Would I regret buying a Merc diesel?

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I've started a few 'what car' threads lately. I sold my Jaguar S-Type R last November and been rolling around in my Mum's 2001 Ford Puma while I decide what to get next

My brief is; capable of 35ish mpg, auto, under 100k miles, not totally boring, under £9k. So, quite broad really.

At the top of my list at the moment is an E87 BMW 130i [well under £9k, great engine] and Renaultsport Clio, the auto one [newer than the Beemer, better mpg].

Being an estate fan, I've spotted a 2011 [pre-facelift] 350cdi, at a good price. Just a bit worried this would be a little less 'fun' than the other two options. I guess fun isn't right at the top of my 'must have' list, but I do want a car with a bit of interest.

Just wondering if any of you guys have owned this generation of V6 diesel C-Class? Boring or can it be a 'fun' drive?!

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ZX10R NIN said:

They're a good car but a fun steer they're not.

They drive well but they won't be far off the 130i.

Take a look at the E Coupe

Yeah, I have considered an E Coupe. I forgot to mention, I do ferry around my two young sons to school/nursery and back, hence why an estate would be a more sensible choice. However, having used my Mum's tiny Puma for the last five months, I've realised two-doors is doable.

Monkeylegend said:

Check for rear subframe corrosion before you buy on both C and E class. Hard to spot until it is too late as they rust from the inside out so be wary.

If it is a later BlueTec model do you research re adblue and NOX sensor issues.

Ah right...I've now been looking up rear subframe corrosion on this gen of Merc. It certainly is a thing! I'll ask the owner of the 350 I've seen if he's had it checked. It's a pre-facelift 2011 C-Class so not sure if it's a Bluets model or not?

GeniusOfLove said:

If you liked the S Type consider an XF 3.0d S?

An XF is too big. I want to go a little smaller than my S-Type. All the cars I mention above are smaller, even if only by a bit for the Merc.

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lord trumpton said:

Why a DERV out of interest?

See my list of requirements….capable of 35mpg. The diesel would give me this. I could only go diesel if it had 6 cylinders though. Also, petrol Merc estates are very thin on the group I expect. I did see a petrol V6 for sales not so long ago, on Facebook, but didn’t look up the mpg as I imagined it would be under 30?

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Not the glowing report I hoped for! Current owner has just let me know that, having gone in for the recent airbag recall, the subframe was inspected and ok.

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agent006 said:

Combined MPG on an E350 CGI petrol is 32, extra urban is 42. They're not often in your budget though, I know as it's my budget too and I'm trying to avoid a diesel for ULEZ reasons.

If I wasn’t too worried about mpg (I promised myself, coming from 22mpg in my Jag, I’d try to be sensible and aim for well north of 30mpg), I’d get a Volvo V60 T6 (petrol, 6 cylinders, 300bhp+).

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GeniusOfLove said:

BUG4LIFE said:

If I wasn’t too worried about mpg (I promised myself, coming from 22mpg in my Jag, I’d try to be sensible and aim for well north of 30mpg), I’d get a Volvo V60 T6 (petrol, 6 cylinders, 300bhp+).

Now that is a car that is about as much fun to drive as an overloaded shopping trolley.

Yeah, you'll probably right!

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MDMA . said:

This one’s sold, but TGT do get them occasionally.

https://www.torque-gt.co.uk/accord-type-s-140422.h...

I’d suggest a Legacy turbo estate, but you’re not going to average 35mpg. 25mpg at best.

Yes, an Accord Type S would be ideal, but at places like TGT, they're usually north of my budget. Might be lucky to bag a good one privately...but I don't think I've ever seen one for sale privately!

I'm definitely a Legacy fan but like you say, no chance of 30mpg+ [I did 24mpg in my Forester].

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GeniusOfLove said:

It's a cliche but this is exactly what the 330d touring was made for. I'm not sure I'd even bother with the 335d.

You are right...if a good 330d touring popped up for sale, I think I'd have to get it. There is a 335d for sale on AT at the mo for just under £9k...a 'lovely/brave' bronze colour with a matching interior [it's such a querky spec I can't help but like it]. I think it has sold as the owner didn't come back to my message.

A think an RS Clio is still top of the list though!

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MDMA . said:

They have another one in at the moment.

https://www.torque-gt.co.uk/honda-accord-type-s-19...

I have already spoken to TGT about this one...seems very nice. They imported it/sold it a few years ago and now have it back in stock.

I think I prefer it to the blue one they've just got in, even though it has more miles, as white and Honda just works!!! And the fruity exhaust.

Ideally I don't want to spend £10k. It would have to be a very special car for me to do that. I do really like the Accord Type-S but the more I've looked into them the more I wonder if the lack of performance would be frustrating [I think the 0-60 is over 8sec]. I think I'd be ok with that if it was returning 40mpg+, but it's likely to be closer to 30 - I'm thinking I might as well get something like an E91 330i [finding a good one with all the important bits done might be tough] which offers so much more go but not much less mpg?!

I have been umming and ahing about a mk5 Golf GTi I've spotted [MDMA, I think I'm right in saying you bought a mk5 GTi after you sold me the Forester]. It's a yellow Pirelli [obviously an import]. It looks so so clean, but I need to check on service history, if it has any!!!