My sensible car - Merc E320

[Alex_225]

Well I was driving a Saab 9-3 diesel as my daily car but having got into Merc ownership with my CLS63 I fancied another.

So I picked up this 2003 E320 CDI with 104k on the clock. It has a 3.2 straight six diesel, only makes just over 200 bhp but 370lbs or torque is nice and still managers 50mpg!



This is the Avantgarde model so has half leather, aircon, electric heated seats etc. All the nice features for wafting on the motorway which makes up the bulk of my driving.





I had the original Rucha 17" wheels repainted as they were showing their age.



Headlights were showing their age too, so some wet sanding, polishing and re-lacquering made them a lot better.





I managed to give the car a thorough detail last year with a full clay, machine polish, seal and wax.







Having had the two bumpers repainted to freshen the car up, I decided on some new wheels.







Not the most PH car out there but it's comfy, carries the family, I think it looks pretty cool and now with 112k on the clock shows no signs of slowing down in it's old age!

[Alex_225]

Thank you for all of the nice comments guys, I'm very very pleased with how it's looking at the moment.

Essentially it's my daily car and it's not a PH type motor but it puts a smile on my face. I think it looks great, especially for it's age and what it cost me. Also, it's surprisingly quick! Obviously I own a much quicker car but this is quick enough for day to day use, albeit it mainly in a straight line haha.

J4CKO said:

That does look very smart, W211s are a good looking car, coming out of "old" Merc a little now, anyone who buys a car off you must get an absolute minter !

Thank you mate. Hopefully they get a mint car, I'll get a car up to my standard and I know I'm very fussy. Even my old Saab was made to look as tidy as I could get it. I had sold two cars to the same friend of mine (Clio 172 and Megane 225 Trophy) so I might be doing something right! haha

ajb85 said:

Nice! I was after an estate one of these or a 530d Touring. I went for the latter, alas I see nothing like 50mpg out of the 530, how are you managing it??

50mpg is right at the top of what I can get from it. I did 300 miles over the weekend and worked out the actual MPG at 45mpg where the average was showing 46mpg on the trip computer. To get that thought I'm not going over 70mph, probably sitting about 65mph in the main part.

Round town though, it's sub 30mpg but thankfully town driving is minimal for me.

scrambler95 said:

Lovely. Ive been looking at the E220 Cdi, I'm only 21 and I'm surprised how reasonable the insurance is on one. I'm just scared of owning an older Mercedes how are you finding it mate ?

There's always a risk with an older car that once cost a few quid but you will get a lot of car for the money. The only thing to be mindful of in the main part is rust on the arches so give any examples you look at a thorough look over. Even this one has rust creeping in under the arches but I will have that addressed before the winter this year. Also the air suspension this one has, is something to be aware of. I'm not sure if it was optional or on certain models. Probably worth avoiding that just in case of big bills. Oh and make sure it's got a good service history but that's obvious hehe

The Spruce goose said:

i looked at one of these as they can remap to 300bhp with a few mods, but in the end a few issues put me off, your looks nice will watch with interest.

Yeah, I'm not sure about 300bhp in one but I bet it really moved. A re-map on this engine would see something like 230bhp but something mental like 450lbs of torque. Only 20lbs shy of my CLS!! I keep considering a re-map but let's see how well it goes through it's MOT first.

[Alex_225]

Nothing to exciting but gave the car a clean today after a few miles this weekend.

Interior always comes up nicely.











It's a surprisingly good sounding stereo and for those of us born in the 80s there's even a cassette player hidden away!



My CLS came with a Carmats4U boot liner bought by the previous owner so this was a given for the E320 as well. Doesn't matter parenting cr*p gets put in here, the boot stays clean.



Gave the outside a clean of course.









Couple of cheeky pics with an added affect which I think looks great with silver cars (which two of mine are, which is handy haha)

[Alex_225]

dandam said:

I have followed this thread (plus your other Mercs and the Saab) on DW and always been impressed on the standard you get them to.

I have thought about a Merc E a few times but one of the silly things that annoys me is that the PRND on the auto box selector is still on the left for a LHD car rather than being moved to the right side for RHD cars - I know we all know what comes next when selecting a gear but it always felt like penny pinching which is wrong for a car like a Merc

Thanks mate, I'm a bit of a regular in DW too.

I'll be honest, I hadn't given that much thought but I get what you mean. Weird one is the cup holder which I had to buy on eBay although was an OEM part. Clearly designed for left hand drive as it essentially fold out towards the drivers lap! Haha

dave_s13 said:

Really smart that. I'm fancying an estate one of these with the 7 seat option to replaces ford galaxy.

