2003 W211 E320 CDi Merc , how to own one free
Discussion
Well, sort of.
I’ll explain.
I run an E55 AMG V8 Kompressor W211 Estate that I bought as an Ex-Demo from Merc in 2005 as a regular car along with a few other cars too. It's on around 110k at the moment.
Recently I relocated my business which means I have a 95 mile or so commute each day. Equating to around 600 miles a week just going to and from work.
In my E55 @ circa 18MPG ( I like to give it some right pedal action ) it is costing me around 33 gallons of fuel to do this, not to mention racking up the mileage on the clock, of which I would like it to remain sensible.
So to preserve the condition and mileage on this car, I decided to try and find a cheapo diesel barge of a similar sort of ilk and I gave myself a stern £1k max budget to do this.
My criteria was, a straight 6 turbo diesel engine, Mercedes, E class and with as much kit as possible. Wasn’t bothered about colour or history but I did want it to be in pretty good condition, to be running well and definitely not a rust bucket, it was for me to use only. I am handy with tools so I can fix anything like brakes, suspension, engine and fairly good on electrics too so I wasn’t daunted by the odd thing not working or iffy suspension.
But, I also wanted it to be as fault free as possible, sort of, buy it, jump in and off I go. I was coming up with this plan near the end of January 21.
I ran a search on the web for cars in my criteria, nothing suited and the ones within budget were sh%te anyway, so I saved the search and carried on regardless.
One Friday night, after quite a few drinks like you do and whilst goggle eyed, I spotted what appeared to be a very clean looking W211 E320 CDi Avantguarde from 2003 whilst having a play on the web.
It was advertised as having no service history, no valid MOT, mega mileage, trade clearance etc etc. They did say thought it will come with a 12 month MOT in the advert though.
So, 3 more drinks, off to bed I went, well, once I found my bedroom I went to bed.
Rang the seller up the next morning, asked a couple of questions, then agreed a really pathetic price on the phone for it, paid a deposit and deal done. They will MOT it during the week and I was to go for it the following weekend. This was without seeing it. It’s a good thing to buy a car without seeing it on PH if I remember?
During the week, because the car was pretty much on my doorstep and not the other side of the country, I decided to pop down and see the car.
Turned up, not bad from 5 metres away, OSR tyre was flat, OSF tyre very low. Not good impressions. Started it up, engine sounded as it should, nice beefy straight 6 sound, no bad noises, no smoke and clean oil. One box ticked.
I check the tyres, the tyres are a full set of matching Bridgestone Potenza’s which are fitted onto 18” Factory fit genuine E55 AMG wheels, tyres are 2019 and all have around 6mm tread. Second box ticked and feeling a bit more impressed.
Get inside it, quick drive around the land it was on, to check gear changes, turbo kicking in, no limp modes, acceleration, brakes, engine temperature, interior heating and air con. Gear changing is perfect, also, gearbox oil is spotlessly clean ( I find a receipt for a full gearbox oil and filter service from 12 months ago and a service too ). Turbo kicks in very well, it stops properly too. Third box ticked.
It has an 80 litre fuel tank, the tank is half full, so that’s £45 in my pocket already.
Rooting around the compartments I find the full owners manuals and pack.
I find the service book.
Guess what?
Yep, full service history is with the car, all stamped up, 5 Mercedes stamps and the rest are all from the same garage for the last 10 years. 15 service stamps in total. Bonus box ticked.
I’m starting to think this is the bargain of the century so far, it must be.
The paintwork is gleaming too, windscreen spotless, wipers aren’t smearing streaks all over it and are fairly new.
What didn’t work was the drivers electric seat, it slid forward only, not back, it wouldn’t recline either so I mentioned for him to sort that out because in the position the seat was stuck in, my forehead was practically touching the sunvisor and the seat was fixed leaning forward at 85 degrees ( try driving like that ffs )
So, tried to avoid being smug etc to the seller whilst inside I was pissing myself laughing.
Quick chat, sort the MOT out and the seat and I’ll collect it Saturday.
