Mercedes E320 CDI estate | Shed of the Week
Mileage is just a number, right? Time to put that theory to the test
This week we will be viewing a blend of classic practicality and classy appeal in the commodious and executively posh shape of this Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI wagon. Yes, we did have an E 320 CDI a couple of weeks back, but you can hardly count that as it was a Star Wars saloon with R2-D2 and C-3PO glued to the roof and a dirty great X-wing bolted to the bootlid. Today’s E 320 example is a far more sober affair.
Registered in June ’09 it will be one of the very last W211s, or S211s to be precise on account of it being the estate version, with the S/W212 coming in to replace it for the 2010 model year. Our Shed therefore benefits from the quality and technical upgrades brought in for the 2007MY refresh. The best upgrade was actually a retro-upgrade, if there is such a thing, with the removal of the Sensotronic Brake Control. This Daimler/Bosch electro-hydraulic brake system was supposed to deliver precisely calculated amounts of braking to each wheel, but despite being around since 2001 on the R230 SL, Sensotronic’s speciality turned out to be delivering imprecisely calculated and often substantial amounts of aggravation to each owner. MB never really sorted it so they simply binned it, and as noted this car doesn’t have it.
Under the bonnet is the meaty long-stroke 3.0 V6 turbodiesel with 221hp at 3,800rpm and a lumptuous 376lb ft from 1,600rpm. That gives it a 0-62mph time in the low seven-second bracket, a top whack of 149mph and an official combined fuel consumption of 37mpg. Even the annual tax rate is good, sort of. Its CO2 figure of 202g/km puts it in the last ‘cheap’ band of £415 (or is it £430 now? Shed can’t keep up) before the bill skyrockets to £710 or more for 226-255g/km cars.
It’s tempting to look at all these stats and at the generally clean condition of this car and wonder how it could be yours for only £1,995. Well, 198,000 on the odometer might have something to do with it. We’re told the car was mainly used for commuting between Heathrow and Manchester, so these are ‘motorway miles’. This interesting phrase has been used as a positive in many car ads, to the point where it now feels a bit mythic along the lines of ‘one careful lady owner’ or ‘never raced or rallied’, but Shed reckons there’s something to it.
On the motorway, your engine is running at the sort of blockage-clearing speeds it was designed for. You’re getting good airflow to help keep it at the right temperature, and you’re not doing a lot of gearchanging, braking or steering. Wheel bearings and tyres will naturally wear out but they’re a lot cheaper and easier to replace than clogged-up or otherwise abused engine internals. Obviously you’re still going to be doing lots of miles and every mile you drive is one mile nearer to the car’s end, but that’s all pretty much known stuff.
The joker in the pack of course is modern electronics. They can go pop at one mile as easily as they can at 100,000 miles, and problems in that area can be swinishly difficult to diagnose and put right. In this respect modern cars represent much more of a gamble than Shed’s own and much beloved 30-year-old S124 estate whose electronics amount to not much more than a heater fan and some light bulbs.
The air-con condenser has gone west on this S211. Shed prefers to regulate cabin temperatures by winding a window up and down, which does annoy Mrs Shed somewhat in the winter months, but if you really must have functioning AC then a new condenser for one of these will cost you less than £100 on t'internet. The MOT runs to the back half of November. The last test revealed one slightly worn front brake (disc and pads) and a fairly standard non-excessive oil leak. The dealer says there’s plenty of paperwork in the service pack. Shed thinks that this will make for very interesting reading. Recent MOT history suggests it’s had new brake lines in the last couple of years but a hell of a lot more stuff seems to have gone into it prior to that.
Understandably the interior does bear signs of use. One side of the steering wheel is worn through where the bloke’s right thumb has presumably been resting in between nose picks, but the needle on the temperature gauge seems to be in the right position and there are no warnings on the dash. Even though it’s done 68,000 miles in the last four and a half years, Shed’s spidey senses tell him that if the paperwork adds up, this car, like his Amstrad PC, will be good for plenty more years yet.
Oh dear. We appear to have reached the end of this story without including a single smutty reference. Ah well, as Shed’s late Dad always told him, sometimes it’s better out than in.
How did the previous owner get home or on to work ? Kind of odd thing to do, sell your car roughly halfway through your regular commute.
I had to do the compressor for the air suspension, a crank pulley and a boot lock and that was about it.
Apparently the earlier ones (mine was 2005) had had their wiring looms installed by robot; on later cars they reverted to humans (or so the internet story goes anyway). Whatever the reason it would often briefly flash a warning for something or other. And then not do it again for a year or so. Later ones (esp the facelift) are supposed to be much better. My current S212 certainly does none of that.
The car passed through the hands of a couple of other PHers who weren't so lucky with the larger bills. Between them they took it close to 190k but all four corners of the airmatic had to be replaced plus the gbox conductor plate thingy and some coolant lines.
Overall it did great service on its way toowrds 200k miles and 20 years. Still taxed and tested
Great shed all round.
Odd that this one seems to have the HK sound system, but the space in the boot where I would expect to find the subwoofer is vacant of anything other than a luggage net. Not a deal breaker at this price, though.
This is one of many cars I'd love and spend time looking at on Autotrader, only to remember I commute into the city so it's no longer an option.
t". I wouldn't go anywhere near this for half the money.
SBS pumps, rear air shocks, the stupid wiring (optic fibre), soft-close boots that eat latches for fun, crank sensors that are pretty much service items and that will leave you stranded until the car cools down, loads of things to break and annoy you at this mileage.
t that's bolted to them that will break and infuriate and render the car unusable first. Mine made it to around 243k before I had enough and parked it next to the garage. Maybe I'll resurrect it one day, maybe I'll just pinch the engine/box for a project, maybe I'll fill it with manure and plant potatoes in it. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff