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E320 Wagon advice

12K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  yeldogt 
#1 ·
I recently bought a 2001 E430 with 78k miles for $6,500. Within 6 months, I had to fork $3,500 in repairs (engine mounts, two switches, 75k miles revision, misc stuff) and I bought 4 new rims and tires ($1200 total). I love the car and hopefully things will settle down a bit now...

Anyway... My wife loves the car too but she wants a wagon and the V6 instead of the V8 so I am now in the market for a E320 Wagon!! We found two wagons in our area (Los Angeles):
- a 2001 wagon with 65k miles for sale at a dealer for $10,995. It is in really good shape. Few things I noticed: missing pixels in the dashboard, driver headrest motor seems to be busted, passenger vanity mirror is busted too. While we don't have records, Carfax shows one owner and it has been maintained at MBZ on a regular basis.
- a 2002 wagon with 124k miles for sale by owner at $6,000. It also is in really good shape except for a crack in the left side of the front bumper and a fog light that needs to be changed. All pixels are there. The current owner has had it for 2 years and has all maintenance records.

At first I was leaning for the 65k wagon but now I am thinking that buying the same car in a good shape with 60k more miles but $5k more in my pocket to maintain it might actually be better. These cars can do many miles anyway and at a certain point, components break due to age not necessarily mileage.

What do you guys think?
 
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#4 ·
Both cars are overpriced. The 2001 is unbelievable. That price is just crazy. The 2002 is still too much but a least it doesn't have much that is wrong with it like the 2001 wagon. I would go with the 2002 but I wouldn't pay anything over 4000 and even that is too much to pay for it.
 
#5 ·
Expand your search to 2004-05 E320 wagons. It's a pity anything newer means potential balance shaft issues that'll give your balance sheet fits.

I don't think you'll find a 124K mile 210 wagon with documented care listed for much less than that 2002 in California. If the key turns it's at least $1000. If it runs in limp mode it's at least $2000. No CEL, clean title and 200K miles is $3000. The deals are two time zones over.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon
 
#6 ·
I would be looking for newer model ...... it's not always logical owning an older MB. It's often the case to be putting money into something that you can get out -- like your V8 210. It's a question of overall value.

I'm putting a few more K into my wagon -- simple to have everything working and looking nice for the next maybe 2 years. If I decide on a replacement it would be another much newer car in the 12-13k range. I would be hunting for a late 00's vehicle
 
#7 · (Edited)
Stay with 2000-2003 W210 wagon.. More robust and cheaper to own, and I like them because they are longgggg. I haul everything in mine. I'm at 200,000 miles. Mine runs like a top. I have put about $700 in parts since I have owned it 100,000 miles ago 7 years ago. I paid $6000 for my 100k E320 4-matic. I have hauled about 1800lb of landscape rock a few times, and just recently hauled 1400lb of Laminate Flooring.. 1200lb in Porcelain Tile, or those heavy cement-boards for tile work. New drywall, and old drywall to the dump. I'm always hauling transmissions in mine, and I haul my model planes in mine-I stuff it very well. I love the SLS suspension. It compensates for all that weight... It cleans up well with Spray N Wash and Laundry Liquid Soap and a brush...

The pixel thing is nothing. All you need is a ribbon on the LCD segments. I fixed mine myself with a new ribbon, but pull the cluster, and send it to one of the people on ebay. I believe they charge about $100 for the fix

When you get the thing. Flush the coolant. Replace the thermostat, radiator petcock drain valve, over flow tank cap.. Replace the transmission fluid. If you get the 4-matic, replace the transfer box fluid which is the same transmission fluid, and change the front differential fluid too. Change the " pilot bushing" - the electrical transmission connector. Rear differential fluid. If you get the 100k wagon, replace the accumulators along with flushing the hydraulic fluid from the whole system, yet the 65k wagon may need accumulators too, but do flush the hydraulic fluid...

All of that to make it California to New York reliable...

I am everywhere with mine, yet it still looks pristine. My German Shepard loves mine as she peck at the sun roof from inside to open it for her, so she put her head out, and look out as I drive... Standing on the arm rest....

These are great wagons, and I get 26mpg to 27mpg on the highway still at 200k miles...