I can't bring myself to get rid of the galaxy though. I'd think twice about subjecting a nice merc to the abuse it would get. Big tip run this morning then strapping fence panels to the roof and filling it with concrete fence posts and gravel boards til it was slammed.

It has it's uses.

Nothing stopping you getting a cheap boot liner off eBay for the dirty jobs, it'll still be clean underneath. Although panels in the roof may not be ideal but could always have roof bars.

[Alex_225]

HybridAero said:

Wow you've worked wonders on that! What mpg does it get day to day?

Thanks mate. I must admit it was in a good state when I got it but it's the little touches that can freshen a car up over similar models. I think this car had been garaged on and off throughout it's life as it was very clean. Also had only averaged 8k a year when I bought it which is odd for a diesel really.

As for MPG, I did about 300 motorway miles this weekend and the car averaged a genuine 45mpg (worked out from miles vs fuel) and the trip computer was showing 46mpg. That was just under 70mph. Round town it's not so good, probably more like 25mpg or I guess maybe 30mpg once the engine is hot. Likelihood is that the engine doesn't really get up to full temp with a 4-5 mile town drive. Fortunately of the 650-750 miles I do a month, at least 600 of those are on the motorway it's well suited for my driving.

[Alex_225]

rob0r said:

A very nice looking Merc! I've just finished fixing up my S210 E320 cdi, it's needed a lot of work and still needs a fair bit doing even after just 110K miles, but it's a great place to be!

I always thought your model was V6 cdi but obviously not, well done on 50mpg. Mine's indicating 42-44mpg but actually achieves 35mpg measured manually, not too worried though since I hate to think how much the car was new or how much it would cost to get something like it new now...

Thing is if you have a car that you love then it's worth the time and effort. I may be showing my old man credentials but I love the E Class estates. Like you say, they're all a really nice place to be.

I believe the V6 CDI engine was introduced a bit later on with the W211. To be fair this inline six is a bit of a gem. Sounds a bit agricultural on start up but once it's warmed up it's fine, nice and smooth and I still love the torque.

Cars like this really do offer so much for what they cost. Ok, so there is always the possibility of some repairs but if you look after a car it should be minimal. Also, for normal grown up duties, I don't want to pay out tens of thousands on a car to rack up the miles etc. So the benefit of spending £5k or less and getting so much car for the money appeals greatly.

[Alex_225]

Thought I'd pop a quick update on here as it's been a while. The might E is still soldiering on and behaving itself. Went through it's last MOT with a fail but a simple wear and tear fix. Otherwise, I really can't fault it.

The car is fast approaching 130k but seems to be wearing it's age and mileage very well. The headlights had faded again so gave them a fresh coat of Meguiars Headlight Coating. I have used this before and it lasts about 18 months before needing to be done again, plenty of applications in the can too.



Before and after...



Been keeping the outside tidy so decided to make sure the engine bay looked the same. Wipe down with Autoglym Rubber & Vinyl Care then plastics treated to some Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel. Comes up nicely.





My favourite tweak to the car was a re-map carried out about 3 or 4 weeks ago. As standard the car should be making about 204bhp and around 370lbs of torque. It was never a slow car but after a couple of years you get used to that so I thought, 'why not!'. I've owned a re-mapped hot hatch and heard these 3.2 straight six's are very responsive to a new map. Found a local company who seemed very knowledgeable and answered any questions I had.

Assuming the car is making the original figures, it should now be making 240bhp and 420lbs or torque. It hasn't been on a rolling road but I can say it has made a huge difference. Throttle response is better, off the line is quicker but in gear is where it shines. Considering my CLS63 makes more torque my E320 feels better on the motorway (the bulk of my driving) because the torque is more easily accessed.

Plus there has been an increase from 44mpg to around 47mpg under very similar conditions since the remap.



So after two and a bit years with the car I am still very happy with it. It's comfortable, practical and reliable as well as a fair bit quicker than it was. Seeing many of theses cars cracking 200k and upwards, I really have no need to replace it. Well until maybe I'm in a position to buy an S Class!

[Alex_225]

Krikkit said:

Very nice, what a weird spec it is though, with cloth seats (but heated electric memory), airmatic and a tape deck!

I can only assume that being an early 00's example, some of the spec is a bit 90s haha.

