CLS Buying Advice (W219)

[TopGear7]

I've always hankered after one of these and now that I require a diesel it seems good time to finally tick it off.

Any major things to check for? What preventative maintenance should have been carried to prevent me being lumbered with big bills (70-80k mile mark)

Also, aside from the obvious of it being newer and fresher, is there any major positives for going for a facelift model over a pre-facelift?

I ideally want to spend 8-9k.

Thanks

[fistenburger]

I've had my 2014 250Cdi Shooting Brake since new, and although i've not covered the mileage you mention, it is now on 53k.
Same engine & basic running gear as my previous S212 E250 too.

The common fault across both cars has been a water-leak that seems to happen at about 35-40k miles. From memory some sort of plastic elbow fails leading to a gradual loss of coolant. Has been fixed under warranty both times.

Injectors failed on the E250, but I gather they've all been done under recall now and should be more reliable.

The CLS has bigger wheels, and they're really prone to pothole damage. I've squared a couple off, and also needed 4-wheel alignment after this winter.

The gearbox is a little clunky sometimes, and i've had it re-flashed but it's just the same.

Apart from that, it's been a great car.