Mercedes C220 CDi advice

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sun 4 May 2003 13:48
Mercedes C220 CDi advice - Epic 80
I have seen and driven a Mercedes C220 CDi classic selection at a dealer today and wondering what people thought about it, it is up for £10995, on a 2000 W plate, but has covered 100k miles. Inside and out, the car is totally immaculate, one would think i had done 25000. It was owned by a leasing company before and well looked after.

Should i consider this car, or is it too risky?
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Sun 4 May 2003 17:43
Mercedes C220 CDi advice - DavidHM
I think it is a universal opinion on here that there is nothing wrong with buying a high mileage car unless you want easy resale in the next couple of years. If this car has been well looked after, it has almost certainly done overwhelmingly motorway driving, which puts very little strain on the car's components. 20k of town driving would be worse than 100k of motorway miles.

In any case, this engine is good for 200k and beyond with frequent oil changes, etc., so there should be no worries on the longevity front.

The only thing is that this is presumably one of the last of the old shape C Classes, and while there is nothing wrong with that per se, £10995 isn't particularly cheap for it. The Great Trade Centre in London has some with 80-85k on the clock for about £500 less, and I personally would be looking to pay £9500-£10,000 for this car, assuming it's an auto with air con and metallic paint.

Oh and if it's a manual in a solid colour, run like the wind no matter what!
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Sun 4 May 2003 20:39
Mercedes C220 CDi advice - Aprilia
Don't agree with the comments on manual transmission. MB manual 'boxes easily outlast their automatic equivalents (most MB's in Germany are sold as manuals) and they have a very high top gear which is good for high speed cruising. Clutches should do 150k+ miles and are quite cheap to change. At 100k miles that autobox could be your biggest headache. It will be an 'electronic' 5-speed 'box - £3k+ for a rebuild or £5k from a MB dealer.
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Sun 4 May 2003 21:10
Mercedes C220 CDi advice - Altea Ego
DavidHMs advice about the box was based on resale. You cant give away a Merc with manula box, and in a solid colour? even worse. They need Auto, Leather and Metalic to sell.
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Sun 4 May 2003 21:28
Mercedes C220 CDi advice - Aprilia
Manual MB's sell OK - I know because I've sold a few without any problem. The 'must have auto' bit is for the numpties that read 'What Car'. There are lots of people out there who want the manuals - anyone towing for a start.
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