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Im getting it for around 14500 it only has 52,000 miles and has been taken care of like a baby..
Good deal right?
Good deal right?
03 E 500 'Sports Package'
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That is an EXCELLENT deal.
You can do some nice mods with all the money you save :thumbsup:.
It sounds like a good deal. But someone else said on this forum that there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes. Some people find the first year W211 to have a number of quality issues that can be very expensive to repair, especially the air suspension. Your $14.5K Mercedes could easily turn into a $20K+ car. I would hope the car has service and repair records you could view and that all recalls have been done. I would also recommend that you have it inspected before buying by a qualified Mercedes technician. And lastly, if you can get a comprehensive warranty, I highly recommend it.
Good luck. I hope you get the car you really love - otherwise, what's the point?
Hope you have a good savings account and another vehicle to drive when this one is in the shop. The airmatic will be costly, along with the low quality electronics and cut rate build quality.
W212 E350: AMG Sport/P2/Pano/Etc. & '09 Chevy Malibu / Sold M-B's: '06 E350 & '02 S500
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514 Posts
It's definitely a great deal and you'll be getting a lot of car for the money.
However, I personally would never buy and '03 or even '04 W211. VERY unreliable years for them, especially if you're going with an E500 which adds Airmatic to the possible problem areas.
However, I personally would never buy and '03 or even '04 W211. VERY unreliable years for them, especially if you're going with an E500 which adds Airmatic to the possible problem areas.
'12 E550 Sport, '01 550 Maranello *RIP*, '97 M3 6-Speed, '95 Dinan M3 Vert, '16 F350 Dually
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774 Posts
After i drove mine back from Indiana (2 years ago) within 2 weeks I came outside and the front of the car was only 2-3 inches from the ground and once started all you could hear was the air escaping the rubber bellow that was busted. I got the strut at dealer cost but without that including labor would have been around $1150 or so for just one. I don't have any regrets and like I said would buy another one.
"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself" - FDR
Seems you're getting a good number of posts telling you to be VERY AFRAID
.
If I may chime in as the current owner of a 2003 E500, don't be afraid to buy an early W211, but MOST CERTAINLY do your homework before you do so. You'll get an awesome car for the money and save thousands.
I purchased it in 2007 with 35k miles. Needless to say, I saved THOUSANDS from the original sticker of over $60k.
I first had the vehicle THOROUGHLY inspected by MB of Chicago, and then bought a premium bumper-to-bumper warranty. It gets serviced religiously at the Benz dealer, and if anything goes wrong (nothing major so far) all I pay is a $100 deductible.
I've never needed a 2nd vehicle to cover time at the shop, build quality is EXCELLENT (NO squeaks or rattles whatsoever), and electronics are superb; I even installed a EURO Comand with DVD in motion, OEM Bluetooth, and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, ALL of which function perfectly and seamlessly with the vehicle.
So you see, whereas the 03-04 W211s have developed quite the bad rap of unreliability (perhaps deservedly so), there ARE some good cars out there, SPECIALLY if they have low mileage and were serviced appropriately ( I happen to have one).
MOST OF ALL, my Savings Account has been quite happy with my original savings. So much so that I already paid off the vehicle, and I'm now enjoying doing all the mods I want as there's NO monthly car payment, even doing an 07-08 front end conversion to make the car look pretty much new.
You can do the same if you educate yourself before the purchase. :thumbsup:
Seems you're getting a good number of posts telling you to be VERY AFRAID
.If I may chime in as the current owner of a 2003 E500, don't be afraid to buy an early W211, but MOST CERTAINLY do your homework before you do so. You'll get an awesome car for the money and save thousands.
I purchased it in 2007 with 35k miles. Needless to say, I saved THOUSANDS from the original sticker of over $60k.
I first had the vehicle THOROUGHLY inspected by MB of Chicago, and then bought a premium bumper-to-bumper warranty. It gets serviced religiously at the Benz dealer, and if anything goes wrong (nothing major so far) all I pay is a $100 deductible.
I've never needed a 2nd vehicle to cover time at the shop, build quality is EXCELLENT (NO squeaks or rattles whatsoever), and electronics are superb; I even installed a EURO Comand with DVD in motion, OEM Bluetooth, and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, ALL of which function perfectly and seamlessly with the vehicle.
So you see, whereas the 03-04 W211s have developed quite the bad rap of unreliability (perhaps deservedly so), there ARE some good cars out there, SPECIALLY if they have low mileage and were serviced appropriately ( I happen to have one).
MOST OF ALL, my Savings Account has been quite happy with my original savings. So much so that I already paid off the vehicle, and I'm now enjoying doing all the mods I want as there's NO monthly car payment, even doing an 07-08 front end conversion to make the car look pretty much new.
You can do the same if you educate yourself before the purchase. :thumbsup:
'12 E550 Sport, '01 550 Maranello *RIP*, '97 M3 6-Speed, '95 Dinan M3 Vert, '16 F350 Dually
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774 Posts
I agree that they are great cars. I happened to find mine from a man going Chapter 11 so for $20k cash I drove home with the title in June 2007. I would just say as for precaution it can be expensive and if someone could just afford one it may not be the right vehicle. That's all. But go for it, man. I would.
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