Hello, everyone, the veteran car inspector meets you again. I am Dongzi, a used car inspector. I used to be a car mechanic, and I thought I was pretty good, but I couldn't find a girlfriend after working in the car repair industry for 7 to 8 years. So he decided to change careers and came to the car inspection business, and now he is a used car inspector. It’s been almost five years since I came to inspect my car, and I still don’t have a girlfriend! Dear friends, if you have any sisters at home, can you introduce them to me?
Let’s get to the point. Let’s first discuss a question that many people are concerned about: What kind of used car should I buy with a budget of 50,000? Normally, I would recommend economical and fuel-efficient Japanese cars, such as Suzuki Swift, Sylphy, Corolla, Fit, etc. But when it comes to buying a luxury car for 50,000 yuan, I'm in a dilemma. It's not that I can't buy it, but it's a question of whether I can afford it. Let me share with you a test case of a Mercedes-Benz E-class priced at RMB 50,000 to see if it is worth buying.
Let’s call this customer Fei Ge! Fei Ge bought a second-hand Mercedes-Benz E, but he started to feel worried even before he drove it. Fei Ge bought this car at an auction house. I originally thought it was a foreclosure car that had been seized by the court. But when I saw the inspection report from the auction house, only the left and right rear fenders were painted, and the price only started at 50,000. It was so cheap. I just bought a Mercedes-Benz, and it was a great success. It was so cool when I drove it back to the village! I think it's a very good deal.
After successfully winning the bid and making the payment, I went to pick up the car, only to find out that it was from a second-hand car dealer. Because he didn't actually see the car before bidding, Fei Ge was a little worried and unsure of the actual condition of the car, so he asked us to do a comprehensive inspection. Dongzi, I am responsible for this task, so just do it, omit the redundant joint process, and start testing.
Model year: Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2007 E 230 Fashion
Factory time: 2007-08
Emission standards: National III
Manufacturer's guide price: 548,000
Mileage shown on the meter: 191047KM
Quotation from car dealer: 55,000
Testing location: Shenyang, Liaoning
The 2007 E-Class is still the W211 generation. It is my personal favorite generation of E-Class. It has very classic and elegant four-eye headlights and the iconic Mercedes-Benz logo. It is the most elegant and beautiful. However, once the car gets older, there will still be problems, no matter if you buy a van worth 50,000 yuan or a luxury car worth 500,000 yuan.
The gap between the front bumper and the cover is obviously uneven and crooked. Needless to say, the front bumper was replaced, and the replacement was an aftermarket part.
There is a sheet metal repair on the left front corner of the machine cover. The repair area is not large and it should be just a small scratch. However, this position is very close to the headlight, and the headlight may not be saved.
There is also sheet metal on the front wheel spin area of the left front fender.
The glass produced in 2008 for cars shipped in May 2007 is obviously defective.
A lot of the sealant applied on the inside of the glass has spilled out, and the replacement of the front windshield is already a certainty.
The left front door sheet metal. The sheet metal at this location may be scratched and putty in the later stage.
When I applied the paint on the left rear door, I found an abnormality. It was too thin. In this case, the door was most likely replaced. Why is the thickness of the paint on the doors replaced later reduced? Because the car body will not be directly painted before leaving the factory, it will be put into an electric pool to coat the frame with an electrophoretic layer. This is mainly used to prevent rust and increase the adhesion of the paint surface, and then spray paint. Of course, the parts to be replaced later will lack the electric pool. This process is why it becomes thinner. Therefore, Dongzi would like to remind everyone that the problem does not only occur when the paint surface becomes thicker, but when it becomes thinner, the problem is more serious.
Opening the door, the fixing screws have indeed been removed, and the door lock block fixing screws have also been tightened. Simply dismantling the door will not move this far. If the door shell is replaced, the lock block inside will have to be from the original car to show signs of disassembly, so It is judged that the left rear door has been replaced.
There are cracks in the corners of both taillights. It's not a big problem for the time being. If it affects my mood later, just replace the two taillights.
