Our cars are 13-20 years old! Mine is 14. Still washes up nice, rides perfect and is very reliable. I've found parts to be readily available and inexpensive. Still has plenty of life left and I can't thing of anything I'd like to replace it with.

How do you feel about your w210? Was it a good investment? I still see plenty on the road

I have a rusty one...so disappointing.

I like mine quite a bit but it is a labor of love sometimes. I prefer to do all the work myself and work to keep the car in excellent condition. When something breaks, I fix it.
The two latest "fun" jobs are:
-troubleshooting an intermittent power mirror. Traced it to an intermittent connection in the door harness where it passes through the accordion between door and car. New harness on order from Germany. Took me around 3 months of part-time effort to finally zero in on the problem.
-replacing the rear sunshade motor. Fun, fun, fun! I'm pulling my photos together and will provide a DIY start-to-end for the archives. Lots of info out there and much of it incorrect.


A "must-have" tool for one of these is a "hot-glue gun". I used to tease my wife for owning one until I discovered it is essential to reglue the door panels and rear package shelf panels! The factory glue deteriorated over the past 16 years and everything falls apart upon disassembly. I now keep it handy anytime I have to disassemble the interior.


Next project: replacing the headliner.


So...a good investment? Not really. I doubt I'll ever get back what I'm putting into it in parts and labor unless I end up owning the last W210 E55 in the world. Worthwhile? Yes. These vehicles have rekindled my interest in cars. Lots of learning and I'm somewhat enjoying returning the car to it's original glory.

why didnt i think of the hot glue gun ! i took off the old glue on the door panels and clamped them down using some strong glue of some sort and letting it dry when i replaced my window regulator.

I need to fix a hand full of things,head liner,a/c only blowing cold out of 1 vent,check engine light probably dealing with the egr vavle,lamp error, alignment. I have to replace my rear visor motor too so that write off will be helpfull to me.

I have 176k going strong but im getting tired of the car i really want a s55 or a amg w210.

kyosuke,
I hear ya. The hot glue gun is one of the best inventions ever. Right up there with the transistor, IMO.


There is a great writeup on the headliner in the W210 section. I figure it would take one full day or two half-days to replace it.


Check Engine Light would best be served by a Diagnostic System. Sooooo much easier!


I have two stickies on front and rear alignment that may be of assistance to you.


FWIW, I perused Craig's List postings for months before the AMGs popped up. Four came up and I passed on two of them as it would have cost too much to bring them up to par. The two I have are nice but, if money is in any way a consideration, I recommend going with a W210 as it is somewhat cheaper and easier to maintain. Plus, it looks like a Russian Mafia staff car!

Certainly not a good "investment," but I enjoy the car. The problem I am absolutely dreading now is fixing a headliner rattle and recovering the thing while I've got it out.

I got mine in October of last year, and it's kept me very busy. In that time I've replaced:
-fuel pump
-battery
-brake rotors
-hood release handle
-winter wheels and tires
-waterpump
-t-stat
-sparkplugs
-rear diff oil
-shift selector switch
-brake light switch
-added a block heater
-serpentine belt
-windshield cowls
-added a cupholder
-38 pin adapter for my OBD2 scanner
And I'm sure I'm missing some things.


Still needs:
-alignment
-refinish wheels
-new summer tires
-small dent repair, and respray front and rear lips due to cracking paint
-timing access cover and gasket
-tensioner pulley
-fix lamp malfunction


Was this car a good investment? No. Am I enjoying it now that it's summer and the car is working as it should? Yes, a lot! Was this the "smart" buy for something to drive to work and back? Hell no. But man it's a nice place to spend an hour a day of mindless commuting!

Well, mine is either 13 years old if you go by the model year or 14 years old of you go by the build date on the door sticker. We've owned it since mid-September.

Good investment? No, but I say that because unless you're talking about something very rare and desirable (and an E320 is definitely not rare), a car is not an investment.

I have had to replace a couple of parts on the car since we bought it, but in both cases it was not hard to do. Thanks to the internet and forums such as this one, there's plenty of info on how to fix these cars, and so far it's been less expensive than I once thought.

That said, I've had the ABS and ESP/BAS lights on for about a month now, and no, it isn't the brake switch! I haven't had the time to really delve into what the cause is, but I suspect it's either the brake travel sensor or the ESP pressure sensor.

Gotta say I really like the car despite this little problem.

will be 20 years old next year but lookin cherry. Still got original paint (except the brabus kit and mouldings)

only signs of age are a couple little rust spots developing in the sunroof and on the trunk

Yeah mine is running on 233,000 and still going! Not since I owned a 1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula have i enjoyed having a car like this. Yeah it's a pita sometimes, but an older car is going to be anyway. My newest project with mine is getting the AC to work again. I got the compressor to turn over and run but found a leak underneath the radiator that i need to trace and see if its a fitting or line. I will have air this year dammit!

