'03 UK Merc. Safe?

cantdecide

Hello all, Papa is thinking about getting something like an '03 E class. I'm trying to help him find one (other suggestions welcome) and I think he should look in the UK for a higher spec one (there's precious few here with the right spec and the ones that are ok are ex-UK anyway.

His last car was a UK car and it turned out to be less than reliable. It's left a bad taste in his mouth (unfortunately, he cherrypicked bits of my advice and bought a cheap '00 -car in the naughties was prioritised- privately with no FSH instead of the slightly more expensive '99 from a dealer with 75k, and everything cosher, that I'd found for him).

He wants something a bit sporty so I've told him an avantgarde is the one to go for. He'll do over 20k a year so I'm thinking that starting with a lower mileage diesel is the right idea and he'll want to avoid the smaller 220CDI. He'll probably want to keep it for three years. I was thinking of a low mileage (40k ish) '03 E270CDI Avantgarde.

Will the Avantgade have firmer suspension over the Elegance?

How risky is buying a car like this ie, clocking etc? Is it unreasonable to expect a car like this to have stamps, old receipts, old MoTs etc.? Isn't there a national mileage register- is this done as part of a HPI check? (never had one done). Is it much riskier to buy from a used car dealer or should he stick to a main dealer? If he uses a used car dealer, will they offer a warranty that could be used in Ireland? If so, would it be provided by an independant company?

Will there be a saving in buying a car like this by going to the UK?

It's substancially newer and more expensive than anything I've bought from the UK so I'm worried about telling him it's a good idea cos he'll point the finger at me if it goes pair-shaped.

mvpr

The answer to your question is that, yes, there is a risk buying abroad. However, you can limit this risk by carrying out all the checks possible:

• HPI check
• Have a mechanic check it over
• Make sure all old MOTs are present, and that the mileage recorded on them makes sense
• Make sure it hasnt been accident/flood damaged

The '03 on E-Class was seen as being less reliable than its predecessor, brake problems being one problem that springs to mind.

Avantgarde has different suspension settings to the elegance/classic, and may be a bit stiffer.

How about an A6 3.0tdi / BMW 530d / IS220d as alternatives? Theres plenty more to choose from...

mvpr

You will more than likely save a few quid, and get a higher specced car. Remember to compare prices to private sales here in Ireland, and also that the price quoted on Irish ads will certainly be negotiable...

niceirishfella

mvpr wrote: »

The answer to your question is that, yes, there is a risk buying abroad. However, you can limit this risk by carrying out all the checks possible:

• HPI check
• Have a mechanic check it over
• Make sure all old MOTs are present, and that the mileage recorded on them makes sense
• Make sure it hasnt been accident/flood damaged

The '03 on E-Class was seen as being less reliable than its predecessor, brake problems being one problem that springs to mind.

Avantgarde has different suspension settings to the elegance/classic, and may be a bit stiffer.

How about an A6 3.0tdi / BMW 530d / IS220d as alternatives? Theres plenty more to choose from...

i agree with mvpr,
you'd get a real nice 530d (like mine!) from 03 onwards in the new shape - a better car than the merc, uber reliable. Loads to choose from in the uk and ni.

at the end of the day, a MERCS A TAXI!:D

cantdecide

niceirishfella wrote: »

MERCS A TAXI!:D

You just had to pull that old chestnut out didn't ya:p

At one stage he almost bought an '05 A6 3.0TDi but he's gone off them. Ditto the 5S unfortunately. All good cars IMO but he has his little heart set on a merc (thinks he needs it to 'make an impression' now he's self employed).

galwaytt

Had on 01 E Avantarde myself, and it is a really nice car. Yes, suspension stiffer (and lower iirc...). The only downside is the (larger) wheels. They have zero tolerance for poor roads, and I got a double puncture on one occasion (both l.h. wheels...)......

I'd advocate the Avantgarde, and change the wheels down to 17's or 16's for comfort.

Other than that, what's not to like?

cantdecide

Well he's had a sport model GS300 with 18's and is positively slammed compared to the std model.

One more question- do estates usually cost more or less??

