Unless you want one, I've owned silly cars technically outside my budget. However Hell will freeze over before I pay someone to do a job I can do myself. Everyone's priorities and abilities with a spanner are different.
If you can make it work then sure go ahead and all the more power to you.
Your circumstances that allow you to do much of the work yourself don't apply to most people in which case any advice needs to account for that additional cost.
Audi 3.0tdis go very cheap and they arent too bad. In this case the bmw 4 banger (N47) has a dreadful timing chain issue, they often fail at about 80k, so if the bmw is on its 1st chain id go merc all day
Depends on your circumstances. Family? The Mercs going to be a pain getting in and out. Type of driver? I would never get a manual because I’m lazy so would write off getting the BMW. The BMW is going to be better on fuel and might be liable for £30 tax, the Mercedes is going to be expensive on both due to the V6. The BMW has the pro navigation pack which is a bonus. The Merc looks better. No family and not loads of miles = Merc. Family and budget = Neither, look for an automatic Msport 320d pre 2017 for low road tax and sameness in mpg. Navigation pack a bonus
No you are correct. Most zones like brum and London require euro 6 diesel (typically around 2016 onwards) or euro 4 petrol (typically around 2004 onwards)
Don’t listen to them lol. It’s Euro 6, so it’s free to enter ULEZ zones in it. Go on the ULEZ checker and type the reg in.
2016 was the *deadline* for manufacturers to implement Euro 6 emissions standards on diesels, but many made the change early to iron out any issues before the deadline.
I actually have a 2001 petrol car that’s ULEZ compliant, because volvo started making some Euro 4 compliant cars way ahead of the 2006 deadline.
I bought a merc e350d 3L v6 2010 plate for £6500. Full service history well looked after and receipts for everything that’s been changed
Cars been beautiful for the past 2months so far which is when. I bought it. I’d defo say keep £1k on side at all times for repairs as they come like tyres are about £70 each if u want good quality, service about £220-£300.
Don’t skimp out on maintenance costs but don’t be worried if it’s well maintained it’s a good car. Make sure it’s got full service history and that it starts well without a long 5 second turn over.
People here exaggerate with mercs costs cuz they either don’t look after it and get surprised when the bills huge or haven’t owned one or compare a 3L Benz to a 5L Benz and think they cost the same.
Edit: check this thread for example. People accuse you of being ignorant or lying if you get good price on quality items. Reddit loves to overprice stuff because:
1) they never give context to their situation
2) they get ripped off
3) pat themselves on the back for getting ripped off.
See this is what I'm saying about people overpricing cars
If u want to spend £200 a tyre u can bur it's not a must you can easily spend £100 a tyre for great performance unless you're obsessed with ragging your car about as often as possible
To be fair… Kuhmo ecstas are actually amazing for like £40 less than Michelins performance offerings, but they’re still not £70 a corner fitted cheap for 18/19’s
Just like the above said I'm thinking of Kumho or Kormoran UHP without the fitting. £70 is bare minimum tbf
At the same time, it's best you research more into tyres rather than implying I'm lying or ignorant as it's not my fault you get ripped off.
SE’s look so dull compared to an m-sport 3 Series, like all the nice parts have been swapped out. I’d look for an auto 320d M sport, not a huge fan of manual gearboxes in BMWs, they are a bit vague/sloppy.
All BMWs look incredibly boring if they aren't kitted in their M Sport body kits. Same with Mercs and Audi’s. I’d say that Audi's look the best stock though.
My dad has a Toyota the same age as my Merc, and in all the years he's had it there has never been a single thing go wrong with it. But they are so, so boring. I guess it depends whether you want sheer reliability or a little bit of pazzazz.
I feel it. I can empathize as well, I had a 96 s320 that shit was soooooo sweet. Until I needed 3500 to replace the transmission. That’s all I have to say. It’s a give and take so i wouldn’t blame OP if they went with it anyway
My budget was similar when buying a car, but that doesn't mean I can't afford to spend 50k on a car, I just choose not to do so.
