Folks,

I am a newbie to MB - I own (or have owned) one of pretty much every other brand with 4 wheels on it from Germany, but never a MB.

Lease on my 4.2 A6 is up and I am considering buying a 1999 E300 TD. I am tired of feeding 80 Litres of premium to the Audi every week.

Just wondered if anyone can offer some feedback on what you like or dislike about the E300 diesel. I test drove the car I am considering today, and I was very impressed with the performance of the 3.0 L diesel. This one has 155,000 km on it, which I suspect is just around break-in for this engine.

If anyone can offer tips on what I should be looking for in buying a used E300, I am all ears. Any mileage data others get on this vehicle I'd also be keen to hear about. Present owner says 45 mpg is not unusual.

Feedback on maintenance costs, such as brakes, turbo (heaven forbid if anyone has ever had to do one of those) or other major/minor repairs, I am keen to hear what sort of costs you have seen from a dealer on this sort of maintenance.

This one does not have Xenon lights but I presume these can be acquired after market, yes ?

Only thing that bothered me is the rear seats in this model do not fold down to offer more space for the trunk (I'm a skier and I like to carry them inside the car). There was also some minor rust around the trunk lock recepticle where the key is inserted, which MB apparently paid to fix. Outside of that it looks and drives fine.

Thanks in advanced for your assistance.

sw

 

I cannot recommend it. And with recent rampant quality problems, I wouldn't recommend the new E320CDI either.
If you want a M-B diesel, shop carefully for a well-maintained 1980s model.

I just came very close to trading mine in on a 2000 A6 2.7. How did you like your Audi, other than fuel consumption?


https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ight=Nightmare

http://mbca.cartama.net/showthread.p...ight=Nightmare

 

The A6 was amazing - except for its thirst for fuel. If you want performance, there is no end of it in the model I have - I will miss it when the lease ends. Quattro coupled to an engine that delivers easily north of 300 HP is a wonderful thing.

What sort of problems to the late '90s E300s have ? I have not heard of any of them, since I am new to the MB world.

Steve

 

Steve,

More light reading:

http://www.mercedes-benz-usa.com/e_class.php

http://mbca.cartama.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2434

Cheers,
Ed

 

You will definately rrejoice at the pump, especially if you do a decent amount of highway travel.

 

Agreed.

The other thing to consider, Steve, is if you had a QUATTRO, you won't find a 4Matic diesel. So, if AWD is a must, you need to look elsewhere.

Ed

 

I know. I take the Quattro for granted - and its awesome, especially when it's tied into Audi's Electronic Stability Program. I've had that car on a completely snow-packed road, put my foot to the floor, and the car tracked like a tank down the road, thanks to the power, quattoro and stability control. All that I will miss.

In the meantime I have come across a used A8 with the 310HP 4.2 engine and it looks pretty awesome. Test drove it yesterday - despite being a larger car than my A6, it's lighter (thanks to the aluminum frame/body) and it's definitely quicker than my 4.2 A6. Course that choice is worlds away from what I would see in a diesel Benz, as far as fuel consumption goes.

Steve

 

As with any six year old car with that many miles, there can be problems, as there are with any used vehicle.

Mine is of that age and mileage, but there have been relatively few problems aside from the current C E light.

Having driven much more powerful cars, you'll not likely be satisified with the performance, or lack thereof with any of the older diesels. Anyhow, I doubt if you could find one in your area that wasn't totally consumed by terminal cancer anyhow.

Take with many grains of salt the fruel economy mileage claims made by many!
Do not believe anyone that tries to tries to tell you that they get 45 mpg. It simply isn't possible given the vehicles specs.They simply will not do what the EPA stickers claim, which is 26 city/36 highway. Tank average is 29 mpg for ours. It has done as poorly as 20 mpg in town to a high of 32 mpg on the highway at rather slow speeds. It will travel from the Southern California area to Las Vegas and back at the speed limit with the A/C on, and have enough fuel left that the low fuel light has not come on yet! That is their strong suit.

Performance is another. Torque is the word here, with maximum torque of about 240 ft/lbs occuring at only 1600 rpms.
As long as you're satisfied with 0 to 60 mph in the 9 second neighborhood, you will be happy.

Brakes are not much different than any other vehicle. I did not like the way our cars brakes were when I bought ours used, so went through them myself. I spend close to $300 which included brand new rotors and pads all around, which cured the pulsating problems caused by the original rotors that were evidently warped. One does not turn MBZ rotors, although we tried. Best to simply replace 'em. And, they're not really that expensive either.

Is there any kind of warranty available with this car? It will not perform like your 4.2 A6, but you'll get used to the better fuel economy which here lately is starting to get up there, no? I hear it is approacing $1 CDN per liter up in CA.

Good luck with your decision.