What estate car?!

[highlandsflyer]

Generally the E Class were OK until they introduced the new one in 96. It was bloated and over complex to me. It is also the one that rusts most readily.

I prefer the W124s looks wise, (and I never kept a later one long enough to see it rust so that is not the reason I don't like them).

Despite all the innovations Mercedes brought to the market, the thing I love about them is the simplicity. They just work.

Now they are not too costly to maintain either, due to all the specialists around.

I prefer the petrol models, but at least a 3L.

Don't see the point of the saloons.

What I loved about having one was the hardback model guide they would send you as a member of the owner's club. Pure class. I miss things like that now I moved to the dark side with Ford.

 

[legrandefromage]

off topic alert!

incidently you can get four bodies in the boot of a W126 and four people on the back seat.

1st generation 500SE will do around 30mpg on long runs due to the gearing, later 2nd generation changed the ratios.

and on an off-topic mercedes theme:

how much fun???

 

[highlandsflyer]

The last Merc I had was a 1990 one, and it ran like a dream. I nearly bought the last but one iteration of E Class a few years ago, a two year old one.

It was all fine until I took it home and found out it had some faults and equipment not as the sales people had indicated when they acquired it for me. I returned it and bought a BMW instead.

Regretted that and sold it on soon after and ended up with a Ford S Max.

Funny old world.

What next, a Trabant? Quite possibly.

I still say go out and get an eight year old Mondeo for your money. You will love it.

Cheap to buy, cheap to fix, but not a cheap car by any stretch of the imagination. Ford really have become more Teutonic than the Teutons of late.

 

[highlandsflyer]

...and what is that behind the first Merc???? Aye????

 

[legrandefromage]

sorry but 8 year old (diesel) Mondeo - 2 things, expensive things, common things:

dual mass flywheel

rear suspension bushes

both expensive and a pain, kits are available at a cheaper cost but, owning one, never again.

 

[legrandefromage]

...and what is that behind the first Merc???? Aye????

3rd generation Mondeo estate - even more bloody expensive to fix! Engine coded parts mean things like injection pumps - aaaaaaaagghhhh!

 

[highlandsflyer]

To be honest, for £1500 you could pick up a fairly low miler (<120k), and it would be a long time before one would need to worry about flywheels.

Longer than one would likely retain the car.

Meanwhile one would be driving a top spec comfy economical wagon.

 

[legrandefromage]

To be honest, for £1500 you could pick up a fairly low miler (<120k), and it would be a long time before one would need to worry about flywheels.

Longer than one would likely retain the car.

Meanwhile one would be driving a top spec comfy economical wagon.

mondeo 2nd generation (mk3) diesel can go as early as 80,000m for both flywheel and rear bushes

Dip the clutch when the engines running - if you hear an odd 'whirring' that changes as the clutch pedal is depressing in and out - walk away

120,000 miles is perfect knackered flywheel territory - it takes out the starter motor too as the wheel disintegrates

VW has DMF but as far as I'm aware, far less prone to disintegrating. However, cambelt changes are a must! And make sure the whole kit is used. As the bearings wear, the belt and followers start eating into the housing. The water pump should be changed at the same time as the impeller is not splined so spins freely when worn

 

[highlandsflyer]

The eight year olds as sold were generally built in 2001/2002, and are not the years known for flywheel problems, which incidentally is not nearly as common as it seems to be suggested.

The Passat is not as reliable as the price it commands second hand would suggest.

You won't find a more suitable, or better value, car for the job in question than an early 2000s Mondeo.

The choice of engine is down to what the car will be doing most of, but you could run the larger petrol options for a couple of years then swap for something else if you don't do crazy high miles and need the diesel economy.

 

[legrandefromage]

The eight year olds as sold were generally built in 2001/2002, and are not the years known for flywheel problems, which incidentally is not nearly as common as it seems to be suggested.

The Passat is not as reliable as the price it commands second hand would suggest.

You won't find a more suitable, or better value, car for the job in question than an early 2000s Mondeo.

The choice of engine is down to what the car will be doing most of, but you could run the larger petrol options for a couple of years then swap for something else if you don't do crazy high miles and need the diesel economy.

sorry but you are wrong about 'early' mk3 mondeos - they all have the flywheel issue - the firm I work at runs 40 to 60 mondeos at any one time and the flywheel was a day one problem.

They do have timing chains though whereas the mk4 does not.

I'll find out whats the biggest issue with the Mk4 later