I am thinking of buying a used 2001 E320 4-door Sedan (2WD) with 178K miles on it.

I need a vehicle that can make it to 300-500K+ miles, as I put on around 50K per year. I have looked into the Mercedes as I knew a few people who had theirs well into 400K+, yet many of those were from the late 70's to early 80's models. Also I am a tall person, 6' 5", and am not on the small size in build.

I have read over many of the "common problems" in the sticky'd thread and to be honest, I think I have found worse issues on newer vehicles of the non-German manufactured.

My question to you all, if you feel so inclined to answer, would you recommend this car for a first time MB owner? Do you believe it last with regular maintenance for many miles of road pounding?

I do much of my own repairs, unless I am somewhere I cannot get my oil changed, nor am I broke. I do not want to spend more than I make a month on my car either.

Yes many people tell me Honda/Toyota yet I do not "fit" well in them, and most of the used ones in my area are "hot rod'd" out, and to be honest I am not huge on working on cars where my pink can't fit into the dip stick!

 

Tough to answer this for you. All depends on your financial margin and tolerance for messing with a vehicle. If all you want to do is turn the key and go...MB is not for you.

Pros:
1. Awesome ride and drive
2. Safe
3. Ownership pride

Cons:
1. Expensive to maintain and repair
2. Require more attention
3. Expensive to maintain and repair

 

Thanks for the reply Gunnar.

Well of course I want to turn the key and go, yet I understand that will only last so long.

I am not a poor man, nor a rich man, yet even on my current vehicles I spend quite a bit on them, and do most of my own repairs and regular maintenance. I really don't like to depend on others to do the work, unless I believe it is beyond my ability.

My biggest concern is more about reliability. Is the E320 not a good choice for a first MB maybe? I like the looks, the fit and just plain how it drives, yet I find that is true for just about any MB I have been in. Of course the one biggest thing about them is that I can get in and out of them without twisting and turning my frame into many different positions, nor do I feel the door support between the 2 doors pushing in on me.

I like trucks, again not a small guy here, yet 11mpg is not gonna cut it anymore, and that is with a great amount of driving care. Yes, 22mpg, if that, not a huge gain, still better than 11mpg on a great day! Not to mention room for the kids.

As to requires more attention, I tend to go overboard on those items. I use a calender to send me reminders for all manufacturer suggested maintenance, and since I have to keep track of milage for my company, once I hit 5K miles, I pull over to the nearest respectable Oil Change shop, unless I am with a couple hundred miles of home. If something big like a full tune-up is coming up (Plugs/cap/wires/O2/All Filters/etc) then I leave the vehicle at home and rent a car until I can get home and work on it. Not to mention it allows me time to order my parts and have them show up. Currently I use Amazon, as for my current vehicles I can find many of the parts (OEM or better) for so much cheaper than the local shops.

 

I just bought my 2nd Mercedes (2001 E430 sport) with 145,000 on it. I didn't blink an eye with the mileage either. All cars have the ability to run forever, just depends on how much the owner loves them

 

i have found this vehicle to be very inexpensive to maintain and repair. Parts are readily available and not particularly expensive. Case in point, I just broke one of my foglights. Found a brand new one on eBay for $23 and replaced it. Cheaper the the replacement bulb at Autozone.

 

I would look for a E430. MB is known for their superior V-8s and the 430 has the power that you will need. My 01 430 has 110K on it and running strong. However, little thing happen all the time and prepare to spend some money on upkeep, especially electronics. Right now my car needs RMS (just sweating) and valve cover gasket, temp module in dash, and matts.... Just spen $3k on radiator (may be residual from running over a truck tire), Belts and radiator hoses ( to which the service person said I did not need, but while the radiator was out I thought I would save on the labor to fix thes now)plugs all fluids, tranny differential and AC service and some tranny regulator, which was leaking. I guess I am one of those who only trust my dealer to work on my car. I use a local dealer and they are great. I use their service specials out of their internet site and save lots of money.

 

The 320 is quite powerful as well and is a very reliable motor. Plus it gets around 29 mpg on the highway

 

Look for a one owner with a verifiable service history. 178,000 is not a big concern if the PO took care of the car like you do yours.

 

Regular tranny flushes would be one of the first things I check in the sevice records. Most of my maintenance costs have been suspension related (about to replace ball joints for 2nd time) or electronic (ABS sensors, dashboard pixels etc). The motor is awesome and I also get 29 mpg.