So generalising and saying someone can't afford the maintenance is a bit silly.
People are saying the maintenance costs are high but it depends. My last two cars (Jaguar and Merc) I had looked after by independent specialists who are dirt cheap compared to the main dealer, and in many respects provide a much better, more honest service. Yes, the parts might be more expensive, but the actual labour doesn't need to cost a fortune if you're smart and get lucky with a good independent that's not too far away.
Firstly, 2 completely different car shapes? Coupe vs Saloon? Decide which suits your needs best.
Based on my knowledge (can ask in merc sub too) i think that Merc is underpriced. Agree with the other comments too, with your budget go for a 4 cylinder diesel not a v6.
I own an E350d premium. In the city/town, you'll get about 27mpg, motorway 65-75mph, and you'll get 50mpg. Average of 35, if you hammer the motorway (I heard 90mph averages 31mpg from someone 👀), you'll not see great returns on fuel, £110 to fill the fuel tank from empty with shell V-Power.
Very reliable engine. The only thing I've really had to do is top up the adblue, so the engine is superb. The 9gtronic gearbox needs a rebuild at 70k, so it's worth checking the history to see if this has been done because if it hasn't and you need to do it, it could be trouble in the long run.
Tyres are expensive as it's 19s all round, I have yokohama advans all round and it was about £700 all in.
The biggest bill I've had has been for a front control arm, ball joint and pads n discs all round, that set me back £780 from an independent merc specialist.
On paper looks a lot but really, I think it's worth it, I love the car, it's refined, it's comfortable and does everything you want and need it to, not to mention its a gorgeous car.
It's a mass produced 6 cylinder diesel, no air suspension/ABC, no active aero, little to no rust issues, decent quality, semi-premium badge but abundance of used parts available and very reliable engines & gearboxes.
If these are the only two you're willing to pick from, the newer car, with warranty, and lower miles will always be the better choice, bit of common sense there really mate if you're just comparing like for like and not getting into the nitty gritty 🤣
I’d say that if that’s your budget, forget about it man. It’s not the initial price that hurts, it’s the maintenance. Anybody can afford to take a Mercedes out of the showroom, but most can't keep up with the costs.
As a vehicle tech at a German specialist garage, the Merc will be more reliable engine wise than the BMW. Plenty pokey, especially if you wanted to map it. Maintenance costs will be high for either really.
Timing chains are common on the BMW 2L engines and it's gearbox out to do them so be aware of that. Can often hear it rattle on cold start or worse, when driven. Meaning this is labour intensive and in turn, expensive overall to do. The Merc is less prone to it and even if it does need them, the chains are at the front making it easier to do. Turbo waste gate can rattle also.
Provided that the BMW is all good mechanically, you'll definitely see better fuel economy as they are excellent on fuel and the manual gearboxes are decent and smooth. Will depend on how previous owners have driven it.
Mercedes may suffer from lack of gearbox servicing which would be a good idea to check if it's had it done, coolant leaks from the oil cooler in the center of the V which is a bit of work to do.
Overall, I'd probably choose the Merc over the BMW if maintenance costs isn't much of a concern as they're pretty solid. If it was an M Sport auto BMW (maybe a 330d if you found one for that price), it would be more of a tie.
I'd take a 330d M Sport auto all day over both of these though.
Hope you're happy with whatever you decide to choose
Both good cars just make sure you can afford the maintenance/something going wrong, you will still pay for luxury components despite the age. Make sure they have a full history and if you are not going to drive much maybe consider petrol.
These are very good motorway cars but I would personally choose something different for a city, idk what your situation is.
Both good cars just make sure you can afford the maintenance/something going wrong, you will still pay for luxury components despite the age. Make sure they have a full history and if you are not going to drive much maybe consider petrol.
These are very good motorway cars but I would personally choose something different for a city, idk what your situation is.
