Hello all.
Hope you are all well. I live in congestion zone and park on the street. With the budget (£455 p.a.) and the forthcoming congestion charge of £25 a day (no discount for resident if charge is £25 a day), my RX8 is no longer viable to have in central London.
I am undecided between the following two cars
1) Y/51/02-reg Mercedes S320 CDI
2) 04/54-reg Jaguar S-Type 2.7D SE auto
E320 CDI I believe is still upward of £12,000 even for a 52-reg car. Also, I heard that these early E-Class have fairly troublesome electronics.
I am aiming to spend around £10,000 and admit both will have over 100,000 miles.
I believe is that the Jaguar V6 diesel is still very new and hence a a relative unknown quantity reliability wise compare to the S320. Also, I believe the S-Type will depreciate more than the S320 from £10,000. Are my beliefs correct?
Having read the CBCB already, what are the common faults / repair costs on them?
What would the ownership experience like on either cars?
The cars will be driven approximately 15,000 miles a year, where just over half of the mileage will be driven in Europe. It will be mainly used for carrying parents and family around as I have a Smart Roadster-Coupe for my daily use.
Thank you very much in advance. Gazza
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I would have the S Class as it's a considerably better car - one of the finest in the world. However, the potential for large bills is absolutely massive - the airmatic suspension can be particularly troublesome.
I wanted an S Class and much of me still does but I opted for a BMW 5 Series instead and I've not really regretted it.
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Title says S320 cdi, but text is E320 cdi. Assuming E320 cdi (I couldn't see any reason for buying the S320 anyway - more things to go wrong, higher ins., lower re-sale value etc.) it will be bigger all round - i.e. passenger & luggage, & probably more economical than the Jag
(from published figures)
One advantage of the Merc - if it's had all its services at Mercedes franchise, the 'Mobilo' warranty will be intact - quite useful in extremis, if you break down.
I've got a c270 cdi ('five-sixths' of the 320cdi) & love the engine - buckets of torque, economical & chain-cam. The 320cdi will be the older straight six - so inherently smoother than the Jag's V6.
If you can overcome the understandable worry about the (well) publicised earlier electronics' problems (and perhaps the potential ones have lessened through warranty & service etc.) I think you'll find the e320 a luxurious & handsome car. Much as I like Jags (I had an XJ6 series 111 enjoyably for a while) my view is that the E-class is a much more developed product & has little touches only Mercs seems to have. Great for long drives too. Make sure it has its full manfrs. service history.
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I suspect he does mean the S Class - the E320 CDI in the current shape was only introduced on a 52 plate - you cannot get Y, 51 or 02 plate examples of this car.
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The May issue of Mercedes Enthusiast has a comparative article featuring a used S320 CDI and a new E220 CDI. I think the used car won.
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P.S. Given what you say about its prospective usage, it has to be the MB, whether E or S. Having driven an S-type, I can confirm that its reputation for discomforting lack of space for passengers in the rear is matched by a claustrophobic feeling in the front too.
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The May issue of Mercedes Enthusiast has a comparative article featuring a used S320 CDI and a new E220 CDI. I think the used car won.
Hi Roger, how's you E320 coupe?
You wouldn't still have the article by any chance, would you? I am interested in reading the comparison. Nevermind if you don't. Thanks, G
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>>I suspect he does mean the S Class
Yes, on re-reading it's clear. Also, I suppose, the newer shape might still be out of range @ ~£10K. I'd be a bit wary about taking on an early S320 cdi - it'll probably be on the flashy backstreet-luxury- car-type of operation by now - maybe skimped maintenance etc. & expensive parts replacements 'brewing'.
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The Jag is a lot of car for the money.. and a recent Auto Express driver survey had the S Type well high in the customer satisfaction stakes ( I think it might have been in the top 10 or if not very nearly). The 2.7 twin turbo diesel engine was stated to be the best around when it came out.
boot space in S Type is shallow although goes back a reasonable way and some people find the interior generally to be cramped (although i don't...5' 10" and far too heavy)
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The Jag is a lot of car for the money.. and a recent Auto Express driver survey had the S Type well high in the customer satisfaction stakes ( I think it might have been in the top 10 or if not very nearly). The 2.7 twin turbo diesel engine was stated to be the best around when it came out.
I've got the Jag 2.7D SE on a 54. It is a fantastic car & I wouldn't swap it for anything else aside from a newer S-Type or an XF (maybe).
Jaguar currently winning all of the surveys on customer car especially in the picky US.
My dealers been fantastic & I can't fault them, one problem so far, a heater valve died which was fixed under warranty in around 90mins. I've ridden in the Merc & it feels too antiseptic & need I say it Germanic. Everyone who rides in the Jag loves it even the German car owners.
As for space inside it fits me & I'm 5 10 & err biggish. Other passengers have exceeded 6 3 & have been comfortable. Boot could be a nadge deeper but gets all our cack in so seems OK & the seats fold.
Oh & if your looking for a jag equivalent to an S Class then it's the XJ!
Edited by tr7v8 on 21/04/2008 at 21:30
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Oh & if your looking for a jag equivalent to an S Class then it's the XJ!
You have just suggested my ultimate car. Jaguar XJD V8 (same engine as Range Rover) More than £10,000 at the moment though.
Another reason I prefer the S-Class is because of its 90-litre tank. I don't mine the cost of filling up but I hate having to go a petrol station frequently. A 500-800 miles range would possible in the S-Class but not the S-Type.
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Another reason I prefer the S-Class is because of its 90-litre tank. I don't mine the cost of filling up but I hate having to go a petrol station frequently. A 500-800 miles range would possible in the S-Class but not the S-Type.
I quite agree, the 63litre tank in the jag is a pain, normal consumption is 35MPG so around 350-400miles I've got it to 425 a few times but it makes you sweat!
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Title says S320 cdi but text is E320 cdi.
I did mean the S-Class. I mentioned that the oldest E320 CDI on 52-reg is still £12,000 which I don't believe it will be as good value as an Y/51/02-reg S320. Also, the first year of E-Class seems to be covered in electronic problems whereas the year of S-class I would be looking at would have been in production for at least 2-3 years so the iron should be ironed out.
Thanks for your comment on the E320 though. It is just that I felt the E-class would have more niggling faults.
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Gazza
See "What used car for £16k" thread for confirmation that I'm never going to sell the Coupe. Great car, not without weaknesses, but eminently forgiveable.
Try the W. H. Smith public library for the magazine, or wait until next month when it may all be accessible on the magazine's website. The S-class involved is post-2002, I think.
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Darn it: the limit on editing time has lost what I just wrote:
As for the E-class, I'd avoid the W210. The W211 also had its problems (electronics, etc.) and it was not until late 2002 that MB began to phase in galvanized bodywork to address the corrosion problem, which affected models other than the E-class too (and indeed some later than 2003).
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