Henry Ford III

Estates will cost a bit more. E220CDI is a fine bus. Buy carefully. Huge choice in the UK.

HPI is essential.

74merc

Have you checked out www.cargiant.co.uk? There's usually a good selection there of ex-finance motors. I would get as late a model as possible, I know the earlier ones suffered from a lot of electrical problems.

Earth Worm Jim

My Sister got an 04 E270CDI Avantgarde 56k in manchester for 18 grand sterling, top class motor, luxury, even fiber optic speaker cable, great mpg - she traded a 3.0 petrol jeep for it and it costs around a third of what the jeep cost to run.

Its a beaut of a car,was going to buy it of her until I checked out the VRT - MAD MONEY!

Pete4779

I would avoid all '03 W211 E-classes unless you can be sure of it's history. This was the first year of the current model (due for replacement in 2009 with W212). It has a lengthy list of potential problems which were ironed out in models from mid-04 onwards.

Oilrig

If it doesn't come with MB service history I would avoid like the Plague. MB went through a few years of abysmal reliability, led to sacking of CEO etc...

The model you mention is slap bang in the middle of that era.

If it has an MB dealer service history chances are that its been sorted, other than that I'd avoid.

They are seriously expensive to repair.

cantdecide

Oilrig wrote: »

If it doesn't come with MB service history I would avoid like the Plague. MB went through a few years of abysmal reliability, led to sacking of CEO etc...

The model you mention is slap bang in the middle of that era.

If it has an MB dealer service history chances are that its been sorted, other than that I'd avoid.

They are seriously expensive to repair.

I know a guy who bought a UK '02 E320 and had to replace the tranny. €5k.

I still like them though. He told me he's thinking about an S320CDi from around the same year. More reliable??

cantdecide

Slight alteration to original question;);

He was looking at '03 E320 petrols in the UK- at the moment they are more than viable to buy compared to diesels.


a) Any idea of real world mpg??

b) How will it's value be affected after July.

Del2005

cantdecide wrote: »

Slight alteration to original question;);

He was looking at '03 E320 petrols in the UK- at the moment they are more than viable to buy compared to diesels.


a) Any idea of real world mpg??

b) How will it's value be affected after July.

a) From Parkers, 28mpg
b) If he buys before July no issue still on 30% VRT, after July 36% VRT and €2000 tax.

Also be aware that the VRT are now taxing options on cars. They are gotten from the VIN off the manufacturer, so if it isn't standard on an Irish car it'll cost.

cantdecide

Del2005 wrote: »

They are gotten from the VIN off the manufacturer, so if it isn't standard on an Irish car it'll cost.

WOW, that's clever of them. Is this done fairly, ie depreciated with the rest of the car??

E92

W211(current generation) E-class, like all anyway modern Mercs, is well documented as being a bit of a reliability nightmare. Cantdecide, didn't you say recently that your old man has a GS300? The last well built Merc was the W210(previous generation) E-class, and the last Merc that was of the old completely over engineered type was the W140 S-class(the one that looked like an old school Volvo i.e. 1990-1998 S-class).

cantdecide

E92 wrote: »

your old man has a GS300? The last well built Merc was the W210(previous generation) E-class, and the last Merc that was of the old completely over engineered type was the W140 S-class

The W210s from '97 to the early naughties were a rust nightmare apparently (as per members of MBOC) and they extended their corrosion warranty as a result. Aparently the first and last of these were ok.

The W140 would be just too old for him but he was giving strong consideration to a W220 of some kind.

The VRT on an E-class is a well below their real value but the VRT on the OMSP on the Ss is much higher than real OMSP for some reason.

E92

All Mercs have a 30 year anti-corrosion warranty since 2000 AFAIK.

Aside from the rust, the W210 was well made, well certainly compared to the new ones, any anyway recent Merc I was in feels terribly made, the early 90s C and E classes were like tanks by comparison and were well able to do the miles. If you go to the continent, all the old taxis are Mercs and the new ones by and large are not. This should tell you or more importantly your dad something.

A car that is popular with taxi drivers is always a good sign IMHO, because it means if that type of car can handle the abuse from a taxi driver it is must be very well made and reliable indeed!