[MikeKerr]

Hi,

I put a deposit down on a one-owner 2001 S430 with 35 k miles. Carfax comes in clean, and was always dealer maintained. My concern is that not much went wrong over the past 13.5 years according to Carfax. Does lack of driving prevent bigger problems from being exposed (hard to word question). The car was in the NorthEast, and all the emissions testing was done in the month of January, so sounds like it may have seen salt. Finally, reading this forum for a few hours, there is a concern going with a 2000-2002.

My options are to buy the car, or lose the $500 deposit and move on to a 2003-2006 S series. The price I am paying is $9500. Car has a few nice options, including designo sliver series.

Any thoughts/comments are greatly appreciated.

 

[Check Codes]

If you are not familiar with the marque, please invest another few hundred dollars and have a PPI done by an indie shop that knows this generation of MB. The inspection will either put your mind at rest that the car is solid, find things that are deal-killers or find a few things that may help you renegotiate the sales price.

Good luck.

 

[haroldwca]

If you suspect rust may be present, check the bottom edge of the front doors. Open the door and look at the bottom edge on the interior side. If there is rust, it will be here. Also look underneath to see what the exhaust system looks like. Many of the under-car areas are covered by plastic panels and do not take as much of a beating from the elements, but the exhaust is exposed to whatever the car runs through on the highway. If you are not sure how to check out a vehicle, a pre-purchase inspection by someone who does is well worth the time and money. As was stated earlier, good luck!

 

[MikeKerr]

Thanks for the quick replies, great ideas. I especially like checking the doors for rust, seems simple and to spot issues.