Few days later, they ring. He said he is having to put on new pads and discs for the MOT and it will be a day later to collect, also he needs to sort out the handbrake ( foot pedal linkages ) and the brake pedal. I ask if he’ll chuck in an Oil Filter and Engine Oil change for the inconvenience , ok no problem.
So, FSH, drives well, great engine, new pads and discs, some fettling of the handbrake foot pedal and the brake pedal and an oil change, very good tyres all round, bonus gorgeous 18" AMG wheels ( same as on my real AMG ) and everything is working except the drivers seat.
Mileage is 220,000 miles.
Some of the spec:
Harmon Kardon Logic 7 Sound System with 6CD changer hidden behind a panel below the screen, sounds epic this system.
Comand APS with TV, Phone, Sat Nav etc – working perfectly
Electric memory heated front seats both sides
Electric adjustable steering wheel, reach and rake.
Parktronic PTS – parking sensors front and rear.
Electric sunroof.
Factory fit 18" AMG alloys
Quad Zone thermotronic climate control
Speed sensitive power steering.
BONUS SPEC – No crappy airmatic suspension problems to worry about, coil springs all round on this, my preference actually.
No DPF to worry about
OM648 3.2 Engine.
Rolling road read out is 219BHP & 394lbs/ft torque ( off a sheet I found in the paperwork ) – factory 204BHP & 369lbs/ft – A lot more torque than the E500 V8 W211. Not sure why it’s higher than standard, no evidence of it being chipped, maybe it’s because it’s well run in at 220k miles? It’s very nippy, 80mph to 100mph is a real hoot for a diesel.
My train of thought is that if the car has got to 220k in 18 years and has matching tyres, lots of history, everything working, engine good, gearbox good, suspension good, then it’s apparent it has been looked after and subsequently I am happy to buy a car with that mileage rather than an 18 year old one with 40k on it.
How do I get the car for free??
Easy.
This car on my commute is hitting over 50MPG and that’s saving me 30MPG at least and on every gallon of fuel, yet I am driving from the inside an identical car to the one I own anyway.
600 mile commute weekly at 50MPG consumes 12 gallons, I am saving over 20 gallons of fuel per week. Calculated at an average of £1.18 per litre round our way, it’s £5.37 per gallon of diesel. £1.16 for petrol which is £5.28 per gallon.
E55 cost of fuel per week = £176
E320 CDi cost of fuel per week = £64.44
Difference is £111 per week saving in fuel alone. F**k the fuel duty I say.
I’ve not mentioned the cost of the car yet.
How about £795 all in?? Or, £750 if I disregard the half a tank of fuel 😉
£795 / £111 = 7.16.
Can anyone come up with a higher spec, more luxurious car, powerful engine with great economy for a fiver under £800??
It will take just over 7 weeks for this car to pay for itself and from then on, it’s free of charge to me. I could blow it up then and wouldn’t have lost anything, yet preserved other cars instead.
What I’ve decided to do is try and look after it, keep it going and get the mileage as high as I can, this will just be the daily do it all, E55 can be for weekends or whenever I fancy it.
That's the story behind me coming to the decision to get a dirt cheap barge and how I ended up buying it, semi p*ssed.
Lets see how I get along with it.
Any other E class owners, would love some insight into your ownerships. These are superb cars.
Here it is on the photos. I've had to block out the current Reg No because it's the previous owners being transferred back to him and this will be back on the original 53 plate soon hopefully.
12 month advisory free MOT done, new pads and discs at the front, drivers seat slides back and forward, yet still doesn’t recline ( quick moan to them, can’t sort it today, well post you a new seat switch blah blah ) and half a tank of fuel to boot.
I’ve had it since the beginning of February, so I’m 4 weeks into it paying for itself.
[url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/VwwSB9Rj[/url]
I’ll explain.
I run an E55 AMG V8 Kompressor W211 Estate that I bought as an Ex-Demo from Merc in 2005 as a regular car along with a few other cars too. It's on around 110k at the moment.
Recently I relocated my business which means I have a 95 mile or so commute each day. Equating to around 600 miles a week just going to and from work.
In my E55 @ circa 18MPG ( I like to give it some right pedal action ) it is costing me around 33 gallons of fuel to do this, not to mention racking up the mileage on the clock, of which I would like it to remain sensible.
