eBay.co.uk: 2000 MERCEDES C43 AMG V8 AUTO EST LPG CONVERTED SILVER (item 120095401464 end time 05-Apr-07 14:40:29 BST)

139,000 miles, LPG,

Nice car! You'd never get a V8 Beemer or Audi for that money. And LPG should ease the pain. I'd like to see the interior though.

Yeah; he mentions that the wheel is "worn".

The things that appeal about AMG are that they're pretty understated and that they do estates. Oh, and that from what I've read they didn't sacrifice a nice comfy ride for out-and-out razor-sharp handling, but got a good balance of the two. I'd never seriously thought that they might also be vaguely affordable! I do like the idea of LPG for general use (my guess is that it'd still be pretty darned quick) and unleaded for setting fire to the road as you pass...

A quick check of YouTube reveals this type of Lunacy

eBay.co.uk: 2000 MERCEDES C43 AMG V8 AUTO EST LPG CONVERTED SILVER (item 120095401464 end time 05-Apr-07 14:40:29 BST)

139,000 miles, LPG,

Lordy. Don't let Lady Bertie McHobnobs see that or I'll never be allowed one!

Looks like it has an NI reg and exported to England...careful it hasn't been involved in a bad smash at some point of its life.

Lordy. Don't let Lady Bertie McHobnobs see that or I'll never be allowed one!

Or a car either

Was next to a 500 SLK giving it some stick from the lights on the way home

from work this evening and it sounded so nice.....

Could have had him in my

dreams......

Looks like it has an NI reg and exported to England...careful it hasn't been involved in a bad smash at some point of its life.

Ah - ta. That does sound a bit dodgy then - probably best avoided.

Lots of people put NI plates on as personal plates over here, wouldn't immediately ditch the idea on that - at least check it out...

I agree, NI plates are dirt cheap so many people have them put on their cars. You'd be daft to not get a car like this HPI'd regardless!!!

EDIT to add, I think it looks like a bargain. I'd have a good look over it for sure, and get on the Merc forums and search for common issues to look out for, just to make sure you don't buy a lemon.

The mileage however looks sensible, and if you can afford to run it then I'd say its got to be worth a punt!!! They must be a very durable car...

He replied pretty promptly to an email. No more pictures of the interior. Full MB service history to 2004, full independent specialist history thereafter. He thinks it can do about 25-30mpg at relaxed motorway speeds, but "far less" in town - no surprise there!

He also says it's never been crashed, no HPI or "vcar" (whatever that is?). The servicing does sound excruciating though...

Yes, merc servicing is expensive. My old C180 cost about £400 every 12K miles, at main dealer though. As with all expensive prestige cars, servicing is expensive but compared to the cost of the car new, and the type of person that bought it then the expense would have been a drop in the ocean.

Dont worry about the NI plate. its just a cheap way to disguise the cars age, much cheaper than a cherished plate from the DVLA.

Regarding HPI, dont go on what the owner says. The reg is in the auction, and from that you can do a basic one yourself. You wont be able to check the vin unless he gives it to you, but you can HPI on the plate alone.

Aye - I'd do it properly.

I think the servicing costs are likely to be too extreme for me though. It was a beautiful dream for a while!

What I need is a car that looks quite boring, doesn't use much fuel, costs peanuts to service, has an enormous boot and is blisteringly quick. I am not sure that these requirements can actually co-exist in one car though!

"Blisteringly quick" & "using little fuel" ain't gonna happen realistically.

How about a Subaru Legacy estate? I looked into buying one in the past.

Have you investigated Merc independents? I was in a similar situation a while back looking at V8 BMW's for similar money and found that the local well respected specialists who did servicing and tuning were no more expensive than "normal" car main dealers. Only reason I didn't buy one was down to not finding the car with the right options fitted!

Chris

"Blisteringly quick" & "using little fuel" ain't gonna happen realistically.

Aye - that's the problem. Though I should be doing far fewer miles from the beginning of May.

ScoobyChris - that is a jolly good idea. I have to admit that I am something of a noob at this car-buying lark. I bought my first one from my uncle, who I knew had taken good care of it, and the current one from the dealer. I'm not used to doing it properly!