for 36mths.

Its absolutely stunning, I love it. Goes like a train too.