So to preserve the condition and mileage on this car, I decided to try and find a cheapo diesel barge of a similar sort of ilk and I gave myself a stern £1k max budget to do this.
My criteria was, a straight 6 turbo diesel engine, Mercedes, E class and with as much kit as possible. Wasn’t bothered about colour or history but I did want it to be in pretty good condition, to be running well and definitely not a rust bucket, it was for me to use only. I am handy with tools so I can fix anything like brakes, suspension, engine and fairly good on electrics too so I wasn’t daunted by the odd thing not working or iffy suspension.
But, I also wanted it to be as fault free as possible, sort of, buy it, jump in and off I go. I was coming up with this plan near the end of January 21.
I ran a search on the web for cars in my criteria, nothing suited and the ones within budget were sh%te anyway, so I saved the search and carried on regardless.
One Friday night, after quite a few drinks like you do and whilst goggle eyed, I spotted what appeared to be a very clean looking W211 E320 CDi Avantguarde from 2003 whilst having a play on the web.
It was advertised as having no service history, no valid MOT, mega mileage, trade clearance etc etc. They did say thought it will come with a 12 month MOT in the advert though.
So, 3 more drinks, off to bed I went, well, once I found my bedroom I went to bed.
Rang the seller up the next morning, asked a couple of questions, then agreed a really pathetic price on the phone for it, paid a deposit and deal done. They will MOT it during the week and I was to go for it the following weekend. This was without seeing it. It’s a good thing to buy a car without seeing it on PH if I remember?
During the week, because the car was pretty much on my doorstep and not the other side of the country, I decided to pop down and see the car.
Turned up, not bad from 5 metres away, OSR tyre was flat, OSF tyre very low. Not good impressions. Started it up, engine sounded as it should, nice beefy straight 6 sound, no bad noises, no smoke and clean oil. One box ticked.
I check the tyres, the tyres are a full set of matching Bridgestone Potenza’s which are fitted onto 18” Factory fit genuine E55 AMG wheels, tyres are 2019 and all have around 6mm tread. Second box ticked and feeling a bit more impressed.
Get inside it, quick drive around the land it was on, to check gear changes, turbo kicking in, no limp modes, acceleration, brakes, engine temperature, interior heating and air con. Gear changing is perfect, also, gearbox oil is spotlessly clean ( I find a receipt for a full gearbox oil and filter service from 12 months ago and a service too ). Turbo kicks in very well, it stops properly too. Third box ticked.
It has an 80 litre fuel tank, the tank is half full, so that’s £45 in my pocket already.
Rooting around the compartments I find the full owners manuals and pack.
I find the service book.
Guess what?
Yep, full service history is with the car, all stamped up, 5 Mercedes stamps and the rest are all from the same garage for the last 10 years. 15 service stamps in total. Bonus box ticked.
I’m starting to think this is the bargain of the century so far, it must be.
The paintwork is gleaming too, windscreen spotless, wipers aren’t smearing streaks all over it and are fairly new.
What didn’t work was the drivers electric seat, it slid forward only, not back, it wouldn’t recline either so I mentioned for him to sort that out because in the position the seat was stuck in, my forehead was practically touching the sunvisor and the seat was fixed leaning forward at 85 degrees ( try driving like that ffs )
So, tried to avoid being smug etc to the seller whilst inside I was pissing myself laughing.
Quick chat, sort the MOT out and the seat and I’ll collect it Saturday.
Few days later, they ring. He said he is having to put on new pads and discs for the MOT and it will be a day later to collect, also he needs to sort out the handbrake ( foot pedal linkages ) and the brake pedal. I ask if he’ll chuck in an Oil Filter and Engine Oil change for the inconvenience , ok no problem.
So, FSH, drives well, great engine, new pads and discs, some fettling of the handbrake foot pedal and the brake pedal and an oil change, very good tyres all round, bonus gorgeous 18" AMG wheels ( same as on my real AMG ) and everything is working except the drivers seat.
Mileage is 220,000 miles.
Some of the spec:
Harmon Kardon Logic 7 Sound System with 6CD changer hidden behind a panel below the screen, sounds epic this system.
