[grayltd]

Hi,
I’m considering the purchase of a 2006 E320 CDI. The car has 49K miles and is a M-B CPO. I’m on the fence with this purchase. Frankly, I love the idea of a M-B diesel and their efficiency but am I better off with an E350 4matic? To help with my decision, I have the following questions:
What maintenance is due or should have been done by the 50K mile mark?
What are the major option groups? Is navigation, heated seats, Bluetooth and satellite radio standard or are they part of an options package?
Are there any problem/reliability areas I should be aware?
How are these cars in the snow? If I purchase, I was planning on putting 4 snow tires on. Will this make a noticeable difference?
What is the real life fuel economy with the CDI? This car will be driven mostly 80% highway, 20% suburban.
The M-B dealer listing is vague on optional equipment so I’m assuming this is a lightly optioned car. What would be considered a good price for this year and model?

Thanks in advance

 

[aeubank]

SEARCH!!!

This was asked just THIS WEEK!!
One needs to LOOK, and SEARCH before ASKING the same question that has been recently answered..

 

[kkanuck]

Hi,
I’m considering the purchase of a 2006 E320 CDI. The car has 49K miles and is a M-B CPO. I’m on the fence with this purchase. Frankly, I love the idea of a M-B diesel and their efficiency but am I better off with an E350 4matic? To help with my decision, I have the following questions:
What maintenance is due or should have been done by the 50K mile mark?
What are the major option groups? Is navigation, heated seats, Bluetooth and satellite radio standard or are they part of an options package?
Are there any problem/reliability areas I should be aware?
How are these cars in the snow? If I purchase, I was planning on putting 4 snow tires on. Will this make a noticeable difference?
What is the real life fuel economy with the CDI? This car will be driven mostly 80% highway, 20% suburban.
The M-B dealer listing is vague on optional equipment so I’m assuming this is a lightly optioned car. What would be considered a good price for this year and model?


I bought the same car 3 months ago, and love the purchase, no regrets. I do not drive in the snow, but have been in these cars in europe as passenger in winter many times, and they handle well!

I get 35 mpg average on the highway. I would think it will get better with age, it only has 20K miles on it.

Search for options, fold down rear seats are nice to have! I would have never bought it if it were not for the diesel, but that it just me!

 

[mjhawkins2346]

They are going to feel and act different. You have to decide what's important.
A diesel Mercedes without 4Matic will be a joke in snow country in winter. Is that important?
I have a W211 CDI (2006) and the real world day to day mileage is around 30mpg going up to 40 mpg on the open road. If I kept the speed down I'm sure I would do even better.

The E350 should be from the low 20's in town to high 20's on the road but it all depends on how you drive. It's very easy to put the 350 in the teens and the CDI in the low 20's

 

[lkchris]

If the car is CPO you can rest assured all maintenance is up to date.

All the things you mention are optional equipment. The best way to get them is to buy a car that already has them, as dealer retrofit is quite expensive.

Your dealer probably has this car described on its website, where all options are very likely listed.

CPO cars often seem a little expensive, but you pay for any and all warranties.

 

[Silly_me]

These things have gobs'o'torque and can twist the rears into a scream even with traction on in the dry.

Driving on the snow is best done with snow tires and a feather on the accelerator

 

[6.2AMG]

If I were to buy a used non-AMG Mercedes, I'd definitely buy an oil burner. A regular petrol E Class isn't that interesting to me especially since Daimler went from the IL6 to a V6. But a diesel is a different story. As was already mentioned, it has the right amount of torque for real world driving. Torque is the fun part of driving on urban streets

The motor and the drivetrain should be pretty robust. It's the rest of the car (esp electronics) that can give you headaches. Keep extra funds in the bank for good maintenance and providing the car hasn't been abused in the past, it should do well for you.

fwiw, I once lived in heavy snow country for many years with an old RWD BMW as my only transport. With good snow tires and some weight in the trunk (on really bad days) I had no issues.

A caveat: even though it's a CPO, I'd personally still invest in a complete ppi by another dealer or a good Indy. Even if you're covered monetarily with a warranty, it's still a headache and a time waster to have to deal with issues. Dealers vary in quality and there have been stories of CPO cars that were not up to par. As always, buyer beware with anything. Do your homework on the car.