Happy New Year everyone!

I would love your help with this (and if there's a thread on this elsewhere please link it below). I'm looking at a 2012 E 550 coupe with 120,000 miles on it. They're asking $11,400. I've looked at the Carfax and it appears that it's had regular maintenance since it was new. The interior is in great condition and it looks like it was very well kept (new tires as well). From what I've researched it appears that the E Class is a pretty solid car, Is there anything you all would recommend I pay attention to before purchasing? This will just a weekend fun car, so I'll probably add a few performance modifications

Thank you

 

Seems reasonable for the price I spoze. Then you have a variety of little bs that needs fixing, if not done already.
I don't suppose there's a maint record showing all the goodies replaced? Some people do whatever the dealer tells them, others barely bother to change the oil. I'm guessing a trade-in so you can't ask the owner? I believe you can request dealer service records, if the work was done at a dealer.

The motor mounts won't last that long, so if they were replaced, when?
Turbo water cooler lines are said to give up and break, so either already replaced all, some, or none?
Spark plug coils have an oddly short life, so I'm sure replaced already but might be due again.
Spark plugs can survive this long, but do you really want 'em if that old? Same with O2 sensors and tranny mount.
Oil in the ECU harness from the cam sensors/actuators can get into the ECU and cause grief. Mine was starting to do that, but caught it in time.
There's a timing chain tensioner issue but I believe it's covered under warranty.
A valve issue, I think exhaust on #1 and 5 cyls, which also has a warranty coverage. Not sure if full coverage or if they only pay partial after xx years, but you can find info on both in this forum. Here or maybe the 212 forum.
Hopefully you get two keys because for some reason trade-ins usually only come with one. Do they just not give it to you or do people really lose them? I dunno, but ~4 years ago I wanted a spare and it was $500.

So I guess the first thing I'd do is pull the plugs off the ECU and look for oil. If no info on the others you may need to replace all.
If you do it yourself it's not too bad, but I wouldn't want to pay for all that work. If the dealer did all the above I'd imagine well over $10K? The oil in the harness thing being the worst, which the dealer wants like $7k? Pass, fix it myself for free thank you.

The best perf mod is a tune, and really all it needs imo, but there's lots of other misc things you can do if you really want. Downpipes and no cat are popular. Meth injection and tranny tune come to mind. I think this year range coupe with this motor is sweet, which is why I have one. Took me years to find a nice one.

 

That's great info! here's what's been replaced per Carfax records:
- PCV valve
- New Battery at 111k
- Front and rear Brake rotors and pads at 91k
- Full transmission service at 60K
- Transmission mounts at 104k
- Fuel level sending unit replaced at 107k
- Ignition coils at 112k
- Spark plugs at 112k
- Engine mounts at 112K
- Camshaft position sensor at 120K

Thoughts?

When I get a chance to see the car I'll take a look for oil in the ECU. Where is that located in the engine bay?

 

Its right on top center of the eng. Alum box with cooling fins maybe 9" squareish. Two big plugs on side, each have a slider lock you need to pull to the side first. Should make sense when u c it. Ecu is held in with 4 little rubber mounts, just pull up on a corner and itll pop out, if that makes plug access easier. I do.
The plastic eng cover is in the way too, and u remove it first. just lift to pop off like ecu. The cover uses 3 metal clips that should stay with cover but sometimes not. In each front corner of eng are smaller covers, one around the oil cap. Those come off before the main cover, same metal clip dealies

 

I will check that out, Thank you
Any thoughts on the parts already replaced? My educated guess is that, (at least on the surface), some of the costly items have already been taken care of.

 

Full transmission service is due again ( every 60 K ) . You need to have a cold start to evaluate if the oil pressure check valves are retaining oil properly and there is no initial loud clatter . And there is no blue smoke on startup :-) . Is this the M278 engine? As Chevota said oil in the harnesses is a known issue. MB sells wicking harnesses to stop the oil getting to the ECU. if this is the M278 engine the turbo coolant lines are know to distintegrate, replacing is a major $$$ parts + labor intensive job

A full underbody inspection would be in the cards as you live in a high salt environment. Rust on the subframes in rear and front would be something i would look for. IIRC MB did a recall and full warranty on the rear subframe rust ( replacing the subframe etc.) adding a 10 year warranty ~ 2 years ago.
Also the sway bar links are suspect at at 120 K

Lastly if you have a good scanner, see if it has any codes for anything. If not have MB scan for any codes.