PDXMercedes

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</td><td bgcolor="#ffffff" width="100%">I have very little practical knowledge of the E320 other than they went to a V6 in '97. I have a chance to purchase an extremely low mileage 2000 E320 (no sports, no AWD and it's not a wagon). One owner car that has far exceeded manufacturers service recommendations (frequent oil changes).

Consumer Reports gives this car a thumbs down in many key areas although owner experiences (ala Edmunds, etc.) seem to be very favorable. As a 10 year-old pristine example with less than 20k on the odometer is this a good car to purchase or should I run from it? The price I would be paying is the going rate so no great deal.

I come from the BMW side where all the new cars are becoming impossible to own outside of their warranty: for example, the fuel filters are now contained within the fuel tank along with the fuel pump which means when the filter is clogged requires a $3k-$8k replacement of the fuel tank depending on the model. No kidding. I don't know if Mercedes has gone to that kind of craziness and if they have, when did they start?

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RichardM98

Hello and Welcome to the forum -

A car with 20000mi over 10 years should have had 10 oil changes (once a year). How many more times did it get changed?

If you haven't done so, you might want to read the stickey "Look Here First" at the top of this forum for Common Issues. For a car with such low mileage, most problems, if any, are down the road a ways.

Since this forum is dedicated to W210 owners, I think most of us would rate the model positively. As with any used car purchase, have it professionally inspected. Especially if you will be paying a premium for low mileage. As one of MB's most popular models, there are many to choose from.

Regarding routine maintenance, if you can do some of the work yourself costs are very reasonable. If you must go to the dealer for everything, then a MB is not such a cheap car to maintain.

ohlord

the m112 v6 in 1998
where are you located?
Have it professionally inspected.
If priced right with edmunds for those miles pick it up.

Make sure the harmonic balancer recall was done if your vin number was one of those subject to the recall
make sure the spring perches are inspected properly.Either by an indie shop or a dealer that knows how to peel the mastic inspect and reseal it properly.
Run the a/c diagnostics
or have them ran to be sure the a/c is up to snuff.
Keep us posted
fuel filter etc are all easy diy stuff
look at the diy section on the w210 forum www.benzworld.org

dsmith

Yes, MB is at least as bad as BMW out of warranty. The W210 isn't really in that category (about like an e36), save for the CAN BUS interior that is difficult to diagnose and very expensive to repair. The rest of the car is pretty easy to DIY versus an e46, e39 and on BMW, for fluids and normal suspension wear items. Cooling systems seem more robust as do the a/c electronic heads and gauge clusters.

Biggest drawback is that you can't buy a manual trans in a Benz.

PDXMercedes

Thank you, actually there are records for at least two oil changes per year which isn't great but adequate. Condensation can occur "creating" moisture in the engine that won't burn out during the short trips this e320 has experienced most of it's life. The car is physically pristine and going for under $10k.

PDXMercedes

Thanks-The e320 (2000) is a California car with never a minute in snow or ice. It was also not a commute car either as evidenced by the miles.

RichardM98

Sludging was an issue on some early W210 cars. MB uses the car's computer to monitor oil quality and driving habits to recommend the proper service interval. If the get the car, read the section on FSS (Flexible Service System) in the manual. Some owners failed to use the required MB Spec 229.3/229.5 oil and a polyester media filter and had problems.

If it has spent it's life in California, chances are the spring perch issue won't be a problem.

Sounds like a pretty good find.