Comand APS with TV, Phone, Sat Nav etc – working perfectly
Electric memory heated front seats both sides
Electric adjustable steering wheel, reach and rake.
Parktronic PTS – parking sensors front and rear.
Electric sunroof.
Factory fit 18" AMG alloys
Quad Zone thermotronic climate control
Speed sensitive power steering.
BONUS SPEC – No crappy airmatic suspension problems to worry about, coil springs all round on this, my preference actually.
No DPF to worry about
OM648 3.2 Engine.
Rolling road read out is 219BHP & 394lbs/ft torque ( off a sheet I found in the paperwork ) – factory 204BHP & 369lbs/ft – A lot more torque than the E500 V8 W211. Not sure why it’s higher than standard, no evidence of it being chipped, maybe it’s because it’s well run in at 220k miles? It’s very nippy, 80mph to 100mph is a real hoot for a diesel.
My train of thought is that if the car has got to 220k in 18 years and has matching tyres, lots of history, everything working, engine good, gearbox good, suspension good, then it’s apparent it has been looked after and subsequently I am happy to buy a car with that mileage rather than an 18 year old one with 40k on it.
How do I get the car for free??
Easy.
This car on my commute is hitting over 50MPG and that’s saving me 30MPG at least and on every gallon of fuel, yet I am driving from the inside an identical car to the one I own anyway.
600 mile commute weekly at 50MPG consumes 12 gallons, I am saving over 20 gallons of fuel per week. Calculated at an average of £1.18 per litre round our way, it’s £5.37 per gallon of diesel. £1.16 for petrol which is £5.28 per gallon.
E55 cost of fuel per week = £176
E320 CDi cost of fuel per week = £64.44
Difference is £111 per week saving in fuel alone. F**k the fuel duty I say.
I’ve not mentioned the cost of the car yet.
How about £795 all in?? Or, £750 if I disregard the half a tank of fuel 😉
£795 / £111 = 7.16.
Can anyone come up with a higher spec, more luxurious car, powerful engine with great economy for a fiver under £800??
It will take just over 7 weeks for this car to pay for itself and from then on, it’s free of charge to me. I could blow it up then and wouldn’t have lost anything, yet preserved other cars instead.
What I’ve decided to do is try and look after it, keep it going and get the mileage as high as I can, this will just be the daily do it all, E55 can be for weekends or whenever I fancy it.
That's the story behind me coming to the decision to get a dirt cheap barge and how I ended up buying it, semi p*ssed.
Lets see how I get along with it.
Any other E class owners, would love some insight into your ownerships. These are superb cars.
Here it is on the photos. I've had to block out the current Reg No because it's the previous owners being transferred back to him and this will be back on the original 53 plate soon hopefully.
12 month advisory free MOT done, new pads and discs at the front, drivers seat slides back and forward, yet still doesn’t recline ( quick moan to them, can’t sort it today, well post you a new seat switch blah blah ) and half a tank of fuel to boot.
I’ve had it since the beginning of February, so I’m 4 weeks into it paying for itself.
[url]|https://thumbsnap.com/VwwSB9Rj[/url]The first niggle I had.
Every time I hit a tiny pot hole , the OSF was rattling, like a tin can, over speed bumps, no rattling, couldn't work it out at first.
Luckily having the AMG wheel fitted, it's easy to feel through to the brake system to check if anything was loose.
it wasn't making that noise when I first went to see the car.
Had a feel around behind the wheel and a look underneath and I couldn't see anything loose or any perished rubber bushes.
It still kept rattling and it was sounding worse.
I got to work one morning and it was horrendous by then. Another feel through the wheel and bingo.
The brake shield plate was loose and it was that that was rattling against the brake disc every time I hit a bump or pothole.
So a day or two later, off came the OSF wheel, followed by the brake caliper that is held on by 2 x 18mm bolts. I took the whole thing off without removing the brake pads because the discs were brand new anyway. Next came the removal of the brake disc which is held onto the hub with a single torx screw.
From that, the brake shield is held on by 3 x torx bolts. What happens is they tend to rust away around the 3 mounting points where the bolts are and subsequently come loose. I went to my toolchest to dig out some large washers, only to find I haven't got any. Search everywhere to find 3 washers, nope, can't find any at all.
