old Audi A6 and Mercedes E-class diesel cars..

wijcc

wijcc

wijcc

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Hi guys.. my brother in law. is looking at getting either a Audi A6 1.9 TDI 130 or Mercedes E-class diesel 2.2. These cars will be around the 2002 models and have mileages of 120K and 140K.
What does he need to look out for when he goes to look at these cars?
Thanks in advance guys :)
 
130PS in a car the size of an A6?

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Why not look at the Volvo S60? More spec, more comfort and more power for your money.
The Audi's about as interesting as wallpaper paste and the Merc is a rusty taxi.
 
The S60 is tiny compared to an A6 and an E-class. If he was looking at those two I take it he's got some ferrying to do or wants a family barge. More like S80.
 
I think he wants something with a more prestigious brand.. and is kind of set on the likes of a Audi or Merc.
 
A 2002 Merc will be either:

a) The horribly rusty and generally rubbish W210 96-02 model
b) The much better but particularly unreliable and expensive to fix and service prefacelift W211 02-09 model.

Therefore I would run a mile from any 2002 E Class - if it's the early one then it's a dog anyway and if you can't afford anything better than a 2002 W211 then you cant afford a W211.

So, Audi.

Dull to drive, very nicely made, still looks reasonably fresh and the 1.9 TDI 130 engine is, whilst glacially slow, not particularly unreliable either.

So, the Audi would be my choice.

Though really the fact he seems to want a small diesel suggests to me he's a money-saver and really, only a fool buys a 10 year old German prestige car to save money.
 
There's nothing prestigous about a 10 year old 4 pot Taxi :p
What's the budget here? I'm guessing a couple grand, which is not diesel exec saloon territory IMHO.

edit- Fox: Nail. Head.
 
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mjt said:
There's nothing prestigous about a 10 year old 4 pot Taxi :p
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I was about to post something similar but actually then I realised that if you took an 02 plate A6, cleaned and polished it and stick a private plate on it, 90% of the general public would see 'Some Audi' not 'An old Audi'. Audi's styling development is such that it doesnt tend to date the older ones.

Us petrolheads know its an old Audi as we see one, know exactly what model it is and when it was introduced but normal people wont - its just a big Audi, like all the other big Audis.
 
This is daft. I have a 110hp A6 TDI Avant and it is easily fast enough for modern driving, even fully loaded.

I've had 125mph indicated on the Autobahn, overtaken dawdlers up huge hills on the moors etc. Its now got 150k on it, does 45mpg every tank. The 130 has more power and torque than my car, it'll be fine. All they lack is refinement for a luxury car.

Don't buy a W210.

Also - Fox - you can run these pretty cheap. I've had ours two years (my Dad had since new) and have had the instrument cluster rebuilt (£120) and new brakes (cheap from ECP) and regular home servicing. That's it. The only major thing gone on it is the electrical systems in the passenger door, but I can live without that for cheap motoring.
 
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flat-6 said:
This is daft. I have a 110hp A6 TDI Avant and it is easily fast enough for modern driving, even fully loaded.

I've had 125mph indicated on the Autobahn, overtaken dawdlers up huge hills on the moors etc. Its now got 150k on it, does 45mpg every tank. The 130 has more power and torque than my car, it'll be fine. All they lack is refinement for a luxury car.
Click to expand...

No-one said it won't get up hills and will have a hard time overtaking bicycles, just making him aware that it won't have much poke.
 
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