Hey guys, I'm new the MB world...been a BMW owner for a few years. At the moment I am STRONGLY considering adding an E420 I found locally in minneapolis. I'm curious what you guys think of this car, and if you might have some advice for me in regards to the kind of maintence items I should be thinking about or concerned about.

The car is a 97 E420 with not quite 109K on it. It's a two owner car...the 2nd owner bought it off of lease in '98 and it was an older couple. The owners are actually in California at the moment, so their son was the one who showed it two me and he said it was his moms driver during the summer, and was garaged all winter. The pics I have don't really do the car justice...I should have taken some, but the car is IMMACULATE inside and out. The engine sounds beautiful. It was in an slight accident in 04 and had the right front quarter panel replaced because someone backed into it. You can't tell by looking at it other than the new quarter panel looks slightly less swirled. The best thing about the car is the lady had it serviced at the dealership where I happen to know one of the lead technicians. They have all the paperwork themselves, but I plan on calling that dude up tonight to ask him about this car and see what he thinks about it.

The only thing cosmetically wrong with the car is that there is are some rock chips in the front of the hood that have started to rust up a bit, and there is one spot of rust about the size of a golfball in the driver side rear door near the trim. The inside of the car is spotless and the leather is amazingly well taken care of.

At the moment I haven't looked at the service history, but I plan on doing that shortly, so I'm not sure what has been done as far as maintenance at the moment. Can you give me an idea as to what I should keep an eye out for? I'm a DIY'er and I have done quite a bit of work to the v8 in my 7 series, so I'm not afraid to dig in. My idea is that if I have two beautiful german cars in the stable that I should be able to keep at LEAST one of them up and running at any given time .

So what do you guys think, guy is asking 5700, but I think I can bring him down from that due to the rust spots...thanks in advance!




Color:
moon stone
Miles:
109,000
Body Style:
4-Door Sedan
Fuel Type:
Gasoline
Engine:
4.2L V8 SFI DOHC 32V
Drive:
Rear Wheel Drive

Air Conditioning, Alarm System, Alloy Wheels, Anti-Lock Brakes, Bucket Seats, Cargo Lamp, Cassette, Child Proof Lock(s), Cruise Control, Cup Holders, Driver Air Bag, Dual Climate Control, Heated Seats, Keyless Entry, Leather Interior, Off Road Lights, Passenger Air Bag, Power Brakes, Power Drivers Seat, Power Locks, Power Mirrors, Power Moon Roof, Power Seats, Power Steering, Power Windows, Rear Defrost, Remote Trunk Lid, Side Air Bags, Sun Roof, Tilt Wheel, Tinted Windows

 

Its a 13 year old car with over 100K miles. If it were me in that position I would look at some other less exotic more mundane car that would cost less to maintain. Remember the cost to keep it running is a factor of the original new price. One major repair can be more than you paid for the car. Besides all of the features you showed thinking were options were actually standard and its not even a 4 Matic.

 

Rust is a problem. Before even considering, get it up on a hoist and look at the spring perches and other places known to rust on some cars. Also, obviously, look for other rust and figure out where that other rust spot is coming from.

That said, I still think this is a little high. The V6 E320 should give you almost the same performance, and parts are easier to find for that car as it had a much longer life.

Yet, with these things, everything is in the details -- we can't look at the car; only you can do that.

 

I did actually look under the car (jacked it up and crawled) and the suspension is mostly free of rust. It's certainly nothing to be concerned about from what I could see.

Question for you regarding the E320...the other car I was looking at was a 98 C320...I assume that would be a similar/same engine? That was also a really clean car, but it had 140K on the clock. I can post pics of that one as well, but that one was also really clean inside and out. It was higher mileage for a similar price, so I was inclined towards the E-class, but maybe you would go another direction?

 

Was the transmission serviced? If so, you're probably not going to get hit with any major mechanical repairs. Just little stuff that adds up.

The price is cheap. It's a good looking car.

Small rusted rock chips on the hood aren't an issue, just make sure you touch them up. I would worry about the rust on the door. You need to get that fixed, which probably means getting the door patched and repainted. I would get an estimate, because that's not a DIY and could become a big issue if it continues.

 

Same price, C320 140k miles versus E420 109k miles: get the E class. Less miles, generally better built car, bigger engine. If the C was lower mileage or cheaper, maybe it would make sense, but generally you want to buy as far up the line as you can (C, CLK, E, CLS, S/CL).

 

Rust in the body cavities usually starts on the inside so if you can see it on the outside expect more. If it were me I'd keep looking. Best of luck.

 

My thoughts exactly. I'm thinking that rust spot is going to be a few hundred bucks at least and that is high priority. It looks like the transmission hasn't been serviced according the service history I'm looking at. Are we talking about a flush and filter change here, or are we talking about something more serious? I know a pretty good tranny shop that does good work.

I at least feel like I know what I'm getting into with my experience with my 7 series. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment, but man, it is such a nice looking car. If he can come down a bit on the price I'm going to have to pull the trigger I think.

 

If it's rot, run. If it's surface rust, this car sounds like a gem. Having all the service records is a real positive. And it sounds like you're capable of taking care of the car yourself, which is key. If you can get the price down some, you don't have that much to lose so enjoy it. And, naturally, I'd recommend the V8 over the V6. Nothing beats that torque!

Fred

 

Filter and fluid change will do it. If it was done under 80k miles, that's good preventative maintenance. If you buy it, I would do it pretty soon. That's probably the best insurance on one of these cars against major issues.

I don't follow these guys that much, but the price seems pretty fair if you can get the rust issues fixed.

 

I got him to come down. I talked to the mechanic at the dealership and he remembers this car and the owner. Told me it's perfect all around. I mentioned to him that I might want to get the transmission flushed and he told me to do that and the clutch fluid as well. He said the clutch was pretty easy...just a screw plug, but good preventative.

So once I get the paperwork done I'll be the proud owner of a 97 E430! Thanks for the advice and the warnings from everyone. I appreciate it!

 

"Clutch fluid"? -- maybe he was pointing out that there is a drain plug on the torque converter?

 

Umm...duh, yeah sorry. Yes, he was talking about draining the torque converter.

 

FWIW, no such thing as a 1998 C320. The W202 of 1998 was C230, C280, C43.

 

Saintz, the E class 320 and the C class 320 used the same motor provided you are comparing same model years. The V6 is the M112 motor and is the same for both models. In 98, I believe the C was not available with the 320. The E class is midsized and is roomier than the C which to a tall person might feel a little cramped.

 

price is cheap and looks like a very good deal.