Hi.
I currently drive an Audi A6 Avant and will be new to Mercedes. I bought my current car about 10 years ago when it was 3 years old and it's been a great car for me.
I'm in the UK and I am looking to buy a used E220d estate from 2016 onwards. Over here cars registered by 31st March 2017 have virtually no road fund licence to pay so I'm guessing that makes my No.1 choice one of the first W213 models??
My dream car is an AMG Premium Plus spec with the widescreen cockpit in Hyacinth Red up to 30000 miles and £20000 in price from a Mercedes franchised dealer..
I am fully realistic about finding all that in one package so I will compromise but I want to know if a compromise on mileage is a bad idea. There are a few with 50-60k miles on their clocks which tick all the other boxes. Should I consider those??
How important is it to use a franchised dealer?? My thought on this is that the car won't be sold as used approved unless it's mint and I imagine a franchised dealer would be fairer if there are issues after the sale. I have read reviews of some dealerships that have not backed this up but, to be fair, not many.
The only other thing to mention is that I would look at most colours except silver. The list of choice would be Hyacinth Red, Kallaite Green, Selenite Grey, Cavansite Blue, Diamond White and finally, if I have to, Obsidian Black.
I will be keeping this car for many years so I need to get the right one.
Thanks for any helpful advice and apologies to those who have silver Mercs ;-))

 

I have had my car for 2 1/2yrs and done 40k miles. I have seen taxi's here in Germany with 300,000k on the clock and still sound/run like mine. Key is maintenance on time. Unlike my last land rover there are no issues with particle filters getting clogged and not regenerating and ad blue tank is about 20 litres i think so you will likely only fill it once a year. Sadly because MB UK cut back on options when i bought my car i couldn't get some things i wanted but you MUST get the widescreen dashboard and Command, if you do not then you will kick yourself everyday. If you can't find a car with Apple car play/Android auto (should do if its command) then you can get an aftermarket box from China for £50 to enable it so you are not tied into Mercedes map updates. Personally i use Magic Earth via Apple Car Play.

Apart from that if you do lots of night driving get a premium plus so that you have the multibeam headlights (you will never want anything else ever again). The rest is a case of pay your money and take your choice. In the UK i see 55 to 60mpg on the motorway (at 70 mph), here in Germany i tend to drive at 80mph (130kph) on either the cruise control or speed limiter and get 50 to 55 mpg depending on how full the car is, terrain and if it decides to do a DPF regen. Towing an 1800kg caravan usually gets about 30 mpg!

I do have the self driving thingy but personally rarely use it as it is very binary (on the power or braking) and not very progressive - you might want to try before you buy.

Colour - i do like white (my wifes cab is white) but i do regret not buying in Red - i think it suits it as long as you don't have a black interior. Here in Germany black is the default colour in and out and its all all a bit drab. The first time we sat in an e class it was black out/in and black trim; wife got out saying it was horrible and i agreed that it all felt a bit oppressive. From what i have seen in UK you will struggle to find blue or red car, most are black (blame Uber), grey or white.

If you buy from MB you will pay MB price and personally i am not sure what benefit it brings as they will likely give you a used car warranty that is only as good as most reputable used car dealers? Find a good MB FSH car with highish miles not at MB and enjoy it knowing it was well looked after and you are now in something newer than you would have been if you had entered the Stealer?

Final piece of advice - the shiny piano black centre console looks nice but scratches as soon as you look at it. Don't be put off - i bought a used black wood one on ebay and swapped it over (goes well with the metal weave) and was virtually cost neutral as i sold the original one for the price of the used one.

Good luck and enjoy the car.

 

The selenite grey looks much better than pictures would suggest and looks great on AMGs too. Canvasite blue is so dark it might as well be black; whoever chose the name has likely never seen canvasite in person.

 

2017 is very early in the w213 cycle: be careful and thoroughly check the qualities of all the interior panels or you might end up with a sample that rattles your ears off for years to come. Any one of my previous, older cars is more solid inside than the w213 I drive.

Widescreen cockpit is an absolute must.

Mileage shouldn't really matter, unless the car was clearly used as rental or uber. Mercedes parts tend to break down over time rather than distance.

 

I would beg to differ about the blue. Its a deep Navy blue, it is nothing like Carbon Black (a very black blue) which BMW fit on M Sport cars?