So I found 3 2p pieces which are just the right size, and I drill a 5mm hole slap bang in the middle of each one. Cue, my new washers, undo the bolts off the plate, stick the gorgeous copper looking 2p piece washers on the screws, tighten up, test it is fixed solid, yes, clean brake disc again, refit and tap into place, refit brake caliper followed by the wheel and test drive.
Noise cured.
Stupidly forgot to photograph this. Now I have silent suspension and no embarrassing noises.
Interestingly, I haven't had this happen to the E55 yet, I checked those and they feel solid and are the original ones too.
Next up is the drivers seat..
Every time I hit a tiny pot hole , the OSF was rattling, like a tin can, over speed bumps, no rattling, couldn't work it out at first.
Luckily having the AMG wheel fitted, it's easy to feel through to the brake system to check if anything was loose.
it wasn't making that noise when I first went to see the car.
Had a feel around behind the wheel and a look underneath and I couldn't see anything loose or any perished rubber bushes.
It still kept rattling and it was sounding worse.
I got to work one morning and it was horrendous by then. Another feel through the wheel and bingo.
The brake shield plate was loose and it was that that was rattling against the brake disc every time I hit a bump or pothole.
So a day or two later, off came the OSF wheel, followed by the brake caliper that is held on by 2 x 18mm bolts. I took the whole thing off without removing the brake pads because the discs were brand new anyway. Next came the removal of the brake disc which is held onto the hub with a single torx screw.
From that, the brake shield is held on by 3 x torx bolts. What happens is they tend to rust away around the 3 mounting points where the bolts are and subsequently come loose. I went to my toolchest to dig out some large washers, only to find I haven't got any. Search everywhere to find 3 washers, nope, can't find any at all.
So I found 3 2p pieces which are just the right size, and I drill a 5mm hole slap bang in the middle of each one. Cue, my new washers, undo the bolts off the plate, stick the gorgeous copper looking 2p piece washers on the screws, tighten up, test it is fixed solid, yes, clean brake disc again, refit and tap into place, refit brake caliper followed by the wheel and test drive.
Noise cured.
Stupidly forgot to photograph this. Now I have silent suspension and no embarrassing noises.
Interestingly, I haven't had this happen to the E55 yet, I checked those and they feel solid and are the original ones too.
Next up is the drivers seat..
I have a 53 plate estate with very similar spec and it is a great thing. A mere 162k on mine.
If you’re so inclined they are very easy to service yourself, all the filters are on top of the engine and it’s easy to suck the oil out up the dipstick tube with a cheapie eBay pump.
It just eats miles, a brilliant wafter.I paid £2k for mine and it hasn’t cost me a penny outside of about £80 of parts to give it a big service.
I’ve no idea how you’re getting 50mpg though! I’d check that fill to fill, because that’s beyond exceptional for a 320.
If you’re so inclined they are very easy to service yourself, all the filters are on top of the engine and it’s easy to suck the oil out up the dipstick tube with a cheapie eBay pump.
It just eats miles, a brilliant wafter.I paid £2k for mine and it hasn’t cost me a penny outside of about £80 of parts to give it a big service.
I’ve no idea how you’re getting 50mpg though! I’d check that fill to fill, because that’s beyond exceptional for a 320.
confused_buyer said:
I'm amazed the seller agreed to MOT it at that price.
By the time they'd done the handbrake, brakes and service plus MOT they'd have netted more money by simply scrapping it!
I can't believe it passed with no advisories! I've got a 2004 (facelift) C Class and the list at the last MOT was immense. I was gobsmacked it passed.By the time they'd done the handbrake, brakes and service plus MOT they'd have netted more money by simply scrapping it!
Seat forwards and back is an MOT item.
confused_buyer said:
I'm amazed the seller agreed to MOT it at that price.
By the time they'd done the handbrake, brakes and service plus MOT they'd have netted more money by simply scrapping it!
