I'm looking at purchasing a 1999 E300 Turbo Diesel, its a six cylinder 174 hp engine it has 110,000 miles, full service history at MB, one owner, all electrical/accessories etc all working. The car is a full load, sun roof, leather etc. The owner is asking 16-$18,000 CAN. Is the right price range for this car.
Is there any specific areas or checks to review prior to purchasing. Have there been any problems with these cars. Does anybody have an idea on what the engine life expantancy is likely to be. Do these 1998/99 diesels last as long as the previous generation diesel engines. I would assume suspension, transmission are typical for MB with good service histories.
Any additional information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Frank
Last edited by MB300CD.84 : 08-08-2007 at 03:48 PM.
I bought one in December and LOVE it!!! Mine had 130 k on it when I got it and now it has 142 k. I paid $16,000 us but had to fly from CA to TN to pick it up and then drive it back ... everything said and done I have about $17,000 us into it (that includes registering it and driving it home).
The tranny is sealed (lifetime tranny fluid) ... you can't even check it, as far as I know. Mine runs strong!!! It's super fast for an older diesel ... once you get past the turbo lag. I would check the under carriage for rust especially the shock towers. I hope this helps.
Vehicle: 2001 E320 - Brilliant Silver/Ash: MBCA member
Location: The Mountain State
Posts: 6,363
The price might be a little high, but other than that, it sounds like a real cherry to me. I think the 1999 diesels are fine, but I'm not sure you can count on 500,000+ miles like the earlier ones. Like Durado mentioned, check it out pretty carefully for rust.
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Ich liebe meinen Mercedes-Benz!
Fear not. In Mar. 07 purchased a 99 E-300DT. with 140000 km. One owner ,well maintained. My German mechanic (non dealer ) says never change the X-mission fluid. Repaired small rust around the key lock on the trunk. NEVER leave the sun roof open (unattended) or spill coffee or water on shifter console. Computor boards and modules lie in wait below. Fuel it, maintain it,and drive it. GPS.
My E300td has 176,000 and E300d close to 240,000 miles on odometers (to my knowledge on original tranny fluids).
I recently bought the first one and hope the second one will get my son thru the college. He is getting his permit this winter.
The old MB diesels run for 600k without bigger problems. I hope new technology has improved. Too bad the electronics are underdeveloped, but nothing in this World is perfect.
I purchased a 1998 E300 Turbodiesel with 135K miles on it. I took it to the dealer for inspection (after purchasing it) and they, of course, gave me a list of 20things to fix. Only 1 or 2 issues need to be done ASAP. The rest are things like change cooland, brake fluid, etc. I will do 90% of it myself.
I did ask the dealer to change the transmission fluid because I just don't believe in lifetime fluids. Hey but that is my practice. You might want to check the forums for plenty of discussion on this topic. The only issue with my transmission is that the shift from 1st to 2nd is kind of abrupt, that is to say not smooth as silk as the other gear shifts. I don't know if this is a sign of a bad or nearly bad transmission, but at least I know that I have new fluid in there. Oh and the fluid change at the dealer was just over $500.
Good luck.
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1998 E300DT
1987 Mustang GT Convertible (Enjoy all of 225 stock HP )
1996 Honda ST1100
Well, this will be my last post. After fighting failure after failure on car with 82,000 miles, I have traded off. It was the failure of the window regulator in the left rear window, followed by a failed Glo Plug, one week later, after an erratic connection to the speaker in the driver's side door, an AC that controls plus or minus 10 degrees, an erratic passenger seat position switch assembly( passenger seat position switch - I mean!! a little used switch), following many other mostly electrical problems, including replacement of the instrument panel electronics, the sun roof switch, a battery that failed after 3 years, etc., etc.
Mercedes is known for its engineering, but they have forgotten about Quality. A switch good for 1,000,000 cycles costs about 25 cents more than a cheap switch, the window regulator plastic piece that failed could have been prevented by spending 25 cents more on a stronger piece, rather than requiring the owner to spend $ 55 for a replacement regulator, and on and on and on.
I just hope that my car was the exception. but, from all the questions and DIY articles in this forum, my impression is that I am not alone.
I wish all you present owners better luck with your car than I had. FYI, I bot a Toyota.
Sorry to hear about your bad luck Donald. Too bad you traded it in, I would probably offer you much more than the dealer.
I agree that electrical parts on those models are undeveloped. But take into account that those cars are the first generation of cars, that become more computers than mechanical devices, so some glitches are just natural thing. Bad glow plug had to be bad luck, since those things can last for 1/2 mil miles. Window regulators might be the only real weak point, what doesn't bother me, since we don't open windows and sunroof. I think only slow drivers do that, because wind noise at 80 mph is unbearable.
Good luck on new Toyota installing prototype electronics in new cars.
hehehehehehe: I used to sell Toyota's....great cars but still have an issue or two after a few years. Sorry I missed your diesel trade as I might have wanted it. I don't let my back windows down!!
For the guy considering buying one, please do change your tranny fluid; even my dealer recommends it at 100k or sooner.
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'87 300E: sold after 11years @ 230k & still on the road somewhere in rural Tennessee.
'94 C220 with 93k totalled 10/06 by hit & run broadsiding monster truck: not a scratch or bruise for me
I just bought a '98 E300TD with 148K mi. and also loaded. I paid $10,500 US. Plus another thousand to have it shipped from CA to VA.
I agree, the tranny fluid should be changed. Mercedes has gone away from the "lifetime" theme and now recommends changes on the newer cars. That is one of the first things I did to my car. Remember you have to buy a dipstick "tool" to properly refill and the plug lock you must replace on the dipstick tube. If you don't change the torque converter it should take about 4qts. of fluid, which is about half of its capacity. Only use the MB fluid also.
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