Best place to buy an S320CDI - advice needed

[domcross]

Hi,

Having just sold my everyday car (Range Rover) I've decided to go for an S320 CDI as my next workhorse. I used to own one of the old shape (1997) ones and was thinking of a 2004/2005 S320CDI with a budget of £25-£30K. I've got a few questions that I hope the Merc experts on here can help with:

Where's the best place to buy one? (Don't fancy main dealer prices as they seem 4-5 grand above everything else!)

How long is the manufacturers warranty? I assume it can be extended at the end of the period? If so, is it worth doing or are there independent warranty firms that offer better value for the same cover?

Are there any major mid-life bills to be aware of?

How long do these engines realistically go on for? Is there any danger in buying a 70-80,000 mileer?

What should I be looking out for when searching for one?

Are there any options that really make life a LOT better and are worth having?

Thanks in advance for your help and comments. Needless to say, if you know of a really good one for sensible money, do let me know The only thing I don't like is black leather interiors

Cheers,
Dom.

[markmullen]

domcross said:

How long is the manufacturers warranty? I assume it can be extended at the end of the period? If so, is it worth doing or are there independent warranty firms that offer better value for the same cover?

Warranty is 3 years unlimited mileage, assuming the service history has been kept up to with MB dealers then Mobilo recovery is good for 30 years from date of reg, similarly paintwork warranty.

domcross said:

How long do these engines realistically go on for? Is there any danger in buying a 70-80,000 mileer?

The engine will be good for double that, just make sure it is serviced on time. I saw a few in my time at an MB dealer that had done big miles and they were fine.

domcross said:

What should I be looking out for when searching for one?

Prep bills can be pretty big, check the airmatic suspension (if fitted) is quiet, I had a couple of used S class where it needed work and it was pricey to fix. Groaning noises on startup that don't go away. Check the glowplug light goes out, can be expensive. Similarly check the COMAND satnav locks on to your current position, I had one car where a scrote had ripped the GPS aerial off and again it was quite costly to repair.

domcross said:

Are there any options that really make life a LOT better and are worth having?

Make sure it has telephone prewire, that allows you to drop a cradle in for your mobile phone (into the centre armrest) or use the MB Bluetooth cradle. Nearly all Mercs are specced with it but occasionally one slips through the net (dealership staff miss the deadline to spec change a stock car). Distronic adaptive cruise control is a bit of a marmite option, you either like it or you don't, if you're going to do a lot of motorway work it is very good. Parktronic is essential (front and rear parking sensors), memory seats, xenons are very good. Airmatic is good if you plan on pushing on at any time as you can stiffen the suspension up when required, it can lead to expensive repair bills later in life though. If you've got the facelift which came with the widescreen COMAND screen then you can get an iPod adaptor which is good and gives full control of the iPod. If you are into your music then the Harmon/Kardon audio system is worth it.

domcross said:

The only thing I don't like is black leather interiors

Alpaca grey was quite popular, it can look a bit wishy washy if it is accompanied by a sliver exterior though. Colour wise obviously its a personal choice but that shape of S Class looks really well in Chalcedony Blue (light metallic silvery blue)

[domcross]

Thanks Mark for a top reply with loads of really useful info. Once again, Pistonheads proves to be an invaluable forum

Any idea where I can go searching for a good car without paying top dealer rates (given your background I'm sure you'll know what I mean ? I've heard of Merc specialists but don't know who they are? Also, is it worth going to auction and buying a used car still under the manufacturers warrenty? If so, where are the best auctions? The only one I know is BCA at Blackbushe.

Apologies for all the questions; just keen to reduce depreciation as much as possible by buying at the right price to start with

Cheers,
Dom.

[kickstart]

I should say that I think the S320CDI is a great everyday car, I have done nearly 40k in mine, bought new in 2004.
As far as depreciation goes, well looking at the older shape cars I tend to think that these cars will drop to £10k in a couple of years, when the old shape looks rather dated. Generally experience dictates that you would be better off buying a car that is very popular and when the model has only recently come out.

Good luck

[Parrot of Doom]

Look after the engine and it'll do 500,000 miles without major problems.

The transmission, who knows - maybe half that?

I hear that early W220's had serious electrical faults?

[domcross]

kickstart said:

I should say that I think the S320CDI is a great everyday car, I have done nearly 40k in mine, bought new in 2004.
As far as depreciation goes, well looking at the older shape cars I tend to think that these cars will drop to £10k in a couple of years, when the old shape looks rather dated. Generally experience dictates that you would be better off buying a car that is very popular and when the model has only recently come out.

Good luck

I can see your point there Kickstart, the only problem with that theory is that the new shape S-class is going to cost me close to £60K which is too much for me at the moment. Given the popularity of the last version and the rave reviews from various web sites, it seems like a reasonable buy. I'm now starting to wonder whether I should massively reduce my budget and buy a 2003 car with, say, 100K miles on the clock for about £15K instead of a newer low mileage one for £25-30K. If the engine's that reliable and the depreciation's likely to be that hard, this may be the better option.

Thanks again for the advice...

Dom.

[kickstart]

I am having the same debate about cars, whether I should replace my car with a new one or continue with it. Sadly depreciation is a fact of having 99.9% of all cars and my take on your dilemma is that if you spent £25k that should buy you a 3 year old S320 CDi with say 40k on it and then if you run it for 5 years it might be worth £8k which is pretty good depreciation.

The other alternatives would be to buy a Audi A8 or what about a E320 CDI estate, they tend to hold their money very well.

I have 90% decided to keep mine for maybe another 5 years so that hopefully I can afford a Ferrari 550 as a toy in a year or two.

[domcross]

kickstart said:

I am having the same debate about cars, whether I should replace my car with a new one or continue with it. Sadly depreciation is a fact of having 99.9% of all cars and my take on your dilemma is that if you spent £25k that should buy you a 3 year old S320 CDi with say 40k on it and then if you run it for 5 years it might be worth £8k which is pretty good depreciation.

The other alternatives would be to buy a Audi A8 or what about a E320 CDI estate, they tend to hold their money very well.

I have 90% decided to keep mine for maybe another 5 years so that hopefully I can afford a Ferrari 550 as a toy in a year or two.

You're a petrolhead after my own heart there mate... a Ferrari 550 is high up my list of toys for the future

I drove an E320 CDI last week and liked it a lot but I do prefer a bit more interior space and that's why I'm more in the S-class space right now. This is not meant to sound pretentious at all, but I do have a driver sometimes for trips to the airport (it's cheaper to pay someone to take me there and back than to park at Heathrow for a week!) and therefore space in the back is quite important to me. I like to spread out and work on the motorway.

If anyone knows of a really good independent Merc specialist please let me know. There are a few nice cars about, but I prefer to have some after sales support, even if it's not main dealer.

Cheers,
Dom.