bmisf

Hi all -

I've found a 99 E300D I'm considering purchasing, and would love some quick advice.

The car looks good overall; engine runs well, everything throughout works as it should, a bit high on mileage (98,000), single owner since new. There are a few door dings and minor scratches, but overall the exterior and interior are in fine shape.

I noted the following issues:

- A groan when turning far to the left but not to the right (sounds like a pump noise to me)

- Minor wobbling in the brake pedal when braking (brakes were redone 15K miles ago)

- Diesel fuel smell from the engine compartment - no obvious leaks or staining

- Occasional minor squeal from the center outlets when A/C is on

- The display in the dash has weak lighting on the time (temp, odometers are fine, but the time led looks washed out and is hard to read in light)

The car drives great, rides and brakes straight and true, and feels "right" other than the issues I've noted.

The owners think the car is in excellent shape (hah - of course) and are asking a premium price for it. I'm taking it to a dealer tomorrow to look it over, but thought you all might have some quick advice on any or all of the above issues.

Thanks in advance for the help.

- Steve

ed-E300TD

I'd steer well clear; just my $.02 based upon my experience.
https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w210/68657-1999-e300-td-opinions.html

I wouldn't buy any late model M-B without a warranty.

bmisf

Thanks, Ed. I did indeed steer clear.

The dealer confirmed my suspicions (though they did say that the car was in excellent shape overall). Probably around $1,000 worth of repairs at dealer prices, including new rear rotors, fuel return line, interior dashboard bulb (for LED display), loose front ball joints, and some other minor odds and ends. Also, they confirmed the noise from the steering pump; it was low on fluid and they couldn't find anything obviously wrong with it, but it could be going.

I found another 99 with 78K miles, truly excellent condition all around, a Starmark extended warranty with 1.5 years left, and some extra features the first one didn't have. Picked it up yesterday - already love it.

- Steve

Green E-300 DT

Steve,

It depends on their price.

A "few door dings and minor scratches" really lowers the value of any MBZ. Ever notice that you'll never see such cars featured as Starmark Certified cars that have any such blemishes?

"Minor wobbling in the brake pedal" is likely caused by the rotors not being true, which means that it needs new rotors, for one does not turn the rotors on a MBZ, or so I was told. My certified '99 with just over 80K miles had this condition also, and when I tried turning the rotors, it didn't improve, and I had to "pop" for new rotors which did cure the problem. I also bought better pads to help with the terrible black brake dust problem that is caused by the factory pads.
Spent over $500 which is much less expensive than having it done at the dealer.

"Diesel fuel smell from the engine compartment."
Mine too, but only just recently. I have 110K miles now. Been told that this is caused by the injector return line (hoses) that are old and need replacing.

This will be done when mine gets to the point when it needs the glow plugs replaced. It has been running perfectly for about 10K miles now with the CEL on along with the glow plug light which is because it has one (or more) bad glow plugs which is supposedly a "common" problem.
I won't correct that until it becomes hard to start which is not likely here in warm SoCal especially with the car being inside at night.

"The display in the dash has weak lighting on the time (temp, odometers are fine, but the time led looks washed out and is hard to read in light)"
Likewise, that must also be common, as ours does the same thing.

After you've had it inspected at the dealership, ask for an accurate appraisal and then decide based on that how much to offer these folks. These are rather rare cars, with only 3113 '98s and 3479 '99s being imported to N A.

A private party had a '98 advertised in the Los Angeles Times last weekend that had 128K miles for $25K, but I guess it sold because they didn't run their ad again, unlike Caliber Motors which did run their ad for a '99 for the second week with no price being listed. 1-800-639-8236

Remember that this car you are considering has beaucoup mileage, and therefore won't be seen on a MBZ lot. They are good cars, and do command a high price used, but be careful, and don't pay to much for it.
Also, as pointed out, there is no warranty. Don't be afraid of that, but I would enquire if there has been any tranny work done on the vehicle. My dealer did do my trans at 99,980 miles, although it seemed perfectly alright to me, and I couldn't tell any difference before or after. I'm glad they did do it though, as I wanted to have the filter and tranny fluid changed at 100K miles. I don't believe in that "lifetime" fluid idea!

If I were selling mine, I'd hope for something over $20K, but don't know whether that is correct or not?

Good luck getting the price down to what you'd like to pay.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

LATER:

What were the added features that the first car did not have, and how much did you wind up paying for the car you bought?
Also, what was the first private seller ask for theirs?

Even in the short time you've had yours, they are something else, aren't they?

Blew off some old duffer the other day that was driving about a '90 S-420 because he didn't have enough torque to complete his right side pass at 100 mph. I know they have more horsepower, but torque is what I'm talking about. The further we drive ours, the more I like it. It seems to run better with each additional mile. Maybe its the Amsoil Series 3000 5W-30 oil? Seems stronger than when we were using Mobil Delvac 1.

Good luck with your new ride.





(See how long it takes me to type a short message?)

bmisf

Thanks for all the extra advice - I appreciate it.

The one I purchased had, in addition to the warranty through 4/2006 and a body free of dings and scratches: full leather, a CD changer, and alloy wheels, which the other one didn't have (and of course this one has 20K fewer miles and a much cleaner interior, plus none of the problems noted with the first one). The color of the one I got is black exterior, charcoal (black) interior. Brakes and rotors were replaced within the last 10,000 miles, glow plugs within the last 15,000, oil changed every 6K miles or so using Mobil 1.

I paid $24K, which appeared right around the inflated Edmunds private party value, including factoring in a bit for the warranty. I feel I got a decent, though not outstanding, deal considering what I've seen in my search.

I also found one at a dealer that had 51K miles on it and had Xenons and multicontour seats. It was white with a parchment interior, and they were asking $31,900 for it (!) with the one-year Starmark warranty. It was filthy on the inside, and they didn't even seem to know what equipment it had (turns out it had the phone as well). I got a bad feeling about it (even though they said it would be detailed and completely certified before delivery), and even after talking them down to 28K including an extra year on the warranty, decided to go for the private party vehicle.