There are a couple W210 E320's that have caught my interest since walking from a W211. I have not seen either car in person yet, so this is from the ads and speaking to owners.

Car 1: White w/ gray, 145,000 miles. Driven regularly, but just not far. There are a few things going on. AC needs a charge, headliner sagging, shifter won't shift over to the manual shift side of the gate, AND needs cat converters (they're rattling) But it does have service records dating to new, and seems to have been well taken care of. Asking price: $1000

Car 2: Silver w. gray, 113,000 miles. I haven't spoken to the owner yet so strictly going off advert. But claims to have near flawless body, and mechanically perfect. No leaks, no rattles etc, 1 owner car with clean carfax (which I haven't seen) The pics post do have the car looking tip top, but they don't show the headliner at all. Asking price: $3000

What say you MB World? And why?

 

1) Do a search on the forum and read up on the pros and cons of owing a w210 and what to watch for (plenty of discussions on this topic)
2) Always look for a used car with full service records vs. one without. (but still have it inspected a a professional for peace of mind and your wallet)
3) Mileage difference is only a years worth of driving (more or less); The time, $$ and effort you need to put into Car 1 vs. Car 2 (you still need to visually check it)
4) if Car 2 has less issues, this may be your ticket: pick up and drive away vs. Car 1 - pickup and fix (time and more money out of pocket). You have 2 cars where the price difference looks to be the cost and parts to repair.
5) ALL depending on your personal budget and timeline to fix things (I've seen many a neighbor buy their desired car (that needs fixing) only to have it sit in the garage or driveway as a house ornament (collecting dust/rust) where their wives/girlfriend silently say to themselves, "when is he going to fix this thing...."

Just a thought - you want to drive it or be a backyard mechanic (with a feather duster...)?

 

I currently don't have a W210, but I have owned several other Mercedes (diesels, gas, coupes, sedans) and currently have a R230 (2008 SL550) and have been shopping for a w210 (I just wanted you to know where my opinion was coming from).

I probably wouldn't consider Car #1 even though it is cheaper for these reasons:

1. Regarding the AC needing a charge... If it needs a charge, there might be a leak; finding and fixing this leak could be easy or not... Also, the problem could be more than low or leaking Freon. I've had Mercedes that "needed a charge" and after they were charged, no leaks were detected (using UV light) and the ac was nice and cold, but then the compressor went out within 2 weeks of adding the freon. This has happened to me on two different Mercedes. I'm sure there is a good technical explanation of why the compressor went out shortly after charging the AC: maybe compressor was on it last leg, maybe oil in the system was bad, maybe pressure was not correct... Who knows? All that mattered at that time was that I had to replace the compressor and this was around $1,000 or more once everything was put back together, if my memory is correct... Point is that this could be a $50 fix, or $1,000+++ fix...
2. Regarding the shifter issue, this sounds like it might be an easy fix, but if this was an easy fix why haven't they fixed it? Without knowing what the problem was and what it was going to cost to fix it, I would pass...
3. When a car has things wrong that seem like easy/inexpensive fixes, I tend to assume there are 2 possible reasons that they haven't been fixed: 1) it really isn't an easy/inexpensive fix and the seller knows this, or 2) the seller doesn't take care of their cars (or they would have fixed it). Either scenario is typically enough for me to walk away.
4. I would think you would be able to find another W210 that doesn't have the a/c or shifter issues above.

It is my opinion that you are gambling that the ac and shifter issue are easy/inexpensive fixes; I would rather the current owner fix these two items and raise the price according to the repair bill. If they aren't willing to do that, I would assume that they know the issue is more serious and going to cost more...

Regarding Car #2, I would definitely consider this one, but do a thorough inspection and follow the advice from @khomer2 as stated above. Service records are great, but I also love to find a 1 or 2 owner car. Or, if the previous owner has had it a long time. I get nervous when the previous owner has only had it a short time (and trying to flip a lemon), or is a broker/dealer that doesn't know any of the history... Once you have done a thorough inspection, if you don't see any major flaws in Car #2, I would think $ 3,000 is a fair price.

Again, these are just my opinions.

Good luck.

Lee

 

"there is not much that can get expensive as fast as cheap Mercedes-Benz"

 

Frankly - a 20yr old W210 can be a great Mercedes for you - acquisition price is low - and you can plan to use as a daily driver "forever" AFTER all issues and maintenance are back up to snuff.

A "seller" is like that last person to rely on to base your "purcahse decision" or to base your "service investment" estimate.

Tranny is the PRIMARY issue to be concerned with on a W210 - AKWAYS assume full tranny service immediately and AVOID any tranny issues other than malfunctioning adapter plug (and this can lead to a GREAT s.

The other immediate/soon service issues not in order are: cats - belt tensioner - motor mounts - spark plugs - brakes - tires - battery - etc.