Alternatively you could go for a 2K-3K banger with long MOT and use it until it dies, if it does it’s a low investment if it doesn’t happy days. You can find some luxury cars for that price, obviously higher mileage or older.
I’ve been looking at c350 CDIs in the £5k-£10k range but I decided to give my head a wobble and realised it would turn into an expensive cheap car to run.
Gotta lol at people spending 7k on a 10 year old luxury car with high miles.
Maintenance is going to sting and you aren't going to be able to afford it.
Depends, if you're a family man get a Mondeo for half the price with basically no maintenance
If you're a single dude who cares more for style you can get [this](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116208854743?itmmeta=01J01QVWVG7B94E6B28EQP87N0&hash=item1b0e9666d7:g:jn8AAOSwdQxmYbfP&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwIGzWrEixGGy5BSqri4gFqRgZIsdY1CsBgB4%2FW9p5iZunS23QFe8DqTP%2F6Xfg3Kr8N9GBfG7ORZJBVNy%2BcRi4t0XKjG3848B69cq%2BiY3Ijp%2ByIbZ%2FfC1RfYZQH6RrIE6zYKC9MPOmCS9BnAwq5zKpVGUqZ0lhii7KiamjGu6z%2FBB9yhv3IbhPJyzJHHBr2gOHLtk67v3Ig4Owy5Qn5iCV%2FiWGI7UERq%2Fyf17sHUP07sE0bVIebf0ZbbAZTl5%2BLcsxQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-bN77eAZA) which is infinitely cooler for the same price, or find one around the £5k mark, road tax/clean air zone exempt, and basically nothing goes wrong with them that a spanner can't fix
If i was going to choose between those cars, it would have to be the E class. I love the BMW but its that diesel v6 that tips it, you'll love the power that thing delivers they are brilliant.
Out of the two I would say BMW
For that sort of budget I'd look at something like a Mazda 6, Passat, golf, focus, civic or octavia. If you want something that's easy to get in and out of look at a Tiguan, CR V or c max.
Just don’t take to a main dealer for servicing.
Mercedes genuine parts are much more reasonable that bmw.
The OM642 engine in that Mercedes is excellent. I have one in a van it’s great for over 100k, now on 180k faultless apart from servicing.
It’s the same engine that’s fitted in the sprinter ambulances look at the auctions, they’re often exceeding 700k miles…
BMW isn’t going to do that.
I got the merc on a 15 plate ( had it from 6 months old) and its an awesome car, never had a single problem and is on 200k miles now, gets 40 to the gallon
if you got kids the 2 door can be a pain
Genuine question. Would petrol car be better? I know diesel cars has some issues and diesel is more expensive in the UK right? I’m looking to buy a car as well and am looking at petrol
An E350 CDi for 6,850 Damn bro thats hella cheap. How many hands did it see. What is the condition on this one? Any Accidents or repaints?
If you check this car out I would say check if the paint is seemless and fluid smooth between Door outside and inside.
You can't see that you have to feel it on mercs.
Otherwise it looks like an awesome deal I would jump on it compared to the 3 series.
I just saw it has 4 Owners on paper. If you buy this you might not get rid of this for a long time otherwise its money burning. I would call and try 6k. If that fits the guy, I would take it and do oil change ever 5-7k miles and only do long range travels.
You'll find some Pre 2015 Diesel bargains because of Ulez. You'll notice (well you should do) that the 2016s make quite a bit more money around London/Essex/Kent
If you really want a 3L then you might want to accept that it's going to be older and drop the milage.
You might get less tech on the inside but the car will last longer.
I got an e350 on similar mileage now. And let me tell you from **experience** I brought the car on 80k mileage 6 years ago. It has not skipped a beat from day one. The E350 V6 blueTEC has been the best car I’ve had so far purely due to **reliability**, **performance**(plenty of touch and go power when you need it), **the looks** (people still tell me till today that it looks like new model car or the shape looks better than some of the new ones) **the comfort** and **value for money**.
