Should I buy? Advice please.
Discussion
Hello, i'm looking to upgrade to a large estate car as we're about to buy a caravan and have came across a E250 CDI Sport Auto, 2012 62 plate 44k.
Quite simply i'm very impressed despite not driving it yet! Seems absolutely loaded with toys including sat nav, some fancy parking assist 7speed auto and couple of other bits. Paperwork with the car shows around 5k of extras. it has a number of features we would find very useful including self levelling suspension which i'm guessing will be very good for towing.
Having closely looked at the car i would say condition is very good to excellent, however downside is the car is at a small Arnold clark garage and is showing 75 days overdue for service. AC do not inspire me with confidence to properly service this car.
So main quandary is this, for the same monthly payment I can buy a new Octavia vrs estate. I like Skodas and have been keen on a vrs for a while, I know what i'm getting including the whole new car thing with 3 years warranty. The benz will come with an AC warranty....
Common sense says buy the vrs, however this Benz is really something else and i'd love it but am very worried about reliability and big or huge bills if things go wrong. I'd be a lot happier if it was at a MB dealer with MB warranty (rightly or wrongly).
So please tell me your E250 (or similar) stories, good or bad, Anyone use one for towing?
Thanks bigdavy
Quite simply i'm very impressed despite not driving it yet! Seems absolutely loaded with toys including sat nav, some fancy parking assist 7speed auto and couple of other bits. Paperwork with the car shows around 5k of extras. it has a number of features we would find very useful including self levelling suspension which i'm guessing will be very good for towing.
Having closely looked at the car i would say condition is very good to excellent, however downside is the car is at a small Arnold clark garage and is showing 75 days overdue for service. AC do not inspire me with confidence to properly service this car.
So main quandary is this, for the same monthly payment I can buy a new Octavia vrs estate. I like Skodas and have been keen on a vrs for a while, I know what i'm getting including the whole new car thing with 3 years warranty. The benz will come with an AC warranty....
Common sense says buy the vrs, however this Benz is really something else and i'd love it but am very worried about reliability and big or huge bills if things go wrong. I'd be a lot happier if it was at a MB dealer with MB warranty (rightly or wrongly).
So please tell me your E250 (or similar) stories, good or bad, Anyone use one for towing?
Thanks bigdavy
I have a 2011 E220 saloon with the 5 speed box. It's the same twin turbo engine as the 250 but produces a few less horses. The 4 pot diesel is very reliable and will handle big miles with ease. Just make sure you service it properly.
Mine current one has done 270k in just over 4 years, and apart from a water pump and a slightly worn top bush on a rear shock, nothing has gone wrong. My previous two 220's both did over 300k miles with no major issues whatsoever.
The 7g box did have a few issues with lumpy gear changes, normally improved with software updates. I change the transmission fluids every 100k miles, including flushing the torque converter, and have never had a gearbox issue.
Interior build quality is good on mine, no squeaks or rattles, and the interior, although built down to a cost compared to the 211, is very hard wearing, the only blemish on mine is the leather arm rest on the drivers door cracked in a small area where my elbow rests.
Get one that has been serviced properly and looked after and you won't go far wrong.
Hundreds of thousands, probably millions of chauffeur drivers/ companies can't be wrong worldwide
Mine current one has done 270k in just over 4 years, and apart from a water pump and a slightly worn top bush on a rear shock, nothing has gone wrong. My previous two 220's both did over 300k miles with no major issues whatsoever.
The 7g box did have a few issues with lumpy gear changes, normally improved with software updates. I change the transmission fluids every 100k miles, including flushing the torque converter, and have never had a gearbox issue.
Interior build quality is good on mine, no squeaks or rattles, and the interior, although built down to a cost compared to the 211, is very hard wearing, the only blemish on mine is the leather arm rest on the drivers door cracked in a small area where my elbow rests.
Get one that has been serviced properly and looked after and you won't go far wrong.
Hundreds of thousands, probably millions of chauffeur drivers/ companies can't be wrong worldwide
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