tylerj

Been looking to join the Benz world lately and came across an ‘01 320 with only 36k miles on it. I’ve had a hard time finding ones that have some more mileage but actually look taken care of, so this one was an intriguing option. Wanted to see if anyone had any input on purchasing with such low miles if it could require a ton of money up front if aged out components haven’t been changed due to the low mileage. I’d consider myself handy enough that I’d like to learn to replace more things myself, but I’m not too sure how deep the list could go of what needs done or how challenging they’d be. Carfax shows regular dealer maintenance checks for the first while of its life but not a lot of specifics.

Thanks for any opinions!

chassis

Will this be a daily driver or fun/weekend hobby car?

tylerj

Daily driver. Only 4/5000k miles a year so wouldn’t pile the miles on fast

Also it’s a Texas car so shouldn’t have rust issues

davmil2002

I'd buy it for the right $$. You should get a lot of use for not that much in a quality vehicle.

chassis

Not a fan of MB engines in general, specifically 90-degree V6 engines with a balance shaft, as this 2001 E320 has.

The main risk with this engine and transmission as I see it are dry rotted or brittle/stiff seals. Obviously the car has been sitting for much of its life. Polymer seals can take a permanent set due to lack of heat cycling and regular lubrication.

Risk areas:
transmission front and rear seals
engine front and rear seals
water pump seals
wheel bearings (brinelling from sitting)
rear axle pinion seal
fuel tank-to-pump seal (under rear seat)

I wouldn't buy this car as a daily regardless of miles you intend to drive.

Plutoe

take the car to any dealer who will inspect the car for nothing

ilove190evo

If I may, can you test drive the car? If yes, it's usually a good sign. If not, run from that money pit. Test drive to bring the car to operating temperature. While driving, listen to whatever that is not right. Any vibration, squeaking, rattling just to name a few. If you don't hear any of this, you're in a right track.

Park the car with engine running. I hope you have small flashlight. Inspect under the car. Anything dripping? If so, try to find out where it's coming from. It could be from your valve cover which is a easy fix, but anywhere else, unless you can tackle the job yourself, big money. You'll be spending $5-600+ to replace $50 part. Maybe (probably) more. Any smoke coming out from the tailpipe? With mileage that low, I don't expect any, but check it anyway.

It all comes down to how much did you get this for, and how much you're willing to spend. I got my E320 fairly cheap, so I won't complaint another $3000 for repair part, aside from those wear and tear parts. You gotta change them sooner or later anyway. I'd like to stay safe and be sure of what I have. So far, I have spent less than $400 dollars (of which, about $250 was because I was stupid and broke something I didn't need to replace CPS). I have spent almost $1000 on other parts such as shocks (Bilstein B6 on all four corner. I have to pay for shipping, you know), two front tires and other small stuff, but those are to satisfy my wife (after all, it is her car. I have 86' Monte Carlo SS) so wasn't necessary but was my choice. Oh, and by the way, those costs were parts only. I do my own work, including engine and trans (not on E320, YET).

tylerj

The car is listed about $11k, which i know a lot of people would say hell no off the bat for a 23 year old car to begin with. But based on todays car market and Bring a Trailer, private sales, etc seems to be kind of a normal price in the market for 36k miles. My thought was if i could talk them down some and have some money aside for worn components it could be a really low mileage and immaculate car for the price, but maybe better to find one with more mileage and lower price to clean up and put money into. It’s been driven a bit more (1500 miles or so a year) in the last handful of years than its early life so might have had some work done but its about 6 hours away so not the easiest to go check out on a whim

Teutonic_Driver

I bought a 2000 E320 4Matic off Bring a Trailer 3.5 years ago. It had 42k miles on it. That's about 2,100 miles per year.

The seller, a very reputable guy, did a lot of maintenance and replacement of aging parts such as tires, fluids, filters...

I've since put more than 40,000 miles on it and it has been largely trouble free. The only exceptions (and these aren't related to age or limited miles for its first 20 years of existence): the catalytic converter cracked and had to be replaced and the CPS had to be replaced (common failure).

I paid a premium for the car during peak COVID - about $13,700 with covered shipping. For a $56k car in 2000, I was happy.

I guess I'm saying, buy it. It's a great car. Just make sure you rust-proof it if you live in the midwest with their salty winters.

ilove190evo

Mine is bit different mileage, but I acquired 2000 E320 with 66k last year for 3500 USD. 11 sounds too much for me for a almost 1/4 century old car. But it's your call.

But remember, car been sitting that long, you're bound to have some issue and probably need to change somethingS. Tires will be one. Probably many other but you may get lucky. Most cars need to replace lotta things at around 30-35k miles. Brake pads for one. Tires are another but you may have to change it anyway for car sitting for too long. So take all that into account when purchasing, if you decided to get that car.

Don't take me wrong. I DO love the car. So does my wife. But unless you're handy with car mechanical and do most of the work, it get pretty expensive in no time if you need to replace something.

davmil2002

Assuming the test drive and visual inspect all check out, Offer about half of that and pay up to $6K. That'll leave you a buffer for issues. You should get quite a few miles/years out of it as a daily driver. I wouldn't head cross country in it because parts are probably sketchy to find, but around town and short trips - you've got a great car for 4-5 years for not much.