MB Enthusiast

I think its time to look for a new car . My 1997 E320 has been good to me but she has 250K and I think she has done her Job

1. What could I expect to get for a car that mechanicaly is in good shape,body fair but never in acident,6 CD changer,Moon roof,new rims/tires,250K

2. My budget is 13K what could I expect to buy E320 - Year Milage condition

3. I might be moving back up north from where I am now in Florida so I think 4 matic is a must. How much does this change year/condition I can afford?

4. How much does 4matic affect milage. I get around 22 now on my 1997 but at one time I was getting 26

ohlord

might get 3.5k for the m104.
13k budget for a newer model a low low mile 02,inspect as always.Be willing to travel,I would not buy an east coast 4 matic from the snow belt on up.
A few mpg hit for the 4 matic.Did I mention get it inspected
Change the trans fluid and filter,mb spec only.
The M112 gets better mpg than the m104. Easier to work on and more diagnostics to tap into.Happy hunting.

MB Enthusiast

I would like to look around on line

Any suggestions on good search engines

fosmith

I'd check out an E430 4matic. You should be able to find a nice one for that price. No knock on the 320s (they're great cars) but I do like the torque of the V8.
Fred

RichardM98

Besides a little weight and driveline friction, the 4Matic has a final drive ratio of 1:3.27 while the regular wagon is 1:3.07. So maybe 2 mpg highway or 27 vs. 29.

When I was shopping a year ago here in California, a 4Matic was about $1200-$1500 more than an equivalent RWD. Although I could have been misled since I only looked at a couple (4Matics that is).

Although it might be harder to find one, I would suggest shopping for a 'southern' (below the snow belt) car and taking it back up north. A ten year old car which has been driven on salted roads in the winter is pretty likely to have corrosion starting somewhere.

The car I finally bought I found thru a Craigs List private party ad.

Just my $0.02.

Figuero

I recently went from a '97 E420 to an '02 E430 4Matic. The drop in mileage was negligible on the highway. I think city mileage suffers more though. I don't think the difference is enough to affect the decision. If you drive in the snow....get the 4Matic. I wish I would have traded to 4Matic years ago.

As you are used to the V8 420, I would recommend the 430 hands down. Even then, you will notice a drop in acceleration, probably due to the 4Matic. Plus, the 420 is simply a sweeter engine than the 430.

As far as search engines... www.edmunds.com and of course www.mbusa.com

MB Enthusiast

Any other input is greatly appreciated

It is always better to hear from someone who has purchased and is driving rather than a review or a dealer

ohlord

use to a M104 E320,a nice 4matic 320 will fit the bill.And obviously a few have not run up against a certain modified 99 E320 Wagon
They can hold their own.
18 and 27 for the 320 sedan compared to 16 and 21
for the 4matic 430 is a bunch to give up.
When you are ready to start looking in earnest give us a heads up.

ejsheltra

Try Cars.com and Autotrader.com. Remember to pull history from dealer on VIN and have it inspected at good quality dealer. Southwestern cars are good for no corrsion but will sacrifice on plastics and leather from the added heat. Pull Carfax history for 20$ as well. Worth it on the short list. Ask for many pics if unable to see locally. Ask for pics of problem spots and underneath the car. If looking for a wagon look at the last year made for S/W210 which is 2003 and 2002 for W210 sedan. A wagon with a nice set of staggered wheels will look sharp and provide alot of room.

ohlord

Rock
and they are easy enough for my youngest to work on when he breaks away from modifying the littlest race car in the Fam.
this is at age 10 getting rid of the rubber bumper so nerf bars could be installed for the track.At 13 now all he wants to do is work on the MB's
The wagon is very forgiving with a 13 year old punching the pedal on old country roads
Get a wagon

e320avangarde

buying a car is not easy, u can use all our opinions but still if u are not lucky next day could be something wrong with engine and trans.
i saw the best deal is if u have car with one or max two owners.each owner longer than 3 years .in that case the car was fixed on right way.if u find at dealer do noy buy ! why?because dealers moving cars among them that we can thing it is brand new trade in or so.most of time they buying on auction very cheap,or from the insurance company.most of time those cars does not have history.even carfax can not help.

bottom line it is more luck than knowledge .one more thing before u make decision of buying make sure that u can lock /unlock all doors,trunk with spare key.

Figuero

For some reason I thought you had a 420. Since you are driving an E320 today you should be happy with a newer 320 as well. As far as gas mileage, the very best I've seen is 23mpg for pure hwy @ steady 75mph. Mixed is about 19.

chamnya

02 e430 4matic

in 2.5k miles i drove, i got 19 city and 26.5 hwy

e320avangarde

I did some of that testing before here is results:

-v6 engine 3.3lit. about 10 years old will do 12.5 lit/per 100 km hwy. and
14.2 city (this is for infiniti qx4 and most of pathfinders)

-Now e320 V6 9 years young will do 9 lit./per(I had one time 8.7) 100 km hwy. and city 10.5lit./per 100 km(normal driving conditions not racing)

average temp outside 20 deg.Celsius

MB e 320 has the most efficient engine V6 I `v ever seen around.

-The test on the snow amazing no drifting possible,only if you disengage esp.
with toyo tires and michelin pilot tires traction is very good.

I had c230 while ago and it is the worst car for winter .Small hill and you are toast (tested with new Continental tires) C230 is very light and that is main reason.

-bottom line 4-matic using more gas especially S430 v8 (parts also more money)good for snow I can say yes, but if you now how to drive than rear wheel drive will be o.k. too.

so far e320 is my selection and it is so good real fun to drive......

SLOPESTAR

Search and inspect. I waited over a year to find the right car. 99' e320 4matic wagon. after all inspections and carfax, i paid about 9500 out the door from a local dealer here in Orange County CA. I get about 25mpg with mixed hwy and city driving. I have also tried unsuccesfully, to pitch/hydroplane/whatever in wet conditions and the 4matic system takes over. The wagon /with rack will take my family of 4 with surfboards/kiteboards/snowboards anywhere in style/luxury and great mpg. just do your homework and after tooling around town in my 92' 190E, the wagon has oodles of power. I love my estate!!!