I looked at the rear bumper through the gap and found that it was fixed with screws. Even if it is glued, it looks better than fixing it with screws. I have to admire the repair skills of the auto mechanic!
There are varying degrees of sheet metal spray paint on the right side of the body, so it won’t take up much space here. The appearance inspection showed that there were multiple paint surfaces on the sheet metal, and there were also replacement parts. There was a big gap with the inspection report issued by the auction house. Next, check the engine compartment.
The condition of the engine compartment shows that it has been there for many years, and some parts are aging and damaged. It is equipped with a 2.5-liter V6 naturally aspirated engine with a maximum power of 150kW, a maximum horsepower of 204 horses, and a maximum torque of 245 N·m. Matched with a 7-speed manual transmission, the 0-100 km acceleration time is 9.1 seconds. This powertrain is used in many Mercedes-Benz models and is still strong today.
The hinge screws of the machine cover have not been moved, and combined with the fact that the machine cover does not have a large area of sheet metal, it can be roughly judged that there is no major collision in the front.
The production date label on the left headlight is gone, and there is no conclusive evidence that it has been replaced. However, it can be seen that the headlight has obviously removed the lamp housing, and the sealant applied afterwards is still sticky to the touch.
The front anti-collision beam has not been moved, and the screws of the water tank frame have not been turned and disassembled, which verifies the judgment that there is no serious accident ahead.
The production date on the condenser is vaguely visible, 07-5-2, which matches the factory date of the entire vehicle.
Take a look at the condition of the engine. The valve cover screws have the characteristic of being disassembled and twisted, and there are signs of oil leakage. Oil leakage will occur in German cars after they are older, and consumable parts seals need to be maintained in time.
The engine claw screws have also been removed. The function of the claws is to fix the engine to the frame. After the car has been driven for many kilometers, the claw pads will become worn and loose, causing the engine to vibrate. When disassembling the claws, the pads are usually replaced, but this is not excluded. Possibility of hoisting and repairing the engine. So has the engine of this Mercedes-Benz E been repaired?
The intake manifold cannot be seen for the time being; the exhaust manifold has not been moved, and the generator compressor is also in original factory condition, which rules out the suspicion of engine disassembly and overhaul.
Opening the engine oil filling port, you can see that the interior has a metallic color and there is not much sludge accumulation. It seems that the previous owner was quite particular about the car.
When measuring the brake fluid, it was found that the water content has turned red. When the water content is too high, the braking distance will become longer. In severe cases, it will cause brake failure, so it must be replaced.
The antifreeze is in good condition; the battery prompts that it needs to be replaced. In fact, the battery unexpectedly knows that it needs to be replaced, because it needs to be powered to start the fire.
Opening the door, I can see that the interior is quite old despite having gone through fourteen years of ups and downs, and the color of the seats is not what I like. The high-end cars of those days look like this now. The interior design style is too ordinary, and the central control screen is too small. The most valuable thing now is the logo!
I peeled off the plastic trim on the steering column and found it was not rusty, just dirty.
There is a small amount of rust in the slide groove of the main driver's seat, and the fixing screw does not appear to have the ability to be removed.
There is no detachable feature in the entire vehicle's seat belts, and there is no mold or blackening when stretched out.
Looking at the seat frame, there is only a layer of floating dust, which basically eliminates the possibility of water wading.
The ashtray on the main driver's door cannot be closed after being opened. In a car that is more than ten years old, minor faults are unavoidable.
As well as local wear and damage, these subtleties are all traces left by the years. How can I put it this way, this car looks bright and shiny from the outside, but the interior is actually dilapidated.
Opening the trunk, there are no traces of deformed sheet metal welding repairs in the fender channels on both sides, but the rubber strips are obviously aged and cracked.
The dust inside the trunk is very thick, but this is not the sediment after water intrusion, but the fact that it has not been cleaned for a long time.
The rear quarter panel is also smooth and flat with no deformation, indicating that there is no excessive collision at the rear.
Looking at the chassis on the ground, you can clearly see scratches on the underbody, front and rear multi-link independent suspension, and a front-wheel-drive car.