I parked next to a 2004 W211 today. The seats were similar but worn and torn. My seats still look great and no tears. Overall my w210 looked much nicer

I recently just bought my w210 this February, and so far I like it, lowered it a little and got some wheels for it to stand out from the rest. Not an "investment" with all the repairs in the future I have to worry about. But at the time being, I enjoy my E320 every time I drive it.

In the past 3 yrs I've done brakes, tires, and a rear passenger window regulator that I bought online for $15 brand new. The most reliable car I've ever owned. Don't assume you have expensive repairs in your future

Piece of crap, if you ask me.
I might be jaded by the two W124s I had owned but compared to those this is an expensive ****e box.
At 60k miles I had the front end bushings, engine mounts, airflow sensor, crankshaft position sensor replaced.
Since then I have replaced the water pump, fuel pump, break lamp switch, shifter bushing, a trasnmission part under the car (the name escapes me now), trunk stops, etc.
Currently not working: navigation, TV, radio, sunroof switch half broken, brake lamp and back-up lamp intermittent, high beam switch broken, had the AC recharged twice, transmission cooling line leaking, the seal between the engine and transmission has been leaking for a long time, now it looks like it needs alignment, the roof-liner is sagging so much I used about 60 thumb tucks to keep it from falling, etc.
It's 15 years old however the milage is only 120k.
I put well over 200k miles on the w124s and hadn't have a quarter of the problems with both combined compared to this pig.
So, good luck to you guys.
I plan to keep it for one more year and am thinking very hard if I should get a W212, MY 2012, or jump shift to Audi or BMW.

By the way the wife's W168 is just as much of a ****e as this one, with barely 65k miles onthe odo and needing a starter, second belt tensioner, window motor, engine mounts, etc.

My 1998 E320 wagon has nearly 269K miles, though I have only owned it 15 months.

It still has the original struts, though the ride is affected by loud squeaking (which oddly goes away on a rainy day). Therefore, we call it "Tin Man".

Replaced the original cats about a year ago.
A few months ago the key fob (original?) died.

Motor mounts should be replaced soon.

I rate the motor/tranny a 9 out of 10 right now.

The motor runs very cool on the highway, the needle at between the 60 and 80 mark on the temp gauge. At its max, the needle will be at the top of the "8" loop.

It is very dependable and never failed to start up (except when the fob died).

Very comfortable to sit in, and the seats are still not torn.

It's got some quirks, like reverse lights not coming on, and A/C cuts out after about 5 minutes. Every once in a blue moon the rear windows will act up.

Feels extremely safe to drive in, and it beats a monthly car payment. I hope it lasts a lot longer!

I'm probably an individualist but I bought my E55 AMG because I was contemplating another AMG (CL65/CL63/S65/S63) and realized one year's depreciation of $50,000USD W216/W221 will pay for the whole W210 including the best maintenance plus all new parts it needed.
Having driven my W210 E55 I have fallen in love with it. It is a very pleasant car to drive with plenty of power and a great character and charisma.
It's a nice project and also I learnt a lot more about cars with my W210! I love it.

Only had mine for 8 months now but I seem to like the car the more I get things sorted out - go figure. Fewer problems = more pleasurable experience.

Actually purchased ours in January. Overpaid for a low-mileage wagon. 6,000 miles later and no new problems....
Wait the rear window washer is broken and is only useful for spraying the car behind me.
Which I just realized is a good thing for a tailgater....

My car is 13 years old, 2002

e430 sport with almost 38k miles now. Changed springs, shocks, rotors, wheels/tires.. Car drives brand new.. Can cruise at 120 all day.. And i picked it up for $5,000 almost a year ago.

Dayummmmmm what a deal

I'm coming up on a year with mine. I previously had a w203 and a w202. I've replaced the driver side mirror due to the heating fluid leaking. Also the alternator a few months back. Used a reman I got for 120. Besides that running good with 84k. Oh yea also the connector on the torque converter was leaking tranny fluid. Easy fix did that on my c320 as well.

I did my alternator a few years ago. Advance auto had it in stock for about that price. I've also changed the leaking transmission electrical connector. My jeep has the Mercedes tranny and changed it there too.

The only good thing about the merger lol on my c320 I was able to run down to the Chrysler Dodge shop and grab a plug instead of waiting days

We've owned ours for just over a year. '99 wagon with 120k. We've replaced one coil and I recharged the ac. Next month is a full tune, struts, end-links and some new hp 3 season tires. Possibly refinish the stock wheels. Not to shabby.

I've had two W210s. The first 1997 (E420) we bought new May 1996 and drove it until 2007. By then the rust had taken its toll. All in all I enjoyed the car but over the years it depreciated almost $50,000 and had its share of maintenance issues. Not a good investment but a nice car, except is was a cow on ice.
The second (E430 4Matic) replaced the E430 which we bought used for $14,000. Today, rust has taken its toll and the car has had its share of maintenance issues along the way. However, depreciation has been a bit over $10,000 so it has been a much better investment, plus the car is great in the winter.
All in all the used E430 was a much better choice. I don't regret buying either car, but I'll never buy a new Mercedes again, they are simply not worth the premium price.