I'd say you go for the 2005 car:
1. Ajmat does have a point in that, Mercs are built to run. The more they are stationary, the more the problems. However, depending on when in 2005 the car was built, it is at best 2.5 years old and at worst 3.x years. A car that has been sparingly used for 3 years wont pose as much of a problem as a one that has hardly seen the road for 10 years.
2. Do check the service history to ensure that the odometer has not been tampered.
3. I'd go one step further and have the car run through a comprehensive check at an authorised Benz workshop. This would cost you only about 5,000 bucks, and is worth the fee.
4. A later W211 car should mean that more niggles were ironed out.
The quoted prices are pretty high since petrol Mercs do not command as strong a resale as their diesel counterparts. Please bargain aggressively and get it down by atleast 20%. |