Mercedes Benz E Class 320 CDi

Bought this big big car for an absolute song, 118 000 on the clock and 10 years old. Comes with good spec, leather, wood, electric everything.

Got change out of £4000. Engine is bullet proof, clean but make sure it has a good service history, I say again, god service history, at 10 yrs old don't worry about Mercedes dealer history but regular and methodical servicing.

Gear box is very strong, top tip, when taking it for a test drive make sure it changes well in auto box, up and down, sluggish changes will cost you money

Superficial rust on wheel arches can be fixed reasonably cheaply, get the suspension checked, supporting arms and bushes require special attention.

If this checks out this car did and it drives like a dream. Very good speed and stability on cornering, for a big hunk of steal its stability is quite amazing.

Keep an eye on your speedo on motorway or you will pick up points quickly.

Fuel economy ,well come on, it's a 3.2l, what do you expect, in town it is thirsty, on motorway it's ok, average combined 30mph.

All in all a fantastic car to drive.

then this is a great car. Rocket-powered arm chair with a van load space behind it sums it up. Expect 30mpg around town and 38-42 on a M-way run, unless you really boot it. But it WILL rust - they all do, it's just a question of sooner or later. Main dealers are absolutely terrible and to be avoided at all costs, especially financial. Luckily, there are plenty of good independents for both parts and servicing which makes it manageable. Learn about filler and paint yourself, or find one that can do that too. Reckon on keeping it for 15 years, as save for the odd injector seal the engine will go 500k with regular servicing, and you've got cheap motoring and superb safety and comfort.

I always wanted this model, poweful smooth engine, refined etc. and it has all of those qualities so on that front I have no complaints. I realised the cost of servicing and maintenance would be high, but I didn’t realise how high! £350 for a wing mirror and it isn’t even heated. Every time it goes to the garage it is at least £700 and the fuel pipes broke, the alternator went and the auto gearbox on the way to Italy failed with me, two children (one 6 months old) and two adults in the car. Wow the AA were fantastic see separate review. A reconditioned grearbox is £3,000. So the car has nearly cost the £7,000 I paid when it had 82,000 miles on the clock it now only has 103,000 I was told it is quite a common fault on these cars gearboxes. All in all I preferred my Audi A6 Avant.

I always wanted one of these powerful cars, I finally got my 2002 Eclass E320 CDI Estate second hand as (my eclass E220 cdi was in an accident and sadly totalled) I always hoped to get the E320 CDI Estate with the famed Mercedes Diesel Engine.

The space, comfort, ride, handling, power whenever you need it, makes this car an absolute pleasure to drive. On a long distance, this engine gives me 35-45mpg, not hard on the pocket, when you consider just what you have your hands on, the reliability of these Mercedes diesel engines is world renowned, mine is a V6 which growls when you ask it to go ! and go it do’s, effortlessly. In Nov. 2010 my car was left at my gate for 10 TEN DAYS in temp. as low as –14deg. yet when I got in turned the key, she started without a hint of objection; after all it’s a Mercedes. I intend to keep this car for a number of years, if I don't I'll buy another one of these.

We bought the Merc (Mercedes Benz E Class 320 CDi, older style with the straight headlights, 11 years old with 125,000 miles) to replace our Toyota Previa, which had served us for eight years but a cracked cylinder head was terminal - the Merc cost less than the repair to the Previa would have cost!!!

Our son is now at uni so no need for a people carrier but we wanted to retain the ability to just chuck stuff in and go. This is a huge estate, wide and long. Our son came with us skiing/snowboarding in the French Alps so we were 5-up, even so we fitted everything in, including the snowboards, without the need for a roof box. The car managed 36MPG on that 1500 mile round trip - fully laden - I'm very happy as the Previa only did 20MPG on long journeys. The centre rear seat is obviously not comfortable as the kids took it in turns to sit there - that, so far, is the only criticism of the car.

It is a very comfortable car, especially on long journeys, the 3.2 litre turbo diesel eats up the miles effortlessly. 80 MPH at around 2500RPM makes for a relaxing drive and when you need to overtake there is heaps of power - you just dial a speed and there you are. Using the cruise control meant that I didn't get so stiff from being in one position for so long - I never liked the idea of cruise control before but I'm sold on them now.

I'm surprised by the rust problem from a manufacturer like Mercedes. This one is relatively clean but there is still some rust around the badge on the bonnet, around the boot lock/handle and a bit on one of the rear arches. The worst bit is under the spare wheel - that may need some welding soon.

I'm dreading the garage bill when it breaks down but fingers crossed that won't be for a while yet.

Mercedes Benz should go back and let quality set the rules and not maximizing the profit. The E Class 320 CDi is an excellent car in all aspects, except for rust, after 4 years the car is showing RUST!

Mercedes has always a car been I have aspired to since working on them as a mechanic a lot of years ago, the build quality, engineering integrity and reliability, for me set them apart from the others.

I am now on my third E-Class all bought new my current car being an E320CDI Estate, previously they where saloons.

Ownership, to me, is us only half the story when talking about cars, often its what happens after its purchased that shows a brand in its true colours.

On two occasions, both in France I have put Mercedes to the test in "emergency " situations-firstly I locked the keys in the boot in rural France and had to break a rear quarter light to get access to the spare set. Mercedes assistance programme (Mobilo) took details of our route to the south, checked with dealers en route to find on with the part, booked us in, gave us priority and the car was fixed in 45 minutes by a helpful dealer and we went on our way.

The second incident happened when the feed from the turbo failed leaving us without turbo boost to the engine. One call got us roadside assistance within 20 minutes confirming the problem and we where escorted to the dealership a further 25 minutes away. By the time we arrived at the dealer the recovery technician had called ahead to explain the fault, parts where ordered on air freight from Germany, a car was available for us to use whilst ours was being repaired and a hotel room had been booked for us overnight.

The car was ready at 7.30 the next morning and we where on our way without parting with a cent!

That is part of the Mercedes overall ownership experience that no other manufacturer can compete with a genuine sincere commitment to the customer.

My vast experience of Mercedes and others tells me that this is typical Mercedes service whilst the others may talk about service but its all words, and words are cheap.

No prizes for guessing my next car.

Although the Mercedes Benz E Class 320 CDi Estate lacks go off the line it does make up for it. Super stylish interior and exterior make the car all the more inviting whislt its long haul abilties make it a favourite among families. The Estate has has been described many times as heavy on the pocket for a family car but if you've got the money, go for it.