For a car of this year, the engine and gearbox oil pan are extremely clean, and the gearbox legs have not been removed, indicating that it has not been repaired, which is rare among German cars.
Looking at the large crankshaft screw, there is no disassembly and twisting feature. This can rule out the possibility of engine overhaul. Because this is the part that must be dismantled for engine overhaul, you can remember this.
The rear differential has signs of re-gluing and repair, probably due to oil leakage, and traces of moisture can also be seen on the front half of the casing.
There are no signs of deformation or disassembly of the rear anti-collision beam, which further proves that there was no major rear-end collision accident.
After looking at the chassis, more than two hours of testing are all over. Let me make a summary:
1. Appearance: The chrome bright strip is damaged, the front bumper is replaced, the front grille is missing, the hood is painted, the front windshield is replaced, the left front fender is painted, the left front door is painted, the left rear door is replaced, and the left The rear fender is painted, the surface of the rear taillight is damaged, the rear bumper is painted, the right rear fender is painted, the right rear door is painted, the right front door is painted, the right front fender is replaced and the sheet metal is painted;
2. Engine room: The shock-absorbing screws are removed, the headlight housing is removed, the water tank frame is removed, the valve cover is leaking oil, the engine legs are removed, the battery needs to be replaced, and some parts of the engine room are damaged;
3. Interior: There are cigarette scars on the left A-pillar trim, the lower part of the front seat is rusted, the left rear door ashtray cannot be closed, the trunk lid is removed, the rear fender gutter strip is aged and cracked, the gear lever is worn, and the front seat The air outlet of the air conditioner is damaged and loose, the sunroof opening and closing function fails, the left rearview mirror cannot be adjusted, and the OBD computer detects a fault code in the power system;
4. Road test: No abnormalities found;
5. Chassis: tire replacement, left front lower limb arm rubber sleeve removal, ingot beam removal, engine foot removal, differential oil leakage.
In general, this Mercedes-Benz E has no accidents, no blisters, no major repairs, and no dial adjustment. It has a lot of kilometers, a lot of wear and tear, and a lot of minor problems and glitches. Customer Fei Ge followed through the inspection and had an idea of the car's condition. After listening to my report, he said he would consider it because there was still a big discrepancy with the auction house's inspection report, and the seller told Fei Ge that the seller only received 52,000. , and Fei Ge actually paid 55,000 yuan, and there was a difference of several thousand yuan. As for how to deal with it, Fei Ge decided by himself.
Let’s take a look at the market situation of this Mercedes-Benz E. The current price of second-hand cars of the same year is between RMB 50,000 and RMB 60,000. A luxury car that cost RMB 500,000 back then has depreciated tenfold. It seems that nothing except antiques can withstand the passage of time. ah! Today's Mercedes-Benz E is actually pretty good overall, with no particularly serious problems. However, the after-sales maintenance costs of luxury brands are always relatively high. Maintenance costs will not be reduced just because it is a second-hand car. The spare parts are still in accordance with the standards of a 500,000-class car. For ordinary families with a budget of only 50,000 yuan, this is not easily affordable.
It can be seen from this case that the second-hand cars sold by some auction houses are not completely reliable. They are not as transparent and standardized as foreclosure cars, and there is no cover-up. Dongzi, I would like to remind all students who plan to buy second-hand cars that no matter what platform they are, there will be a mixed situation. If you know about cars, it will be fine; but if you don’t know about cars, it is best to find someone who you think knows about cars. Friends can help you check the condition of the car. If you really can’t find one, you can also find a third-party vehicle testing agency like us to help you check the condition of the car before buying it. At least it can let you know the real condition of the car before buying the car. You should have the right to know to prevent yourself from buying a car with various accident problems!
Okay, that’s it for today’s inspection sharing. I am a used car inspection technician at Car Inspection Home. Like it if you like it, hate it if you don't like it. I repair cars a lot, read little, and write poorly. Please bear with me. Car inspector, we are willing to be your friend who knows the most about cars!
I bought a BMW 7 Series for 2 million, and the car almost flipped over during the car inspection. I was so scared that my soul came out.