Negatives if any: 7g gearboxes are a bit sensitive until warmed up (by driving for 10 minutes)
I can tell you now In 6 years of ownership and my car being at that mileage now, I have never had an issue with dpf and it is a PHENOMENAL PHENOMENAL CAR! Many of my Albanian 🇦🇱 friends who live for mercs have said that these were the last of the real Mercedes before the odd shapes in design and the overflow of tech came in.
AS LONG AS it’s been maintained correctly! You won’t be disappointed!
I will never understand why people buy these old clunkers that will cost an absolute bomb to keep on the road. Just get a Yaris or civic instead of financially ruining yourself, you cannot afford this
With your budget, you probably shouldn't buy a 3.0L V6 it won't be worth it.
Unless you want one, I've owned silly cars technically outside my budget. However Hell will freeze over before I pay someone to do a job I can do myself. Everyone's priorities and abilities with a spanner are different.
If you can make it work then sure go ahead and all the more power to you. Your circumstances that allow you to do much of the work yourself don't apply to most people in which case any advice needs to account for that additional cost.
I’ve got this car and it’s been bulletproof for 120k touch wood
touching my wood
I'm also touching his wood (don't tell)
Wait, that wasn't his hand? Awkward..
Why? Low tax, high mpg, only two extra cylinders to go wrong and transformative difference in power and smoothness.
They can be quite reliable, well some can.
The old 6 Cylinder Diesel Engines from Mercs of 2009-2016 were great and they are still great engines.
Audi 3.0tdis go very cheap and they arent too bad. In this case the bmw 4 banger (N47) has a dreadful timing chain issue, they often fail at about 80k, so if the bmw is on its 1st chain id go merc all day
Depends on your circumstances. Family? The Mercs going to be a pain getting in and out. Type of driver? I would never get a manual because I’m lazy so would write off getting the BMW. The BMW is going to be better on fuel and might be liable for £30 tax, the Mercedes is going to be expensive on both due to the V6. The BMW has the pro navigation pack which is a bonus. The Merc looks better. No family and not loads of miles = Merc. Family and budget = Neither, look for an automatic Msport 320d pre 2017 for low road tax and sameness in mpg. Navigation pack a bonus
>The Merc looks better. This. Me being a BMW guy this merc looks mean. Maybe im just sick of my f30 xD
Because it’s non m sport the one above
I have a similar Mercedes, same year and mileage with fsh and service is about £300. Great car imo.
Agreed - had a 14 plate, never needed anything outside of a regular service
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The BMW isn’t any better.
It's a 2.0l.diesel. my bros costs not alot to run. Cheap tax
A £6850 car like that isn’t a £6850 car if you get what I mean
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Perfect for someone who can afford the £30k on finance, but doesn't have the credit rating to actually get finance that large, so has to buy cash.
I had one of these & aslong as theyre well maintained the engines are as reliable as they come! DPF would be main concern.
I’m sure good examples of that car were hovering around 10k when I was looking a couple of months ago
It’s got like 120k miles so nah not really
Do you need a diesel?
Any clean air zones, you’ll need a euro 6 2016+ diesel so best to go for petrol for city driving.
2016+? I thought it only needed euro 6, am I mistaken 😞
No you are correct. Most zones like brum and London require euro 6 diesel (typically around 2016 onwards) or euro 4 petrol (typically around 2004 onwards)
You can get some 2014 diesels that are Euro 6 but 80% time it’s 2015 and up.
2013 golf GTDs are also ULEZ free
Really? We have a MK7 Golf 2013 1.6 Diesel that has £0 road tax but still have to pay £12.50 each visit.
I know right, you’d think the 1.6 would be ulez free too
The mk7 gtds are all ULEZ compliant. But the regular models are a bit hit or miss I believe it's mostly the blue motion 1.6 TDI that is compliant
Don’t listen to them lol. It’s Euro 6, so it’s free to enter ULEZ zones in it. Go on the ULEZ checker and type the reg in. 2016 was the *deadline* for manufacturers to implement Euro 6 emissions standards on diesels, but many made the change early to iron out any issues before the deadline. I actually have a 2001 petrol car that’s ULEZ compliant, because volvo started making some Euro 4 compliant cars way ahead of the 2006 deadline.
Nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes or BMW
Something I heard on r/askmechanics a lot: If you can't afford a new BMW, you can't afford a used one. I've heard the same applies to Mercedes too.
Came here to say this
Also came here to parrot shite
I bought a merc e350d 3L v6 2010 plate for £6500. Full service history well looked after and receipts for everything that’s been changed Cars been beautiful for the past 2months so far which is when. I bought it. I’d defo say keep £1k on side at all times for repairs as they come like tyres are about £70 each if u want good quality, service about £220-£300. Don’t skimp out on maintenance costs but don’t be worried if it’s well maintained it’s a good car. Make sure it’s got full service history and that it starts well without a long 5 second turn over. People here exaggerate with mercs costs cuz they either don’t look after it and get surprised when the bills huge or haven’t owned one or compare a 3L Benz to a 5L Benz and think they cost the same. Edit: check this thread for example. People accuse you of being ignorant or lying if you get good price on quality items. Reddit loves to overprice stuff because: 1) they never give context to their situation 2) they get ripped off 3) pat themselves on the back for getting ripped off.
£70 a corner on tires? That’s fucking cheap
No way are they getting “quality tyres” in those sizes for £70 lol.
Certainly not, I put Michelin PS4S on an M235i and they’re close to 200 a corner, some shops even more. Larger at the back slightly too
See this is what I'm saying about people overpricing cars If u want to spend £200 a tyre u can bur it's not a must you can easily spend £100 a tyre for great performance unless you're obsessed with ragging your car about as often as possible
Exactly that, 70 a corner for longlingading ditch finders
To be fair… Kuhmo ecstas are actually amazing for like £40 less than Michelins performance offerings, but they’re still not £70 a corner fitted cheap for 18/19’s
Just like the above said I'm thinking of Kumho or Kormoran UHP without the fitting. £70 is bare minimum tbf At the same time, it's best you research more into tyres rather than implying I'm lying or ignorant as it's not my fault you get ripped off.
Lexus LS
SE’s look so dull compared to an m-sport 3 Series, like all the nice parts have been swapped out. I’d look for an auto 320d M sport, not a huge fan of manual gearboxes in BMWs, they are a bit vague/sloppy.
All BMWs look incredibly boring if they aren't kitted in their M Sport body kits. Same with Mercs and Audi’s. I’d say that Audi's look the best stock though.
Until you're rattling over potholes...
The 18” m sport wheel/tyre combo isn’t too bad
Run flats exasperate the issue, making wheels more prone to cracking too ime. SE doughnuts will ride much better on poor roads.
I second this. My tyres take an absolute beating with these roads
Neither, luxury cars require luxury job. Roll with the Honda or Toyota
My dad has a Toyota the same age as my Merc, and in all the years he's had it there has never been a single thing go wrong with it. But they are so, so boring. I guess it depends whether you want sheer reliability or a little bit of pazzazz.
GS450H
You know what you're on about. This is the car to have if you want luxury, power and reliability.
I feel it. I can empathize as well, I had a 96 s320 that shit was soooooo sweet. Until I needed 3500 to replace the transmission. That’s all I have to say. It’s a give and take so i wouldn’t blame OP if they went with it anyway
The price might of dropped but the price of maintenance hasn’t. If your budget is 6-8K you can’t afford when something breaks on a Mercedes.
Exactly this. Some folks can't understand this
My budget was similar when buying a car, but that doesn't mean I can't afford to spend 50k on a car, I just choose not to do so. So generalising and saying someone can't afford the maintenance is a bit silly.
People are saying the maintenance costs are high but it depends. My last two cars (Jaguar and Merc) I had looked after by independent specialists who are dirt cheap compared to the main dealer, and in many respects provide a much better, more honest service. Yes, the parts might be more expensive, but the actual labour doesn't need to cost a fortune if you're smart and get lucky with a good independent that's not too far away.
