Tempted buy a cheapish Merc

[charles28 136]

These W211 E500's seem rather cheap.

Ie:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=811268790 (cheapest)

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=811269991 (Newer 7 Speed autobox)

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=819602137 (Lowest K's)

Most also come with Harman Kardon Logic 7 Audio in these models..

But..whats the catch? these seem like a lot of car for the money.

for some reason the same cars in Christchurch at 2x the price too, infact I could get an E55 Amg in Auckland for the price of one of these E500's in Christchurch.

The E55 AMG is tempting, but I do 400-500k a week, and read that the normal model is a lot more economical.

I'd imagine the handling isn't as good as my E39 530i Motorsport, but straight line power would be a lot more impressive, thanks to the 225kw V8.

ie.

http://www.zeperfs.com/en/match986-1125.htm

[Breaker 980]

Hi there

I've got a E500 it was to cheap to pass up, now the mrs has got a E60 550i but the merc does 9-10l per 100ks, took a it of mucking about eith aftermarket audio, but 5ks done now and really cruise ride

[Ahmedsinc 414]

Can get an E39 540i Msport for that money. Higher km probably, but at least parts won't cost you an organ each time. PM Hotwire on here and get his opinion on the electrical side of things. I've heard plenty of Merc horror stories in the past - same as BMW really but at least you can get bits fairly easily. Not so sure about the Benz

[KwS 2425]

Parts are generally more expensive than the equivalent BMW. I looked seriously into buying a w211 E55, but with me even working for Mercedes it was stupid expensive to do things like brakes or the airmatic suspension.

One of the biggest failure points with all the high spec 211s is the airmatic suspension, its almost always going to fail at some point and its stupid money to fix. Remember too that anything AMG is going to be like ///M Tax times about 2-3.

Even general maintenance is expensive. I looked into the history of this car a while back, http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mercedesbenz/auction-803094828.htm . Its NZ new, dealer serviced until a couple of years ago. On average it worked out to be costing about 3-4K a year just on keeping it going.

We find at work that a lot of imported Mercs have issues that NZDM ones dont have. Lots of electrical issues and lack of servicing. The Command units are also all set for Japan, and band expanders are sh*t on them. Big money to swap them for a new zealand new one.

If you do get one, i highly recommend NZ new with a full service history.

[Driftracewake 22]

I've had about 8 of these over the past few years, including a e55 and e63. Solid cars, I've never had a single issue in 70,000ks across the 8 cars, even when We have lowered the airmatic and out big wheels on them. The band expanders are cheap and easy to fit, at least up here in auckland. And the drivetrains will do the big Ks when looked after. I've had a couple done 150k plus and they haven't felt any different to 80k cars.

Much lazier to drive than the 5 series, but big, spacious, comfortable and a lot of car for the money.

I'd look for a e500 with the full amg kit (pretty common) for the best mix of looks and economy. They can be had for $10k with 100-120k if you hunt around. Not much else you can buy for that price that's 03+ and offers the same features.

[M5V8 337]

Hi Charles, I've bought from Broadhurst motor compnay. If you want some personal experience then PM me.

otherwise. in general.

the mercedes is a big wallowy old tank. Which is just perfect for auckland traffic.

The price is lower than cars here because he sells the cars before he ships them, it's cheaper to do it this way as he never actually holds any cars for too long.

He's effectively an importer that selects the cars for you.

[BMTHUG 1055]

airmatic suspensions are problematic, give sh*t between 80-120 kms, electronics are a pain, the boot lock module is a common failure and they are expensive,parts are bloody expensive unless you get them from ebay. I owned a couple of these but in all honesty I wouldnt own another. The E500 can be a bit of a guzzler if you are doing that sort of mileage a week but if you can foot the big petrol bills and maintenance cost then why not. Beautiful cars. It cost 7 k to get the airmatic suspension fixed in the last one I did.

[charles28 136]

I guess its only an option if I purchase a mechanical warranty with a generous claim limit.

Of course they would probably argue that it was a wear item, due to it being suspension related.

[KwS 2425]

most, if not all warranty companies will not cover suspension

[lord_jagganath 421]

Autosure's extreme cover MBI covers air suspension .... though at $10k per claim, i'm not sure if it would suffice http://autosure.co.nz/content/docs/car%20insurance/Extreme%20Summary%20Sept%202013.pdf

[charles28 136]

Autosure's extreme cover MBI covers air suspension .... though at $10k per claim, i'm not sure if it would suffice http://autosure.co.nz/content/docs/car%20insurance/Extreme%20Summary%20Sept%202013.pdf

hehe, usually the total claim payout doesn't exceed the price / value of the car anyway...

I might look at E60's perhaps, but they seem to be 20k + for one I want

[KwS 2425]

There are options to convert to a standard strut but by all accounts it ruins the whole point in owning an E Class Merc; makes the ride harsher and bumpy. Might be OK on an AMG that you thrashed everywhere, but a Merc should glide over the road.

[M5V8 337]

mine glides over kerbs, speedbumps & small children

[KwS 2425]

Pay a deposit for a car you can't see to a car dealer who is trying to cut the cheapest deal - yeah right.

These deals are usually done by small time dealers who don't have enough to pay for the car or shipping -

I'd run or if this is your only option you would have to be desperate and or unable to afford paying a fair price to take such obvious risks around title/ condition/ etc.

Dont let your opinion get in the way of personal experience eh?

Hi Charles, I've bought from Broadhurst motor compnay. If you want some personal experience then PM me.

otherwise. in general.

the mercedes is a big wallowy old tank. Which is just perfect for auckland traffic.

