Whats wrong with this car? Merc C250d 2016

[mubariz]

Hello all,

Im currently living abroad but will be moving back to the UK in a couple of months and will need access to a car fairly soon. I feel like it's time I finally moved up the car ladder and this will be the most I've ever spent on any item in my life.

I have found a car that I really like with a spec I really like, but my brother, who knows much more about cars advised me not to buy it.

Could you guys tell me whats wrong with this car?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Its a 2016 C250d premium pack with 65k miles. Initially my brother mentioned that newer cars are built to last so mileage shouldnt be so much of an issue.

Any tips/recommendations would be highly appreciated.

He wants me to lease a new car, but it seems like the depreciation curve on a car like this would beat the lease cost of a new car, would appreciate advice on this also.

Finally, recommendation on any other cars? I have a budget up to 25k GBP which I can increase if I get overly tempted (amazing deal on a 2014 M4??), but would like to come in under budget if possible as my insurance is likely to be 2-2.5k a year.

Thank you,

PS. Will I get that much fuel savings going with a Diesel over a Petrol? I would much prefer my car to have a little roar.

Edited by mubariz on Friday 17th May 10:46

[Fastdruid]

How many miles do you intend on doing and where?

If you're doing short trips round town then a diesel will not be appreciably better on fuel and could run some pretty horrific bills.

if you intend on doing 12k+ and mostly motorway/long trips then the diesel will be better and would probably work out much cheaper.

"Probably" because every make/model is different (eg when the diesel is 4k more than the petrol that buys a decent chunk of fuel) and you have to do the maths for your use.

[mubariz]

I'd probably doing a motorway trip every 4-5 weeks, would that be enough to keep the bills away?

[Fastdruid]

mubariz said:

I'd probably doing a motorway trip every 4-5 weeks, would that be enough to keep the bills away?

Totally depends on the mileage in between.

For example if you're only doing ~2Mi trips normally then no. Expect DPF issues.

If you're doing 10-15Mi town trips then probably.

All really depends on your annual mileage and usage and to an extent the car/engine. For example I got all of 3mpg better out of a slower diesel in the same round town use as my 2.5T which just isn't worth it to drive a diesel but on a run it got ~20mpg better which would.

[Mo28]

I have a C200 coupe which I have had for around 18 months and is not a car I would recommend. Poor build quality and reliability, in total so far it has spent around a month at the dealership for various issues, bare in mind the car you've linked is a 2016 car so is likely to be out of warranty which is not something you want with this car.

I do a lot of town driving so I opted for the petrol, I don't get more than 220 miles from a tank, less than 200 in winter. Personally think its a great looking car but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages and soon will be trading it in for something else.

With your budget you should be able to get a 440i/ 435d

[XJSJohn]

I have just done what you are doing - i.e. just returned to the UK after being overseas for a while.

Without knowing the full details of your situation, its a good chance that you will not be able to get finance / lease as you will have a gap in your credit history, so being a cash buyer is the only option.

You will probably also have dropped off the NCD scheme so your insurance will be higher.

There also seems to be a big "must have new / must buy new / finance everything" culture here, you may be coming up on this also.

Looking at the car, i see nothing on the face of it physically wrong, i cannot comment on the price as i do not know much about these, and if you are worried about getting stuck, 150 on an AA membership will always get you home, although i cant see this being unreliable!

[barryrs]

Mo28 said:

I have a C200 coupe which I have had for around 18 months and is not a car I would recommend. Poor build quality and reliability, in total so far it has spent around a month at the dealership for various issues, bare in mind the car you've linked is a 2016 car so is likely to be out of warranty which is not something you want with this car.

I do a lot of town driving so I opted for the petrol, I don't get more than 220 miles from a tank, less than 200 in winter. Personally think its a great looking car but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages and soon will be trading it in for something else.

With your budget you should be able to get a 440i/ 435d

I’m a little surprised by the negative feedback.

I’m a couple of months into my C300 ownership and find it very well put together and I have averaged 37mpg over 3000 miles.

With unleaded around 8p per litre less my drop in mpg should only cost me £500 a year.

[mubariz]

barryrs said:

Mo28 said:

I have a C200 coupe which I have had for around 18 months and is not a car I would recommend. Poor build quality and reliability, in total so far it has spent around a month at the dealership for various issues, bare in mind the car you've linked is a 2016 car so is likely to be out of warranty which is not something you want with this car.

I do a lot of town driving so I opted for the petrol, I don't get more than 220 miles from a tank, less than 200 in winter. Personally think its a great looking car but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages and soon will be trading it in for something else.

With your budget you should be able to get a 440i/ 435d

I’m a little surprised by the negative feedback.

I’m a couple of months into my C300 ownership and find it very well put together and I have averaged 37mpg over 3000 miles.

With unleaded around 8p per litre less my drop in mpg should only cost me £500 a year.

Is the Petrol version cheaper?

[Pica-Pica]

I don’t where people get this ‘unleaded is 8p cheaper’ from. Around here regular 95RON petrol is 3p cheaper than regular diesel, typically 131.9 and 134.9 ppl.

[JP18]

Pica-Pica said:

I don’t where people get this ‘unleaded is 8p cheaper’ from. Around here regular 95RON petrol is 3p cheaper than regular diesel, typically 131.9 and 134.9 ppl.

10p difference at my local shell and most other stations (south east)

[barryrs]

mubariz said:

Is the Petrol version cheaper?

They appear similarly priced in the low twenties.

If you have the opportunity I would recommend a test drive in a 300. I find it a great compromise of performance and economy. The 9g gearbox is what makes the difference over the alternatives in my view.

[Jimmy Recard]

JP18 said:

10p difference at my local shell and most other stations (south east)

Anywhere between 7-11p here, from my observations. West Midlands

[dmsims]

Pica-Pica said:

I don’t where people get this ‘unleaded is 8p cheaper’ from. Around here regular 95RON petrol is 3p cheaper than regular diesel, typically 131.9 and 134.9 ppl.

A sample of one - how apt

[Mo28]

barryrs said:

I’m a little surprised by the negative feedback.

I’m a couple of months into my C300 ownership and find it very well put together and I have averaged 37mpg over 3000 miles.

With unleaded around 8p per litre less my drop in mpg should only cost me £500 a year.

I assume you've got the facelift, mines probably just a lemon. It's a love hate kind of relationship and is not helped by the terrible customer service from my local Mercedes dealership.

[anonymous-user]

.

Edited by 01WE01 on Friday 17th July 22:36

[Ian Geary]

dmsims said:

Pica-Pica said:

I don’t where people get this ‘unleaded is 8p cheaper’ from. Around here regular 95RON petrol is 3p cheaper than regular diesel, typically 131.9 and 134.9 ppl.

A sample of one - how apt

Technically it was now a sample of 2, given the earlier comment about price.

And you don't expect an individual to comment on their individual experience of prices unless they've already carried out a statistically significant price comparison to your liking?

right back

[barryrs]

The difference is down to circa 5p around me now!