jillandbrian

We need a second car and are looking at a used E320 1998 with 144000km (90000 miles). Any input on reliability, major problems, and maintenance tips would be greatly appreciated. We live in Victoria, BC - with nice salt-free winters.

Brian Andrew
SLK320 (my wife's)

RichardM98

It's really a big question so I'll just mention a few things.

First, these cars are quite reliable if they have been taken care of according to MB recommendations. They are a safe vehicle with 5 star side and 4 star front impact ratings. 90K miles is below average for the year and with proper care they can go 250K.

Some issues: 1) there was an issue with spring perches (part of front coil suspension) rusting. This can easily be inspected for 2) there was an issue with rust along the bottom of the doors and under the handle for the trunk 3) there was a recall for the harmonic balancer on the front of the engine (dealer will inspect and replace for free if needed) 4) 100K is probably a major service milestone. Some potential issues are MAF, O2 sensors, catalytic converters, spark plugs and transmission service 5) some minor issues are tail light bulbs losing contact. All of the 'recall' issues have probably been addressed in a 12 year old car.

Bear in mind you are buying a luxury car which sold for in excess of $50K when new. While the price of the car has come down, the cost of maintenance has not. If you can/wish to do your own routine maintenance and simple repairs, cost of ownership is very reasonable. If you chose to go to an good independent MB mechanic, it's bearable. If you go to the dealership for everything it will be expensive. For example (rough estimate), if you are replacing front brake pads and disks, DIY - $225, Indie - $350 and dealer $650.

The most important thing you can do is have a professional inspect the car. You'd be surprised how often someone post a question like - "I just bought a MB and on the way home the Check Engine Light came on." It's likely a professional would have caught that during a test drive and OBDII scan.

I would also shy away from cars that have no service history (documents). If you think about it, anyone with service documents that show the car was well cared for would want to present them. So if they are missing it's at least a 'yellow' flag.

Finally, beside the issues I mentioned if you do a search for "Common Problems" in this forum you'll find a thread with a much more complete list of issues. Just remember that most owners will not experience those problems (or maybe just one).

Good luck. These are great cars and a pleasure to drive.

jillandbrian

Tx for this - very useful. We have our SLK320 serviced by a local MB/European import specialist at very reasonable rates. If I go ahead I will ask him to do an inspection.