AMG_Fred

Hi, im going to take a look at a car this weekend which is a 98 e430. It has a salvage title and 72k miles. The salvage title supposedly came because the previously ( previous owner ) the car was stolen and a few things were broken/stolen such as the ignition key ( from what i remember when talking to him ) He had put on aftermarket 18" chrome wheels which i don't really like much and he doesn't have the stock wheels. What things should i look for in this car? it is a charcoal color. The guy is asking 11,500 Or best offer. I did not have a chance to ask about service records. What should i look for? What sounds should i listen for? Any of these things are typical of breaking in this year? Is this year a good year or does it have too many problems? Hopefully, this goes through , and the mods will begin Nothing rice of course though.

ruffrob

This thread should honestly tell you what's what.....Good Luck with your purchase

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w210/131771-list-common-w210-problems.html

AMG_Fred

Ok then, then what are your own personal thoughts on the w210? is the 98 a good year? This car will be mine through college and a bit after until im able to afford a brand spanking new amg. hopefully the w204 will look good or maybe ill spring for the e class amg. The first mod will probably be to lower it, and then put in the projector headlights. To those who have done that upgrade... did the light output increase/decrease/or stay the same after the upgrade?

MB_E430

I agree with Ruffrob read this thread for common problems and ask the owner how many of them has he fixed. The mileage looks good I have a "98" E430 with 116,000 and I drive my car hard ex. Saturday 110 mph for 10 miles then that night I raced a "C" class at over 130 mph he dropped out eventually hehe gotta love that BIG 8 cyl engine speaking of which think about gas prices I spend $80 a week on gas (sorry don't remember mpg but it loves gas) I use almost a 1/4 tank each day on 70 mile round trip to work.
I have a post in the thread Ruffrob posted a new additon will be a MAF (Mass Air Flow around $200 I think) and I'm getting a "Check Engine Electronics" error message I need to check. Some of the wiring is getting bad I changed a bulb up front and the coating just crumbled not good, so check the wiring.

Richard / E320

I didn't take the time to look up the used values, but you can research them at www.kbb.com and www.nada.com

I can tell you that any luxury vehicle typically will only be worth 1/2 of blue book values to a dealer when it has a salvaged title. In fact, most new-car dealers won't even keep a salvage titled vehicle; they wholesale them out or don't even take them in on trade to begin with.

I myself wouldn't buy a salvaged-titled vehicle because no matter how much money you put into it, you're pretty much throwing it all away. There will come a day in the future when you want to sell it and that's when reality hits. Just my opinion, but I feel that there are plenty of older M-B's out there for sale, so why buy salvaged, even if it seems like a 'good deal' today?

MARK CUMMINS

Remember ....Most Insurance Companies Will Only sell you Liability on a Salvaged vehicle.. As the car was a Total write off and they dont want to pay out twice for a total loss on the same vehicle

ruffrob

I agree with the guys above on buying a salvaged car. No matter how much you spend on it,the second the next buyer sees that title,your ability to negotiate is pretty much out the window. Go to a dealer,or even find a person to person in the classified,but don't buy that one. It's a hole you can't climb out of. As I stated before,Good Luck with whatever you purchase....

smazur

Just remember that this car, at this age will cost you a good amount in repairs each year. You'll have MAF, window regulators, possibly head gasket, ball joints, various electrical, bulbs, etc. Probably a grand per year. Not to mention gas and insurance.

Get it looked at by a qualified independent mechanic to find out exactly why it has a salvage titlt. It's not likely to have a salvage title for a the mionor problems you listed. It's more likely a major accident that involved repairs in the thousands...

If your in school and think money may be tight, then you may want to stay away from MB and go for something with better reliability.

If money's no object, go for it.

smazur

College boy,
take a look at this link to see what you're in for...
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=131771

enzo430S

I recently picked up a 98 E430 for $17K in the Hawaii (usually cars cost a bit more here). I picked it up with only 32K miles on the odo.

I love the car and have not had much issues. I do mostly highway driving so I get anywhere between 17-20 mpg. I was really shocked when I got 20 mpg from a V8!

My car has the normal wear and tear, like swirl marks, door dings, etc. but other than that it was pretty solid. I recently took my car in for a Service B and it costed me about $385 for mostly the oil change. Ouch. They checked other things but they were OK. Be prepared to pay A LOT of money for maintenance on german cars like MB.

Good luck.

Mr. B

anytime you purchase a used car… salvaged title or not… get the vin. # and do a title search… on the salvage title you’ll want the detailed title search… not the cheap intro title search... you want to know it’s complete registration history… (who owed it and when, did it every sit unregistered, accidents reported, smog check history, you know… everything)

beware: there are a lot of used vehicles on the market today in-part thanks to 0% new car financing… not to mention, a lot of “salvaged titles” expected to surface from the Katrina disaster… think about it... just be careful… if you can’t completely trust the person you’re purchasing from... make sure you have all the facts.

i personally… would stay clear of salvage title…

unless of course, you were aware of its complete history…
expected to keep it for life… and were willing to cover any and all repairs or restoration needed to make you happy..!!

best of luck on whatever you decide.



~ Mr. B ~

nimski62

It probably has a "theft recovery" type of salvage title