All the best,

Martin
 

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#9 ·
As Fred said, the best think you can do is have MB do a PPI so you know what repairs or maintenance your going to be on the hook for once you potentially own it. Inevitably there will always be something; there are very few "perfect" 15+ year old cars out there that are daily drivers. Only additional advice is that it can be well worth it to pay a $1-2K premium for a car that is solid, well maintained and has a good history and less owners. A $5K or a $7K vehicle is still cheap in the world of cars. Time and aggravation has a cost as well so balance that out with the price and vehicle condition and history.
 
#10 ·
I sold my 2004 wagon in perfect condition (and new tires) for $4300 , but with 170k miles. Air suspension , GPS, dynamic seats
Guy from LA come to Bay Area to pick it up.
I never shy from buying high-mileage MB, even with gasoline engine. Owner do take good care about them and most of the time 150k car still is in showroom condition.
Point is that few years later you will have to sell if for next to nothing, but that is still worth it.
120k miles car that was maintained and check will give you less headaches than 60k miles garage queen with aging problems.
 
#11 ·
I'm still trying to figure out how you paid $3500 for mounts, etc. If you're paying the dealer to fix everything these cars will make you poor quickly. Find a good indy and learn to do basic stuff yourself or I'll say don't buy either wagon and get something newer with warranty!
That said the 2002 is better value, assuming a clean ppi, unless you can get the dealer down to $7500 or something. Which might be worth a shot.
 
#12 ·
$3500 is steep for motor mounts. I would have charged you $700 with the parts... Time to learn to DIY. For 3500 I would have rebuilt your transmission with parts...

Mr DG,

Understand these wagons have a higher interval of maintenance as there are more things happening. More fluids to deal with. The transmission has three service items to deal with. The suspension in the rear has three service items. It pays to DIY.

The parts count is about three times more than your average front-wheel drive "Jelly-Bean" car, but worth the additional pain, and cost to haul over 1000lbs...

Like others have said, do get a PPI from the dealer or a indie-repair shop..

Martin
 
#13 ·
I agree with the last 2 posts. Any Mercedes will be expensive if you don't have a good indy or better yet do things yourself. That said, both of the current 2 choices are priced pretty high.

KBB shows that the 2001 should be $5k from a dealer in your area. I would use that and the repairs you listed to negotiate a price and see where that goes. If the dealer did a PPI and then fixed everything I might pay as much as $6k (assuming paint / body were excellent). If it hasn't been done, change the transmission fluid right away.

On the 2002, make sure the transmission fluid has been changed (preferably around 60k). If not, I wouldn't buy the car. Some owners have had transmission issues generally because the fluid wasn't changed. It's not a prevalent issue, but it would be a risk that I wouldn't take. If the tranny was maintained, I might pay as much as $4k (assuming paint was excellent and the bumper cover could be repaired).
 
#14 ·
I own a weekend property in a well to do area in PA -- the local dealer often has an older, lower mile wagon around. There are many people people who need a useful weekend vehicle to keep at the house .... the car will get little use and this dealer has the customer service network to make sure it's always fixed and clean in the garage. He can get 12k for a 5K car ... even though he bought it for what $3500? or less?

The problem with the W210 - or any Mercedes. They have a life ...we all know the common things that all 210's are going to need ... we also know all the next tier things that will be required if you are unlucky or just want a perfectly working car. These two sets of problems will make owning an older MB too expensive unless you have have a resourceful independent or you like to wrench.

While this is less of an issue on the MB forums ... as many MB owners are more willing to correctly fix an older vehicle. What people expect in an older vehicle varies widely - in my case I want it almost as if it's new. At a point this become difficult .. my wagon is at the tipping point. My neighbor on the other hand just expects that things will not work at some point and does little to make them right . and yet he still thinks his cars are in excellent shape?

Buying a 210 at 100k for a premium -- maybe .... but not one that has not had a lot of work. We know it will need a lot of work shortly. Mine had 3/4 of an inch of paperwork at the ned of my first year of ownership and the end of the CPO warranty. The cost would have been .. well I don;t know .. maybe 10k at dealer prices. The rebuilt most of the front end and replaced the rear struts -- I think they told me that service alone was 4K. Dealer get over 1k for the fan fix .. and we know they will all need it. The steering wheel stalk is a $500.00 fix at the dealer
 
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