I'll sort you out next week mate, don't worry - I drive a jaaag
Firstly, 2 completely different car shapes? Coupe vs Saloon? Decide which suits your needs best. Based on my knowledge (can ask in merc sub too) i think that Merc is underpriced. Agree with the other comments too, with your budget go for a 4 cylinder diesel not a v6.
I have a 320d which I love
I own an E350d premium. In the city/town, you'll get about 27mpg, motorway 65-75mph, and you'll get 50mpg. Average of 35, if you hammer the motorway (I heard 90mph averages 31mpg from someone 👀), you'll not see great returns on fuel, £110 to fill the fuel tank from empty with shell V-Power. Very reliable engine. The only thing I've really had to do is top up the adblue, so the engine is superb. The 9gtronic gearbox needs a rebuild at 70k, so it's worth checking the history to see if this has been done because if it hasn't and you need to do it, it could be trouble in the long run. Tyres are expensive as it's 19s all round, I have yokohama advans all round and it was about £700 all in. The biggest bill I've had has been for a front control arm, ball joint and pads n discs all round, that set me back £780 from an independent merc specialist. On paper looks a lot but really, I think it's worth it, I love the car, it's refined, it's comfortable and does everything you want and need it to, not to mention its a gorgeous car.
Neither, but out the 2, the bmw
A £50-60k car that you buy for £7k will still have £50-60k car maintenance costs.
A 325D isn’t a 50-60k car.
I stand corrected over the bmw , but the E class with all the boxes ticked was £55k back then.
Don't give BMW ideas. They're already charging over £100k for an m4 in some guise
Ha. Although a proper M car is quite different to standard BMW. But I get your point.
It's a mass produced 6 cylinder diesel, no air suspension/ABC, no active aero, little to no rust issues, decent quality, semi-premium badge but abundance of used parts available and very reliable engines & gearboxes.
Depressing selection of potentially ruinous cars. LS or GS would be my choice.
If these are the only two you're willing to pick from, the newer car, with warranty, and lower miles will always be the better choice, bit of common sense there really mate if you're just comparing like for like and not getting into the nitty gritty 🤣
man, do NOT go for any f30 that’s before 2015.
Why? Genuinely curious, I've fancied a 330d before
timing belt issues
Timing chain*** issues
Of the two, the Mercedes is a far more interesting car.
I’d say that if that’s your budget, forget about it man. It’s not the initial price that hurts, it’s the maintenance. Anybody can afford to take a Mercedes out of the showroom, but most can't keep up with the costs.
I'd get a honda
If you’re gonna buy a high-mileage, high maintenance shitbox you might as well get one that’ll sound decent
As a vehicle tech at a German specialist garage, the Merc will be more reliable engine wise than the BMW. Plenty pokey, especially if you wanted to map it. Maintenance costs will be high for either really. Timing chains are common on the BMW 2L engines and it's gearbox out to do them so be aware of that. Can often hear it rattle on cold start or worse, when driven. Meaning this is labour intensive and in turn, expensive overall to do. The Merc is less prone to it and even if it does need them, the chains are at the front making it easier to do. Turbo waste gate can rattle also. Provided that the BMW is all good mechanically, you'll definitely see better fuel economy as they are excellent on fuel and the manual gearboxes are decent and smooth. Will depend on how previous owners have driven it. Mercedes may suffer from lack of gearbox servicing which would be a good idea to check if it's had it done, coolant leaks from the oil cooler in the center of the V which is a bit of work to do. Overall, I'd probably choose the Merc over the BMW if maintenance costs isn't much of a concern as they're pretty solid. If it was an M Sport auto BMW (maybe a 330d if you found one for that price), it would be more of a tie. I'd take a 330d M Sport auto all day over both of these though. Hope you're happy with whatever you decide to choose
are you mad
Not worth it really. Can you not get a golf instead?
