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23/05/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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Mercedes’ E-Class once had a reputation for being on the staid side, but that changed with the radical new shape introduced in August 1997. Hindsight tells us this new style was to be carried across to the rest of the range, almost to the extent that today the 1997 model looks comparatively conservative. Isn’t if fascinating how things change…
 These medium-to-large German cars are well engineered and built to high standards. Factors that make for excellent reliability, longer than average life and high resale values. Many people buy them for reasons of prestige, but canny buyers can find an equally convincing argument to go for one.
You will pay a fair bit more for the later models thanks to their good image amongst buyers. Even the older ones still generally have plenty of life left in them but be sure of their condition as they can be expensive to repair. Not outrageously so, but these aren't the right car for social climbers on a tight budget.
The Mercedes E-Class provides reasonably good passenger space, though legroom in the rear seat can be marginal at times. Wagons have a good load area, but are smaller than traditional Australian wagons. Versatility is high in the wagon load area and there are numerous safety features such as tie-down hooks and cargo barriers.
Some find the Mercedes’ seats rather too firm, but they support well if you are doing some brisk motoring on demanding roads.
Body choices are four-door sedan, five-door station wagon and two-door convertible or coupe, with sedans making up a huge majority. When looking in ads, the wagons have the letter T (for Transport) in their code and the coupes and convertibles a C. In recent years the coupe and convertible have been replaced by the CLK-class. Though based to some extent on the E-Class these latter vehicles have sufficient differences to be regarded as vehicles in their own right.
 These Benzes are pleasant cars to drive with a nice solid feel that appeals to those thinking long term. Noise, vibration and harshness suppression are very good and the E-Class is better than average in its class on rough bush roads. Having said that, they are at their best on highways.
Mercedes-Benz calls its lowest cost models Classic, sells a semi-sporty Esprit and an upmarket Elegance. The basic model often misses out on features that are standard in competitors’ cars, for example having cloth, rather than leather, trim.
Engine options include petrol with four, six or eight cylinders and some diesels. Engine size is generally, but not always, indicated by the car’s model number. Thus E230 means a 2.3-litre engine, E500 is a 5.0-litre and so on. K indicates a Kompressor (supercharged) engine; CDI a common-rail, direct-injection turbo-diesel. As in many other marques, Mercedes turbo-diesel engines have enjoyed a big climb in sales in the last 18 months or so, but the company has consistently imported diesels for many years.
Performance in Mercedes cars used to be rather sluggish off the line. This has improved considerably in the post-1997 cars, but traffic-light Grand Prix aren't what these cars are all about. Try for yourself to see if the acceleration meets your needs. Once a Mercedes is up to cruising speed it lopes along easily and is happy sitting on 180+ km/h all day. Please check the speed limits in your area before attempting this…
The vast majority of Australian E-Class models use an automatic transmission, five or seven ratios are used, with the latter being a real delight to sit behind. Sequential manual overrides are increasingly common in later automatics. Full manual gearboxes in Mercedes are unusual in this day and age, indeed they may have been brought in as private imports, and can be difficult to resell.
Many cars are consistently serviced by authorised Mercedes dealers. If the logbook isn't bang up to date be very wary of the car. Non-authorised dealers usually come in two classes: ones operated by qualified Mercedes mechanics who have set up their own business; and general repairers who may, or may not, be able to do the work to factory standards. No marks for guessing which we recommend.
Insurance is generally moderate in cost as these cars, despite going almost-ultra modern in recent times, still appeal to the conservative buyer.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Do your own initial checks to find any obvious mistakes, but don't be tempted to do it all yourself unless you really do know what you are up to. Call in a professional.
Look for indications of crash repairs: ripples in the panels when viewed end on; paint that doesn’t match from one panel to the next; tiny spots of paint on unpainted areas; poor finish in out-of-sight areas.
 If crash repairs appear to have been extensive have a full inspection done by a panel shop that specialises in upmarket cars, or by your motoring association.
Arrange to try the engine when it’s cold after an overnight stop. It should kick over almost instantly and immediately settle into a smooth idle. When the engine’s warm, run the car down a long hill with your foot off the accelerator. At the bottom accelerate hard, look in the mirror for smoke from the exhaust.
Check that the automatic transmission engages gear promptly from Neutral or Park and that it changes gears virtually imperceptibly. Some harshness is permissible in full-throttle changes but not at other times.
Look over the interior for signs of rough usage, even rich people can have rough kids!
CAR BUYING TIP
Cars bought secondhand from dealers who also sell the marque as new cars have generally been traded in by satisfied owners, or at least hand-selected from other sources.
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