 

I've got a canvasite blue car, and I've had other blue cars. Canvasite is darker than navy in flat or low light. In those conditions, it's black. You need very sharp sunlight to bring the blue out, and I live in an area that sees very little sun all winter, and in those conditions I own what appears to be a black car. Anyhow, it's ok to have our various perspectives.

 

Canvasite is a beautiful blue in the semi-tropical Florida sun where it is a rare day when the sun doesn't shine brightly. There is no mistaking it for black.

 

I would include Burmester in the spec. You will not regret that

 

Just about to swap my e estate for an EQC time to go electric though the interior design of the EQC does not meet my e class standard of finish. I am based in France and our options are different to the U.K. so I have an original grill and star on the bonnet which I like. The car has 4matic and air matic I would still have that despite the extra cost down the line to replace struts if needed.I also have the factory fitted tow bar which is great just press a switch and it comes out from under the car and locks into place, same for stowing too. Get the widescreen and burmester. Multibeam leds are a must. Mine has nappa leather which I would avoid it scratches very easily (buttons on clothing) and is already wearing on the bolster. Had no problems with adblue top up and the dpf regens from time to time so I imagine it is keeping things clear. I think the driving assistance package is worth it especially if you do a lot of motorway driving as it is good in traffic jams. They are great cars and I am sorry to see mine go. The EQC drives even better but is just let down a bit by its interior but I plan to get an EQE once available. Good luck with your search. I would consider using a dealer as he will have access to many of the cars coming off Mercedes own lease plans. They will have the best examples and may well be able to source one to more suit your needs. I am pretty sure my car is earmarked for a customer by my dealer! They can also make sure the online services are turned on more easily.

 

Looks like I'm taking the plunge on a Designo diamond white, 17 plate with all that I want on it. It's the premium plus spec and also has lane assist. 35k on the clock and the only thing that would have made it perfect was if it had been registered a few weeks earlier but you can't have it all. The road fund licence is a bitter pill to swallow though. I expect to keep this car a long time and even if I only keep it for 5 years it will cost me £1445 in road fund licence alone. If I bought one that was 1 month older it would cost me £150 over the same period of time!!!!!!!
I'm going with a main dealer because, for me, I have confidence the car will be mint and if there are issues after the sale I fancy my chances more with a Merc dealership over an independent. In any case the prices do not seem any higher for the car and spec I am looking for than the alternatives unless you look private which I am not confident enough to do.

 

I think you have made a good decision 😉

 

I have Dec 2016 blue W213 premium (living in UK).
Yes, road tax £20.00, still cannot believe it.
All digital is a must.
Key less entry and go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUST (not all cars have it). I believe it is part of the comfort package.
Premium Plus is a must as well, as I love the car, but the standard sound system is **** and it does my head in every time I drive it.
Apple car play/Android auto a must (for me). MB wants about £250 just to get the maps and navigation up and running. So not just the Waze or Google Maps for me, but I also use the internet radio app on my mobile to listen to international radio stations.
Bought it from dealer exactly for the same reasons as you. 1 year warranty, WELL.... I have been told that everything is covered.
Had a battery changed and tyre pressure sensor changed under that warranty. But the EdBlue hose got blocked and as it is a plastic hose it is not covered.
They wanted £1200.00 to put new one in. Had my mechanic, who is doing my cars for years, to actually unblock it, without the need to swap.
I don't have AMG line, Airmatic or those super lights (yes, would love those lights), but those are extras I "can" do without.
ooooooooooh that damn music
Take you time to tick all the boxes and do not worry about the mileage, especially if you planning to have it long term.

 

Hope so.
Just out of interest (as you drive in France) does the speedo change to KMH when you are in continental Europe or is it just programmed to the country it was registered in? I travel down to the South West of France every summer so would be useful to know.

 

Hope so.
Just out of interest (as you drive in France) does the speedo change to KMH when you are in continental Europe or is it just programmed to the country it was registered in? I travel down to the South West of France every summer so would be useful to know.

 

In settings you set mph or kph.
As I have mph, it shows mph as the main speed and in the corner also kph in a small size.

 

if you have the widescreen then you just change to kph and the whole screen changes to a kph speedo, cruise control ion kph and sat nav in metric. If you have dials then you will just have to rely on the kph speedo reading in the bottom of the display. Note if you have the "normal" LED headlights then you will need to mask them. If you have multibeam then you go into the Command and swap to right hand traffic and they go flat beam and loose some of their rain and motorway light functionality (although we are talking about something not hugely noticable).