Koru_Kinshi

So there's a '99 E430 I'm looking to pick up. What kind of quirks or mechanical issues should I look at before I go ahead and buy it? The expert opinions of the forum are appreciated.

Sorry about the mistype.

tanktube67

try to get maintenance records

ohlord

the particulars.
Price
From who private party
how many miles
service history
condition


If you are an accomplished mechanic inspect all the usual suspects
Rust
recalls
suspension
Transmission operation
A/C system
Lights all including fogs and dash pixels
Talk to the owner for a good half an hour before you take it for a good test drive,you can find out a lot about the car by just gabbing

raymond g-

i have most of the TSBs if you need. file is 60mb so here are titles only. can
pull out select ones if you identify. dont let the list scare you off. just focus
on the 'recall' and be aware of the others. search forum for specifics

Koru Kinshi

Thanks for the info. It's from a dealer, so I'm hoping that will increase my chances of a better purchase.

ohlord

You will pay several thousand more for the same car private party.They may stick you with an over priced warranty.Are you paying cash?If not and you finance the deal you will be upside down the minute you drive over the curb.
Plenty of good cash deal private party cars in Ca.
get it inspected,shop smart,look at the E320 also,greater selection,less abuse.
ohlord

post the info---price ,miles,etc.


two profiles----you drive an e55 and asking about w210 models?

or you drive an 02 c230k?

Koru_Kinshi

No, I drive a C230K. I used to have an SL 600 3 years ago until it went boom. The '01 E 55 was a dream car. :P Thanks for the info. I went to look at the car and wasn't very impressed, so back to looking.

Britrover

Check for squeaks and rattles in the rear haedrests and the headliner. It will usually make a thud over the bumps. The headliner fix is very easy but I still drive my 01 E430 with the rear headrests upright as the moment they go down the squeaks are back.

I also have a 99 E320 4 Matic. Overall this is a very solid car and I would highly recommend it.

SLR199

I believe this is correct. Provided we are talking about a Mercedes dealer. The dealer performs a CPO inspection before the car is sold, and the used car manager pays for it out of his pocket. Im sure its added to the cost of the car, but the prices are all dealer prices, so your saving a bit on the parts cost, and you wont have to worry about anything major going wrong with it for a while. I know whenever I get a CPO I make sure I look over every single entire piece of the car for anything remotely broken/worn. Hope this helps.

ohlord

pre owned is a program for cars with less then a certain amount of miles and under a certain amount of years old.
And I have seen too many members with cpo have trouble and issues with service on a car they overpaid by several thousands over what it was worth.

He will keep looking and find a good private party cash deal,inspected and well sorted out