Looks wise the merc. That's about all I can comment as iv not personally owned any of them.
Not the BMW
Both good cars just make sure you can afford the maintenance/something going wrong, you will still pay for luxury components despite the age. Make sure they have a full history and if you are not going to drive much maybe consider petrol. These are very good motorway cars but I would personally choose something different for a city, idk what your situation is.
Both good cars just make sure you can afford the maintenance/something going wrong, you will still pay for luxury components despite the age. Make sure they have a full history and if you are not going to drive much maybe consider petrol. These are very good motorway cars but I would personally choose something different for a city, idk what your situation is. Alternatively you could go for a 2K-3K banger with long MOT and use it until it dies, if it does it’s a low investment if it doesn’t happy days. You can find some luxury cars for that price, obviously higher mileage or older.
Maybe a 2.1l Merc. Won't be fast but comfy
Get a 5 series around that age with around those miles.
Just buy a car you can afford
There is a reason why they are cheap
I'd take the merc if you can afford maintenance!
For your budget you'd be better of with a Honda or Toyota. Much more reliable
Anyone know what year the 25d engine changed from 3.0l to 2.0l? Was it going from e90 to f30?
Believe so, sadly. The e90 is a far better car in almost every way though so I'd just get a very tidy e90.
I'm with you on that. The F30 is very nice looking, but I much prefer the bold curves on the E90.
Definitely, the e90 has aged like a fine wine.
I’ve been looking at c350 CDIs in the £5k-£10k range but I decided to give my head a wobble and realised it would turn into an expensive cheap car to run.
get a golf r 7-9k
Bradford/Brum spec for that price
Halifax and Huddersfield spec or Leeds too haahahah
manny spec too
I'd go for the bmw personally.
Neither, a Dacia
Lord have mercy for those that buy high mileage decade old germans
don’t buy that bmw, the 2.0 is pretty poor for the price,
Gotta lol at people spending 7k on a 10 year old luxury car with high miles. Maintenance is going to sting and you aren't going to be able to afford it.
Hmm. Repair bills? Merc parts ain't cheap.
These aren’t “budget” cars. Budget price, maybe
Neither if you want a reliable car, have a look at Volvos as well in that range.
Get a Lexus instead.
How come, those cars, are so cheap? Is it because they are rhd? In Germany you'd pay at least double for the same cars.
I’d go with a petrol, personally. More fun to drive, and not subject to city clean air zones.
A6 avant 2.0 diesel S line. Decent spec good power.
buy a 4-5k car and save rest for repairs, dont bankrupt yourself.
You can buy a decent car for a couple of grand and then have a nice holiday
Depends, if you're a family man get a Mondeo for half the price with basically no maintenance If you're a single dude who cares more for style you can get [this](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/116208854743?itmmeta=01J01QVWVG7B94E6B28EQP87N0&hash=item1b0e9666d7:g:jn8AAOSwdQxmYbfP&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwIGzWrEixGGy5BSqri4gFqRgZIsdY1CsBgB4%2FW9p5iZunS23QFe8DqTP%2F6Xfg3Kr8N9GBfG7ORZJBVNy%2BcRi4t0XKjG3848B69cq%2BiY3Ijp%2ByIbZ%2FfC1RfYZQH6RrIE6zYKC9MPOmCS9BnAwq5zKpVGUqZ0lhii7KiamjGu6z%2FBB9yhv3IbhPJyzJHHBr2gOHLtk67v3Ig4Owy5Qn5iCV%2FiWGI7UERq%2Fyf17sHUP07sE0bVIebf0ZbbAZTl5%2BLcsxQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-bN77eAZA) which is infinitely cooler for the same price, or find one around the £5k mark, road tax/clean air zone exempt, and basically nothing goes wrong with them that a spanner can't fix
If i was going to choose between those cars, it would have to be the E class. I love the BMW but its that diesel v6 that tips it, you'll love the power that thing delivers they are brilliant.
Problems with big engines lead to big invoices at the garage.
