Hi everyone ,
I live in Spain and wanted to ask advice.
I can buy a Mercedez 230E W124 year 91 with 115000 miles manual petrol for 1500 pounds or a Mercedes Benz 230 E 2300cc Automatic year 90 with more than 125000 miles on the clock for 1800 pounds. What do other contributors think would be best buy.
Un saludo cordial ,
Spainman
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Personaly I'd go for the first one, purely because it's a manual. I'd be very dubious of buying any auto over 10 years old regardless of brand. As its also slightly cheaper, lower milage and a year newer, to me theres no contest.
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Seems my earlier response got lost, so . . .
I have never driven an MB manual, but those who have say it is not a pleasant experience. So, no contest indeed, but the auto wins, especially in a saloon or estate. Manuals are also more difficult to sell on.
I have a W126 at 138k and a W124 at 175k, and both autoboxes are fine. There should be no hesitation or thumping, especially when going into reverse. If there is any misbehaviour, look at the lubricant first: it should be translucent pink on the dipstick and at exactly the right level. If there is any doubt, and anyway if there is no evidence of its having been changed within the past two years, change it. Make sure you use the right technique (search the Back Room for advice) with the correct fluid, and worry about getting it to the right level, which is crucial.
The last time an MB dealer serviced my car, they got the ATF level wrong and the misbehaviour of the box was alarming. Thanks to good advice from the Back Room, I had it checked and the dealer found it to be 1.5 litres short (if I recall correctly). Result: I stopped sweating and also stopped using the MB dealer for servicing.
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Seems my earlier response got lost, so . . . I have never driven an MB manual, but those who have say it is not a pleasant experience. So, no contest indeed, but the auto wins, especially in a saloon or estate. Manuals are also more difficult to sell on.
Not much wrong with Merc manuals - the snag is that during service they get filled with Dexron III ATF instead of the correct 'Type A Suffix A' oil - which is a lot more difficult to find (I use Elf Trans-O-Matic, Mobil ATF200 or Castrol Agri-ATF).
Once Mercs get over 10 years old there is good demand for manuals from people who will be using them as work-horses (towing a trailer etc). I have never had the slightest difficulty selling a manual. Certainly once you are past the 150k mark then they are a cheaper option to run, most Merc autos will need some tranmsission work between 150-200k whereas the manuals will need no more than a clutch (which is fairly cheap compared to an auto repair).
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Can't disagree, Aprilia, but my sense of the general perception is that people sort of default to an auto MB and often express surprise that manuals exist. I think in terms of numbers produced that autos are in the overwhelming majority. The few manuals I see for sale seem to be priced at a discount on the equivalent auto.
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I can only speak from my own experience of selling Mercs in that I've never had a problem selling and manual and its made as much as if it had been auto. With the newish models people tend to prefer auto's, although the manuals still sell. People looking for an older car can be a bit wary of an auto and I've had customers wanting them for towing or because they've previously burned by an auto. The 6-speed man in the latest c-class seems to be popular.
In Europe the C- and E-class are popular with manual transmission - UK new Merc buyers tend to prefer autos.
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