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2005 E320 reliability?

22K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  cowboyt 
#1 ·
I am considering buying a 2005 (or similar) E320. What should I look out for? The one that caught my eye appears to be in good condition appearance wise. It does have 180k miles on it. I have not had a chance to look over it. I do know on the CLK to avoid the 2005-2007 500/550 models for transmission issues and the 2006/2007 350 models for balance shaft issues, but the 320 seems to be decent on the CLK side. Does that also apply to the E series?
 
#3 ·
I have an 06 CDI, same as the one you looking at. I bought at 90k and now it's at 240k. I've done nothing except put tires and brakes on it. I just got through doing my FIRST work, injector seal leaks. I have also developed some vibration in the cabin over the past few months. I'm working on solving that now. It gets 40MPG on the interstate doing 80MPH. It's very peppy - accelerates great and runs strong. If it were me, I wouldn't mind buying one with 180k. Might have someone check it out if your not familiar. Look under the top cover where the injectors to see if there are signs of "black death" where injectors are leaking. Its not a big deal but mostly a mess to clean up and replace the seals.

Mark
 
#16 ·
I have an 06 CDI, same as the one you looking at. I bought at 90k and now it's at 240k. I've done nothing except put tires and brakes on it. I just got through doing my FIRST work, injector seal leaks. I have also developed some vibration in the cabin over the past few months. I'm working on solving that now. It gets 40MPG on the interstate doing 80MPH. It's very peppy - accelerates great and runs strong. If it were me, I wouldn't mind buying one with 180k. Might have someone check it out if your not familiar. Look under the top cover where the injectors to see if there are signs of "black death" where injectors are leaking. Its not a big deal but mostly a mess to clean up and replace the seals.

Mark
+
Greetings,
I was curious as to how the CDI was running maintaining ? Do you know if the 2005 was the the last year MB used a steel motor block ?
Does your 2006 have a steel block
could you share with me what injector seals failed
I m looking at a 2005 CDI with 180K miles in California
I believe this is Mark
this is Ron thank you for your time
 
#4 ·
The 2005 I was looking at was not a CDI, was a gas model. I did find a 2 owner 2006 E320 CDI with 150k miles on it. Will be looking at it this weekend. It is a southern US car, so rust should not be an issue. The seller is asking $8800 which seems high based on KBB and Edmunds, but about normal for the ones I have seen listed on various sites.

Any thoughts on where a good price point would be for one in good or better condition? I am in the Atlanta area if that helps. It has the panorama roof which doesn't seem very common on the 2006. The only things I could see in the pictures the seller has provided is a small scratch on the right rear bumper and the steering wheel is slightly discolored in the area between the wood pieces/inserts.

Any advice is appreciated.

Below is a picture that was provided.
 

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#5 ·
I have a 2006 E320 CDI and I love it. 200,000 miles and counting. Eight years of ownership and no issues past regular maintenance/things that wear out including ball joints and the like. I find the materials in the car are great. Engine is a keeper without question. I set the cruise at 78-80 on the highway and regularly return 37+ mpg. If you keep the suspension in good nick (bushings, ball joints, etc... need replaced past 100k which is normal for any car) it rides like a dream. I've also had to replace motor mounts and the tranny mount because the isolators degrade over time but these are not overly difficult repairs to do yourself nor are they expensive. Only system that needs additional/frequent service is brake system for fluid replacement. The SBC brakes need to be protected more often with fluid changes. With regular fluid changes for things like differential, tranny, etc... this is a legit 400-500k car. I'm starting to look now for another 2006 for my daughter who will graduate college soon. She can get a great car for less than 10k including maintenance to bring it up to snuff and drive it for years.

Best,
Ron
 
#6 ·
The CDI is a fabulous car. I got mine about a year ago with 146k miles, perfect condition, exhaustive maintenance records, for $8,000. A really good deal at the time. I'm not as up on the market as I was a year ago, but my guess would be that you shouldn't have to pay more than about $7000 for what I got.
 
#7 ·
Unfortunately, I haven't found any decent 2006 CDI under $8k in Atlanta area. Would $8k be too much for a loaded one in good condition? Just don't want to over pay. I have a CFO that I have to live with and she is not 100% on board with this ;-)

Also, does the 2006 have senstronic brakes that the 2005 did? I heard those were an issue on the SL and E class.
 
#8 ·
I think $8k is still a fine price. And of course prices vary from region to region. If car is in excellent condition and you have maintenance records, paying a bit more is not a big deal in the overall scheme of things.

Yes, 06 has SBC. I researched the issue to death and finally concluded it's nothing to worry about. It's a great braking system....replacing the pump is a little pricey but not astronomical.

Haha....yes, I have a "CFO" too. They must be kept happy.
 
#9 ·
I just took it for a test drive. It seems to be a little sluggish at lower speeds, might just be me being use to the sensitivity of the pedal on my other cars. Although, it did feel similar to my BIL's 2014 E350 cabriolet. When you apply the pedal, was quite a nice feeling though :grin.

It is not in excellent condition due to a newly placed ding in the front bumper. It will require a new bumper cover and trim pieces and paint on it in my opinion. It is also due for a D service.

Cosmetically, I am probably looking at 700-1000 to replace the bumper/trim and to paint it. He said he has the parts for the D service, filters, etc.

I don't see going over $6.5-7k max for this as is (before doing a proper mechanical inspection). I don't think he will go for that due to still having a loan on it.

I guess I will have to keep my eyes open for another one.
 
#10 ·
The guy dropped his price and accepted $6800 for the 2006 E320 CDI. I bought it this morning.

He only had 1 key/fob and I need to take care of the crease on the front bumper cover. The right door lock sounds like the actuator is acting up, it does lock though. The cup holder on the dash next to the glove box is stuck. So no major issues so far.

The good news is full coverage on it was the same cost as liability on the 1993 Civic that it replaced :smile
 
#14 ·
I called the local stealer and they don't do keys for older than 2008. They sent me to another shop locally that can get the older keys. They want $311 for the key, but they want $65 less for a full inspection of the vehicle ($120 vs $185) to catch anything I might have missed. Another shop close by wants $160 for the inspection.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Well, Rossafuss's 2005 E320 CDI, last he reported here, had over 460,000 miles on it and climbing, and he loved (loves?) his car. He might have hit 500,000 by now.

My 2005 E320 CDI just clicked over 150,000 miles and runs like new. And yes, the same engine (OM648 inline-6) was used in 2006 as well.

My mechanic buddy has a 2004 E320 4Matic gasser with about 150K on it as well. It, too, is solid. When his daughter comes of driving age next year, she will get that car.
 
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