The tape deck is there although thankfully a CD player as well, surprisingly the sound quality is excellent. I'd actually say better sound quality than my other half's '09 CLS which has a Harmon Kardon unit!

But yep, only half leather but heated and memory. Is an Avantgarde model so not sure what spec is that as standard but I can't complain for what it cost me.

[Alex_225]

J4CKO said:

Your cars always look like new !

Thanks mate, I'll definitely take that as a complement. Admittedly, my other cars don't get a lot of driving so it's easy to keep them mint. With this one, I just wash it inside and out every other weekend (weather dependent). Plus these models seem to wear their mileage incredibly well. There's some wear on the drivers seat but the rest looks great.

[Alex_225]

Mr Tidy said:

Lovely looking car OP.

But plenty of early 2000s cars did have that 90s cross-over spec - my 52 plate BMW Compact had a radio/cassette and CD-changer!

Your economy is impressive though - I had a BMW 123d for over 6 years and that only managed 48.7 mpg on the OBC. Maybe I should have got a 6-cylinder!

Anyway at that mileage for a diesel it's barely run-in - my petrol BMW 325i Touring is currently on 135K.

Edited by Mr Tidy on Saturday 8th September 00:57

It definitely has a bit of 90's-ness to it haha. Although like many of the Mercs of this era, it's got a tiny bit of rust right on the inner arches but has never got worse since I first got the car.

Economy wise it's really not bad at all, although this is pretty much all motorway driving. Round town it's more like 25mpg, less if the engine is cold but as an overall average it's 45mpg+. I am light footed thought and as I do a 260 mile round trip four times a month, it makes a difference on the fuel costs.

My other half has the CLS350 CDI so the newer 3.0 V6 diesel but that doesn't seem to be capable of the the same economy but a smoother more refined engine.

Olivera said:

Just offloaded my e310 cdi as it was getting a bit long in the tooth.

Really nice place to sit though and very comfy. However the engine is pretty overated, bag of spanners refinement and only modest performance.

It's all about the comfort really, economy second and to be fair I'm a big fan of this engine. I mean it's not as refined as the later 3.0 V6 diesel but definitely better on fuel but since the re-map it's definitely quicker but still sounds like a tractor! haha

[Alex_225]

Sadly the hazard of RWD in the snow.I keep a pair of snow socks in the boot during winter just in case

[Alex_225]

Well every other weekend I give the daily car a thorough once over and followed up this weekend with a second coat of wax. Usually pre-wash with Valet Pro Citrus pre-wash and rinse, two buckets and dried with a few fluffy towels.

Then whipped out the Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax, had this stuff in my cupboard for ages so decided to use it on the E the other week and second coat today.



Always comes up looking nice











Interior got a quick once over as well







Added 100bhp as well! haha Actually just a cushion for my elbow on the long drives.

[Alex_225]

Mr Tidy said:

Alex_225 said:

Sadly the hazard of RWD in the snow.I keep a pair of snow socks in the boot during winter just in case

I put winter tyres on my BMW daily in October/November until April - worked fine with the "Beast from the East"!

I must admit I have been eyeing up steel wheels with winter tyres as I do about a thousand miles a month picking up my daughter so I'd hate to end up stranded. That said as I understand it, winter tyres are beneficial not just in snow so something to keep in mind.

Plus the car would look quite cool on a purposeful set of tyres and black steels!

[Alex_225]

8IKERDAVE said:

Very nice and your detailing is extremely impressive! I've got a 2010 W212 and looking at yours it seems not that much has really changed. I can't believe you have front park sensors on a car of that age, I thought I was doing well with mine!

Thank you. I just endeavour to keep on top of it and clean it when I can. I do a fair few miles but mostly with just me in the car or me and my eldest daughter. It never ends up too dirty but I think it's a car worth treating well.

Obviously the W212 is a much sharper, more modern looking car. Personally I do prefer it to the latest shape E Class. In terms of the creature comforts, I guess you would be hard pushed to outdo the W211 in some specs. I mean the tech has moved on as there's no Bluetooth or MP3 connection but the memory heated seats, as you mention parking sensors front and back etc. mean it's modern in many senses.

For me, comfort, decent power and economy are the main factors behind having this car. Realistically to take a decent step up on those things is likely to be S Class territory.

[Alex_225]

Paracetamol said:

my parents had the same model of e class but on a 54. The heated and memory seats were both optional as were the parking sensors, 17 inch alloys, sunroof and air suspension. what is odd is the very nice spec on yours that usually would also come with sat nav..or mb connect as they called it.

