Merc E Class

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Mon 18 Apr 2005 12:48
Merc E Class - Al 42
I'm thinking of buying a 2000 E Class but don't know which engine or spec is best or, best avoided.

Whats the 136bhp with 'trip' auto engine like - or should the default choice be the 163bhp Kompressor?

Whats the 220 CDI like with the 6 speed manual box or should this be avoided?

Finally are these engines belt or chain timing and would an imaculate 2001 (114K) 220CDI auto with full service be worth 12K and what sort of life would it have left in it?

many thanks.
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Mon 18 Apr 2005 13:05
Merc E Class - Roger Jones
The major risk with the W210 is corrosion. Make sure that the paintwork is immaculate, either because it is one of the (?)minority that haven't suffered or because it has been redone, in which case insist on evidence of its having been done properly to MB standards. This was a major and extensive problem; no-one was spared, not even the chairman of the MB Club.

The engine has a chain (probably a duplex). There are those who say that any timing chain should be replaced at 100k or so. There are also those who have more faith, and I recently drove a W126 with 370k on the clock and on its original timing chain; the engine was a sweet as a nut. If it's been properly serviced, there shouldn't be a problem, but keep listening, get it checked regularly, and bathe it in fresh oil more frequently than the service schedule suggests.

Thw W210 is a big car, so I'd go for the most powerful engine that your budget allows.

Have you checked out HJ's Car-by-Car Breakdown?
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