It was a P/X, it came in with no history as I stated, these are buttons in the trade. He came out of the deal with more than he paid for it after doing the work and I got it cheap. Simple as that. It happens every day.By the time they'd done the handbrake, brakes and service plus MOT they'd have netted more money by simply scrapping it!
matt21 said:
Would love one of these, but can’t see how you are averaging 50mpg brim to brim. Surely an AMG would average about 25mpg on a long commute vs 40ish in this.
Either way, cracking purchase!
Yes I have had 25MPG out of the AMG and a bit more driving it sedately, but it's a bit difficult driving one of them sedately as you get a childish thrill out of booting every now and then, I tend to drive that car like it should be driven. I have brimmed the tank then almost emptied it then calculated it. One tank 52MPG, one at 49MPG and I am on the third tank at the moment. Don't forget, the engine is nicely run in, well maintained and I live next to the motorway by around 2 miles and my company is just off the motorway at the other end and I'm driving like an old fart in this.Either way, cracking purchase!
Hagus said:
What a deal! Wonder if it’s got an economy map on it, tickle more power and a bit more frugal.
I've been thinking this but I have no proof of anything being done in the paperwork except for a rolling road test showing the figures I quoted, I could contact the company actually and ask if they know anything. I did have a chat with someone about mapping it but I don't really see the point. I have the other car for power.Sheepshanks said:
I can't believe it passed with no advisories! I've got a 2004 (facelift) C Class and the list at the last MOT was immense. I was gobsmacked it passed.
Seat forwards and back is an MOT item.
The whole MOT history is very good, save for common things like brake pipes corroded, covered in grease, suspension bushes, anti roll bar bushes, stuff like that. Nothing major at all and it has 10 spotless passes vs 5 with minor advisories.Seat forwards and back is an MOT item.
I have gone right round the car myself and it's been on a ramp the day I bought it, I am very confident in the current MOT pass. They did say they fixed the seat moving back and forward but when I got there it didn't recline. No big deal because i fixed it in about an hour anyway.
Albert Haddock said:
Nope, you're wrong, easy done at 65MPH/70 MPH and I brim to brim the tank and account for it on an app and spreadsheet. I drive it completely different to the E55.
I had an E320 CDI for several years, and not once did it average 50mpg. Did it hit 50mpg on the instant readout? Perhaps, but mine used to average about 38mpg in mixed driving, and maybe low to mid 40s if used on many longer motorway stints.Averaging 50mpg means getting almost 900 miles regularly from a full tank, on a 3 litre straight 6 - fantasy land stuff.
charltjr said:
I have a 53 plate estate with very similar spec and it is a great thing. A mere 162k on mine.
If you’re so inclined they are very easy to service yourself, all the filters are on top of the engine and it’s easy to suck the oil out up the dipstick tube with a cheapie eBay pump.
It just eats miles, a brilliant wafter.I paid £2k for mine and it hasn’t cost me a penny outside of about £80 of parts to give it a big service.
I’ve no idea how you’re getting 50mpg though! I’d check that fill to fill, because that’s beyond exceptional for a 320.
Agree, lovely cars, already own one anyway so I knew what to look at. My other is an estate but I'm falling out of love with the shape of it, it's a weird shape to me. I have a W210 estate too and that is much more spacious compared to my E55, I will be doing a comparison on a W210 vs the 211. I prefer the newer W212 estate but I doubt I'll buy one.If you’re so inclined they are very easy to service yourself, all the filters are on top of the engine and it’s easy to suck the oil out up the dipstick tube with a cheapie eBay pump.
It just eats miles, a brilliant wafter.I paid £2k for mine and it hasn’t cost me a penny outside of about £80 of parts to give it a big service.
I’ve no idea how you’re getting 50mpg though! I’d check that fill to fill, because that’s beyond exceptional for a 320.
I've been to Morocco, Southern Italy, Croatia, Poland on mega road trips in the E55 and yes they do chomp up the miles very nicely. In some ways the 211 is a step back from the 210, in others it's vast improvement.
I'm accounting the fuel consumption precisely but also driving it conservatively - till it pays for itself which should be roughly 3 weeks from now - frugal yorkshire blood in me with the car for the time being
Maintenance yes, piece of cake, had mercs for a long time so I'm familiar with fettling with them, even the 55 I do some of it myself.
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