Car details and history.
I have all the manuals including 3 AMG
supplements and the original AMG Certificate of Conformance.
Stamped Service Book
Predelivery
04/01/97 MB Carols of Wolverhampton
780
Miles 20/01/97 MB Carols of Wolverhamption
12628
Miles 21/08/97 MB Lancaster Hertford
20550
09/12/97 MB Lancaster Hertford
28917
24/04/98 MB Lancaster Hertford
38503
02/10/98 MB Lancaster Hertford
45756
07/02/00 MB Greenoaks
54341
Miles 18/01/01 MB Great West Road, Brentford
59195
Miles 17/03/03 MB Great West Road, Brentford
65147
Miles 24/05/04 MB Great West Road, Brentford
71665 Miles 10/04/05
MB Great West Road, Brentford
77438
Miles 21/09/06 MB Great West Road, Brentford
..........................Theres
a 4 year gap here, but only 10,000 miles, perfectly ok with
Synthetic oil.............................
87,334
Miles 04/2011 T Parsons (no Stamp, independent garage)
M.O.Ts
I have a full print
out of M.O.Ts back to 2006 and I put it
through it's last in December 2011 and it passed with no defects
but a couple of age/mileage related advisories that I'll detail below.
Good
Points
After
I bought her in Oct 2011 I fitted 4 new Hankook Ultra High Performance
K110
V12 Evo tyres in the correct sizes 265/35R18 (rear) and 235/40R18
(front).
They cost £500+ and have done less than 1500 school run miles. E36s
were
originally spec'd with 8J rims all round but this one has 9Js on the
rear (probably from an E55).
They're all genuine AMG and are in good condition overall (given
the age of the car),
though the nearside front has some curb damage. The wheels alone
would easily fetch £500 (£250 rims, £250 tyres).
There
was a new battery fitted in 2011 by the PO, who said it cost him £170
(it's huge),
and
it had new rear discs and pads, plugs, fuel, oil and cabin filters
fitted at
it's last service (April 2011, about 2000 miles ago).
She
always starts easily, runs and drives nicely, though I would say the
shift
is a little leisurely but then this is an E class. There are no clunks
when putting into reverse and the brakes work perfectly but IMO could do with
new
fluid and bleeding (I'm being 100% honest). The front discs were
an advisory last year, but will probably be ok again this year given
I've only done about 1500 miles (I use the car for a 1.5 mile trip to
the train station via my kids school, and back home in the evening)
Pagit replacements are about £60ea (316mm E430 discs).
99%
of the electrics work, including the heated power mirrors, sun roof,
electric
memory seats (3 positions), 4-way electric steering wheel adjustment,
rear seat headrests,
etc. The only fault I know of is the drivers head rest does not raise
and lower.
There are no error codes when its started and no rattles from the
engine. I totally love the car and have resisted selling it, but I have
4 classic motorcyles on the go and a young family so have bought a more
practical MG
ZT-T 190 estate.
Exhaust: both Cats
are in good condition for age, the center box is perforated through one
of the
outer skins but will probably
last another 10 years, while the
huge
rear box is made by AMG out of stainless steel with dual stainless AMG tips.
Body: Its pretty
straight
and even though the front fairing has had some paint removed
it's not cracked at all.
Interior. The dash
plastics and all the woodwork are in good condition for mileage, as is
all the
leather for it's age. If you're fussy the driver seat could do with
re-padding, but all the others are fine, and the grey piping needs
repainting.
Rust: There's none in
the boot, along the bottom or tops of the doors (common areas) around
the sun roof, around the rear arches or under the body.
Glass: It's tinted
blue as per all Avantgardes
Carpets: perfect with
really good MB mats in place to protect them.
Full size 17" AMG
Monobloc spare.
Private Plate: Have
been offered the standard £400 for this, and we can negotiate a reduced
price without the plate.
Bad
Points
Simply, rust in the
front guards is the major issue here. There's details in the photos,
but this W210 has gone where they all go eventually (even the 'good'
ones) due to a design fault. The
rubber moulding that fills the gap between the bottom of the front
wing and the top edge of the bumper rubs though the paint and they rust
along that hidden contact surface due to the moisture retained by the
moulding. The drivers guard on my car is bubbling through, while the
nearside is on it's way with some staining apparent. Along
with the guards, the bonnet is going on one edge and there's 2 tiny
1/8" spots near
the nearside front quarter window and a small bit along the leading
edge where the nearside rear guard meets upturned edge of the boot
behind the rear bumper. Its all detailed in the photos. Good quality
pattern guards are £100ea, and the
bonnet is £120, but you could do it for much less with good 2nd hand
parts in the correct colour.
General body. It's
straight, but there are a few nicks in the paintwork along door
edges and around door openings that have been touched up over the
years.
Interior: There are a
couple of indentations in the rear door cards like
someone has been carrying furniture in the back. Again I'm being fussy
because I see them and planned to replace them. The hood lining is
perfect but could do with a clean. Drivers car mat is still ok but
showing it's age.
Aircon: I've never
had it working but I suspect all it needs is a charge. Having lived in
Aus from
2000 to 2011 I don't find it hot enough here to need it.
Windscreen: As per
the MOT advisory there's a
couple of small stone chips in the windscreen that could be easily
repaired.
Engine: The front
timing seal is showing signs of weeping, though it's never dropped any
oil that I've
seen and isn't using any that I can see.
Front suspension:
Even though it passed it's last M.O.T, I know it needs ball joints
(£8-£29ea), and
lower control arms (£60-£150ea), and front discs soon ($60 ea). The
price range reflects the price of
new Q-Drive pattern parts vs Lemforder OEM .
Last bad point: I
only have 1 key.
Wrap
Up.
You
could buy this and keep driving it
and just maintain as
required for MOTs (it will make you smile every time you get behind the
wheel), or you could take the plunge and spend 2-3k and end up
with a very desirable and rare* every day classic. It's amazingly well
engineered,
classically understated, swift, quiet, and has a full set of
modern safety features including traction control, ABS, side and front
airbags, etc and electric windows, mirrors and seats, etc, etc. I'd
love to keep it and do this myself but practicality and bikes that need
the funds
force my hand.
*rare
adj
1. not widely known; not frequently used or experienced; uncommon or
unusual a rare word
2. occurring seldom a rare appearance
3. not widely distributed; not generally occurring a rare herb
4. (Physics / General Physics) (of a gas, esp the atmosphere at high
altitudes) having a low density; thin; rarefied
5. uncommonly great; extreme kind to a rare degree
6. exhibiting uncommon excellence; superlatively good or fine rare skill
7. highly valued because of its uncommonness; a rare pr