We all loved that car until it was sadly written off...have to say I much prefer your original alloys..but to each their own.

It does have satnav fitted, I've only used it the once to see if it works which it does but a really convoluted way to get addresses as well as it no doubt being well out of date means I use my iPhone haha.

To be fair I did like the original alloys but I always felt they just looked too small and a bit bland. I saw a set of 18" Rucha wheels on an E Class but rare as anything so trying to find a set proved tricky as usually 16 or 17". I just think these look a lot more modern but without looking too modified, if that makes sense.

Got myself a new toy to play as well. My E has thrown up the odd error in the past which a local garage has read and sorted. I thought with three pre-2010 Mercs in the house, a code reader wouldn't go amiss. So got myself an iCarsoft MB V2 is a fairly generic code reader but with specific Merc software as well.







Handy thing with this is that it will also read any faults with the SRS which is the restraint system. A lot of code readers don't so I'm rather chuffed with this.

Edited by Alex_225 on Saturday 22 September 21:58

[Alex_225]

Paracetamol said:

There was a further version of the navigation with a bigger screen and a more detailed map. It was pretty good in it's day..

Command system like in my CLS63 (2007), double DIN sized screen, plays DVDs, MP3s and as you say bigger screen satnav.

[Alex_225]

I thought since it's a dry day, I'd give the E a bit of tidy up since the harsh weather hasn't quite hit yet.

The car had done about 1,000 miles since the last wash so was in need. Started off with the wheels. Quick spray down with Autoglym Clean Wheels. I don't usually opt for wheel cleaners but had this left. Quick spray on, brushed and rinsed.



This is before I started. Not bad but not clean enough.



I decided on Dodo Juice products being the order of the day so gave the bodywork a once over with the usual two buckets, microfibre mitts and their Basics of Bling shampoo.



Once cleaned and dried, I opted for a once over with Need for Speed. This is essentially a polish that leaves behind a layer of Carnauba wax.



Despite the being able to use NFS as a stand alone product, it does leave a nice finish for a wax to be applied. I have a couple of 30ml panel pots of Dodo Juice Hard Candy so gave the car a layer.



You'd think with the car being pretty big and the pot of wax pretty small it wouldn't last, actually there's still plenty left after a coat. I'd genuinely expect another 3-4 coats out of a pot.



Finally the wheels received a quick layer of Red Mist, which is a spray on sealant. It lasts a few weeks on paintwork but held off applying it to the freshly waxed panels.



So here you go, a shiny protected W211!











Added a little window clinger as well, since it was quite fitting!



Just about had time to give the other half's CLS a clean before the light eventually vanished.

[Alex_225]

Barchettaman said:

Top work there Alex, as always.

Always a pleasure to read an update on one of your RC threads!

Appreciate that mate, thank you!

[Alex_225]

Well that was annoying, one very tight car park combined with having to turn round at an odd angle equals me catching the rear bumper of the E. B*gger!



As you can see it split the trim but also flexed the bumper cracking the paint. So off to the bodyshop last week, the chrome trim needed to be replaced which of course was part of the trim underneath, so that part was £90 plus the labour.



Got the car back Friday though and all is now well again apart from the car being absolutely filthy. Read somewhere about Sahara dust or something.



Quick clean up inside and out and looks how it should.



Back bumper is much better now.



Fitted a eBay special heel rest from eBay and actually for a tenner, I'm pleasantly surprised. Hasn't budged, quality is good but just needs the other pedals now! haha



Living up to the number plate, the door shuts were polished up a bit whilst I was cleaning it.



The original medical kit is still in tact and I assume contains it's original contents. Can't say I'd use it now but quite cool to have after 16 years!



Will tick over 135k at the weekend as well. Just had a service and MOT which it passed but needed a track rod end. Couple of things to address in the next few months but pretty good otherwise.



Still very respectable MPG as well. Next job on the list will be to polish and re-coat those headlights!

[Alex_225]

Thanks for the compliments guys. I know the car is old and I suspect that when there's a little prang people just don't bother to repair them. I still do 1k a month and it's my daily car so I think it should look it's best.

I am aiming to polish up the headlights and re-coat them. I have used the Meguiars kit a couple of times and usually gives a decent 12 months before it needs to be re-applied.

As for the fuel economy, the warmer weather always sees it creep over 50mpg but in winter it's still achieving 48/49mpg on a run. Big heavy car with a fairly sizeable engine so I really can't complain.