E420
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E420
I just bought a 1997 e420 sedan for my 18 year old daughter to drive back and forth to college. It has a 160,000 miles on it with a few cosmetic repairs needed. I wanted her in a safe car and I believe this car maker to be that if nothing else. The car runs good except a rough idle. The guy I bought it from said it needed an o2 sensor. He has owned the car since 2004. Anyone have any ideas, comments, suggestions for me. ie.. trans fluid change, preventive maintenance. Thanks in advance.
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From: The city that never sleeps
ML320, Looking for my S4
I'm no pro or anything, but a 166K MERCEDES is not a reliable choice. It is a very good car, but the fact that it has 166K on the clock is a bit steep. How far is she driving?
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From: Manassas, VA, USA
2011 VW cc, 2004 ML350
You think that might be because you drive like an *******? A well maintained 166k W210 with the M119 engine shouldn't be much trouble.
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From: The city that never sleeps
ML320, Looking for my S4
no, the car was bought with a bad head gasket, on top of that i really dont push my car THAT hard. normal driving when i'm with my friends is a friendly 30 in the city or 60 on the highway. now when i'm with my friend matt, its all out autobahn speeds 130+
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From: Charlotte, N.C.
06 CLS500, 04 Tahoe, 04 Infiniti G35 Sedan, Boeing 737
My E420 has now 157,000 miles. I bought it with 153,000. Over the past 4 thousand miles or so I have had to put a few buck into it. I have bought 3 coils and spark plugs, installed new front brakes pads, I've had the oil changed with synthetic, I've replaced the front tie rod ends (inner and outer), lower ball joints, and had it aligned. I put chrome wheels on it, my choice, so that was an expense not related to normal upkeep and repairs. All in all I've spent about $1,200 on it, not including the wheels.
Its been a good car to drive. Most of these repairs were normal for the miles and would have had to be done on any car with this mileage.
But dont be surprised when you get a major repair bill from the MB dealership if you take it there for repairs. Try to find an independant mechanic.
Good luck with it..........
Jeff
Its been a good car to drive. Most of these repairs were normal for the miles and would have had to be done on any car with this mileage.
But dont be surprised when you get a major repair bill from the MB dealership if you take it there for repairs. Try to find an independant mechanic.
Good luck with it..........
Jeff
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From: California
1997 E420, 1983 300D
mercedes run forever, ignore the comments of the kids on this forum. frankly having owned an ML and an E class hardly gives you the grounds to comment on the longevity of a benz. everyone knows the ML was the biggest egg MB ever laid. Mercedes do cost money to maintain but you get what you pay for. by putting some money into the upkeep of the car, and not skimping at trouble signs, and not driving like an a$$, you can expect your engine to easily clear a half million miles. true the build quality on a 210 isn't near that of something like the 123, but i wouldn't think twice about buying a mercedes with 100K+ on it as long as i felt confident the car was taken care of.
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'98 E320 4Matic, '85 380SL
It all depends on condition & maintenance, not mileage. I bought my car at ~100k, now at ~130k. The car has been very trouble-free so far.
As the diesel owners on the forum will attest, the comments about the diesel cars being less troublesome than the gas cars are not based on reality. The available engines in the W210 have no major reliability problems, gas or diesel. The only difference between the gas and diesel models is the engine. All the other parts are identical. It's those shared parts, like window regulators, light bulbs, etc., that cause headaches.
While not absolute, the cars with expensive problems are the ones where the owners tried to save some bucks by buying cars that weren't as well-maintained.
As the diesel owners on the forum will attest, the comments about the diesel cars being less troublesome than the gas cars are not based on reality. The available engines in the W210 have no major reliability problems, gas or diesel. The only difference between the gas and diesel models is the engine. All the other parts are identical. It's those shared parts, like window regulators, light bulbs, etc., that cause headaches.
While not absolute, the cars with expensive problems are the ones where the owners tried to save some bucks by buying cars that weren't as well-maintained.
Last edited by lexrex; May 21, 2007 at 04:39 PM.
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From: The city that never sleeps
ML320, Looking for my S4
[QUOTE=galleryvw;2221338]mercedes run forever, ignore the comments of the kids on this forum. frankly having owned an ML and an E class hardly gives you the grounds to comment on the longevity of a benz. QUOTE]
oh, how about the fact my faimly has had, ::280DT 420SEL, S420, ML320 and an e320 over here in ny:: in hk, ::E200 ,S320, S600, and an S500.:: Gee, i guess that doesn't give me any rights to comment.
oh, how about the fact my faimly has had, ::280DT 420SEL, S420, ML320 and an e320 over here in ny:: in hk, ::E200 ,S320, S600, and an S500.:: Gee, i guess that doesn't give me any rights to comment.
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From: SFV, SoCal
2022 CLS450 AMG 4Matic
Had 144k miles on my 97 E420 before I sold it and it ran like new, no BS!!!
Back to the rough idle, did the guy change the spark plugs on the car, that might cause it?
Back to the rough idle, did the guy change the spark plugs on the car, that might cause it?
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From: Bay Area, CA
'97 MB E420 Sport/'88 MR2
107k miles on my 97 E420. Runs like a champ. Had to replace the stop light switch $20. And pads. Change the oil myself. Not an issue. Car runs like new. If you take care of ANY car it will run forever, unless it's a design fault that keeps causing the problems. My daily driver MR2 Mk1 has 254k miles and still runs hard..know guys with 150k miles that have had major issues.
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From: West Virginia
2001 E320 RWD - Brilliant Silver/Ash: 100,000+
MBs are safe cars
That is a safe car in a collision as long as the airbags will still deploy. You might want to have those checked because they have a lifetime, I think of 10 years. I would definitely change the ATF and filter if that has not been done recently. Faulty O2 sensors are an easy diagnosis, even for Pep Boys or Autozone, so that wouldn't hurt. As JDG wrote, you might need plugs, plug wires or coils, in other words a tuneup. I hope you received a service history when you bought that car. Good Luck!
Last edited by Musikmann; May 23, 2007 at 02:40 PM. Reason: adding to message