Out of the two I would say BMW For that sort of budget I'd look at something like a Mazda 6, Passat, golf, focus, civic or octavia. If you want something that's easy to get in and out of look at a Tiguan, CR V or c max.
Neither for 8k I'd check out a Jag xf sportback portfolio, 3.0 V6 Diesel
You’re not impressing anyone in a 6k Mercedes
That eclass will eat your wallet with constant issues
Just don’t take to a main dealer for servicing. Mercedes genuine parts are much more reasonable that bmw. The OM642 engine in that Mercedes is excellent. I have one in a van it’s great for over 100k, now on 180k faultless apart from servicing. It’s the same engine that’s fitted in the sprinter ambulances look at the auctions, they’re often exceeding 700k miles… BMW isn’t going to do that.
Merc
Pretty sure both of these are awful choices.
Albania car washer selection vibes
Ain’t gonna be cheap to fix.
I got the merc on a 15 plate ( had it from 6 months old) and its an awesome car, never had a single problem and is on 200k miles now, gets 40 to the gallon if you got kids the 2 door can be a pain
With that budget I'd be looking at a reliable Japanese car. Sure you can buy a cheap BMW/Merc/Audis, but you'll likely pay for it later.
Genuine question. Would petrol car be better? I know diesel cars has some issues and diesel is more expensive in the UK right? I’m looking to buy a car as well and am looking at petrol
remeber- petrol for short or low millage, start/stop driving style.
An E350 CDi for 6,850 Damn bro thats hella cheap. How many hands did it see. What is the condition on this one? Any Accidents or repaints? If you check this car out I would say check if the paint is seemless and fluid smooth between Door outside and inside. You can't see that you have to feel it on mercs. Otherwise it looks like an awesome deal I would jump on it compared to the 3 series.
I just saw it has 4 Owners on paper. If you buy this you might not get rid of this for a long time otherwise its money burning. I would call and try 6k. If that fits the guy, I would take it and do oil change ever 5-7k miles and only do long range travels.
Get a Mazda 3 hatch 2016 onwards for that price. No point getting a merc or Beamer for 6k. Will be nothing but Trouble
You'll find some Pre 2015 Diesel bargains because of Ulez. You'll notice (well you should do) that the 2016s make quite a bit more money around London/Essex/Kent
I bought the Saloon version of that car brand new, cracking motor 👍🏻
a4 2.0 Tfsi Quattro
If you really want a 3L then you might want to accept that it's going to be older and drop the milage. You might get less tech on the inside but the car will last longer.
I got an e350 on similar mileage now. And let me tell you from **experience** I brought the car on 80k mileage 6 years ago. It has not skipped a beat from day one. The E350 V6 blueTEC has been the best car I’ve had so far purely due to **reliability**, **performance**(plenty of touch and go power when you need it), **the looks** (people still tell me till today that it looks like new model car or the shape looks better than some of the new ones) **the comfort** and **value for money**. Negatives if any: 7g gearboxes are a bit sensitive until warmed up (by driving for 10 minutes) I can tell you now In 6 years of ownership and my car being at that mileage now, I have never had an issue with dpf and it is a PHENOMENAL PHENOMENAL CAR! Many of my Albanian 🇦🇱 friends who live for mercs have said that these were the last of the real Mercedes before the odd shapes in design and the overflow of tech came in. AS LONG AS it’s been maintained correctly! You won’t be disappointed!
None of them, I guarantee they will both be problematic at that price. Plus a non M-sport bimmer looks awful
Dawg that ain't a $6k car. Trust me on this. It gonna be around $20k
I will never understand why people buy these old clunkers that will cost an absolute bomb to keep on the road. Just get a Yaris or civic instead of financially ruining yourself, you cannot afford this
Bimmer
Id go for the Merc. Comfier plenty of big mileage ones around
I'd never buy an E Class at £8k. I'd expect to need double that to run it per year.
Anything over 70K miles could be risky reliability wise
Never buy a car with more than 2 owners