The price is lower than cars here because he sells the cars before he ships them, it's cheaper to do it this way as he never actually holds any cars for too long.

He's effectively an importer that selects the cars for you.

[M5V8 337]

personal experience counts. I bought our mecedes ML350 of this company.

besides some minor items, (a switch that was broken/ gearbox service due, parking sensor issue - which he is addressing) our mercedes is as expected, as described and we are more than happy with the car and the deal.

Currently only the switch is outstanding, he's fixed the sensor problem and serviced the gearbox (at our cost) even got a deal on the tints.

I actually really like driving it. only gripe is that the stereo has japanese writing on it.

but I can live with that. We paid at least $3k less than any other ML350 of the same year with significantly less km on it.

How it works is you pay a deposit to ship the car. If you have any concerns with it when it arrives you get the deposit back.

He doesn't have to insure or hold the car on his balance sheet or take up any precious showroom floorspace. Hence the lower overhead.

He will even take trade ins. Valued our old Rav4 then we had the time it took to arrive to attempt to sell for more.

Edited December 17, 2014 by M5V8

[M5V8 337]

He owns and insures the car in transit. I had no liability there. I signed nothing. I could have walked away at any point.

The difference is against a car sitting in a yard waiting for you to come look at it. The car already owes the yard about $2k (well it was when I dealt cars) before it's even sat on the yard for 5mins. It goes up everyday.

This is because they need to hold this motor on their finance floorplan, there's overhead for that, salesman commission, insurance etc.

For example if the car sells on day one they need to make $2k over the cost to beak even. Each day that figure goes up because of the insurance cost of holding it and the finance cost to the company.

Even a small dealership you are talking hundreds of thousands in stock sitting in the yard on their books.

If you "sell" the car before it even arrives you avoid majority of these things.

[M5V8 337]

Sorry if there was any confusion. I'll try to be as clear as possible

The car was in japan. He owned and insured it. It was purchased only a few days before being thrown up on trademe.

I paid a small deposit and he shipped it here. I inspected and paid the balance & signed paperwork for it. I now own it.

He owned and insured it until I signed the paperwork and paid the balance.

The difference between that and a normal dealer is if I went to a yard to buy it, it may have sat on the yard for say 3 months.

That's 3 months of insurance and finance that's added to the cost of the car, plus salesman commission, yard overheads, the yard hand whom washes its salary etc etc.

In the car game. The faster your turnover the more profit. Unless you sell something special that you can't buy anywhere else.

Chris Broadhurst was a pleasure to deal with compared to many car dealers I have met over the years.

Yes I'm still waiting on a small part he's trying to source, but that's minor and im sure he will come through.

I'd buy off him again.

Edited December 18, 2014 by M5V8

[qube 3570]

to the OP: ive had the w211 e350 for over a year now and about to hit the 90k mark. going good no problems so far. has the full amg kit which was a bonus. have one issue with is the maf sensor. coutts mercedes quoted $1400 + labour and i was able to find the part for $140-500 online and will take 30 mins of my time to fit it.

its not a bad car and i would say about the same in terms of servicing and number of things to go wrong as a e39 or e60 5 series. i think the w211 is way more comfortable in terms of cabin space. fuel economy is not terrible i get about 600-650kms to a tank that costs about $160-170 to fill. not sure what that is in fuel consumption terms but yea.

the e350 v6 is much more fuel economic than an e500 i guess. surely over the e55/e63. it has plenty of power and goes harder than an m54b30 engine for sure. mines a 2005 japanese import btw

[Breaker 980]

Just came back today from a run to Tauranga from Waikato in my E500 2006. Super cruisy didn't speed but shot up the hill PDQ, still got 10.8 km per 100ks without trying for the round trip 220ks just over quarter tank so pretty happy.

Yes there's some noise around forums about the airmatic suspension but at the price was a risk I was happy to take. Smoother then our E60 but doesn't handle anywhere near it or have the snot still 225kw is useful all the same for passing and super quiet.

I don't seeing it getting the flick anytime soon

[KwS 2425]

That reminds me, we've been doing a lot of e500 fuel pumps and senders recently. they have to be replaced in pairs as the filter is in the sender, and its post pump.... so its usually bits of the dying pump that stuff the filter.

[Michael. 2313]

To be fair that tread tile is a bit of an oxymoron.

I have yet to see a cheap Mercedes!

[hotwire 352]

^^^^ Ahhh Mercedes & their recycled plastics again no doubt. Using them in the wrong places.

[gjm 3258]

A cheap Mercedes certainly does exist, but that's not really what we're talking about here. Cheap to buy when compared to the new purchase price, but so are 750iL BMWs and their like.

Something that makes upwards of 300hp (base figure for the early W211 E500), with the potential for a LOT more, is never going to be cheap, and certainly not when you factor in all the other bits and pieces.

Inappropriate use of cheap plastic parts aside, these cars commanded high prices when new, and the running costs won't have changed significantly. The only difference is that as they get older, people find ways around the costs associated with main dealer servicing and spares.

For E55 DIY costs, have a look here: http://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/427836-55-cost-ownership-majority-diy.html

Cheap Merc running costs? Get something built before 1995.

[kiwi535 538]

I am sorry but to me they are ugly as sin

[gjm 3258]

I am sorry but to me they are ugly as sin

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. :-)

I quite dislike the CLS, and pretty much all the later models with Mercedes' interpretation of a flared wheelarch. I'm sure they're lovely inside, but... Nope. Not for me.

I do very much like the 60s/70s/80s and early 90s models. It's a problem I have learned to accept and deal with.