Husalah5150

Im thinking of buying one in the future what are the thing to look out for if i have to buy one of the first two years maybe a 03 should i get extended warranty, look slike i should buy one with warranty with all the problem i see it having

i like the exterior of the car but how does it compare to a bmws comfort and handling??

DWP

There aren't many problem areas that you can "look for" visually with an '03 or '04. If the service records of a car are available, check to see if work has been done on the engine mounts and the audio gateway (hardware or firmware) under warranty. If you can't find any evidence of work in those areas, then you probably do want an extended warranty to cover you if problems arise in those areas. For what it's worth, my '03 has had very few problems, and only one that kept it in the shop for more than a day.

I assume that you're comparing the car to a BMW 5-Series. Very few people will claim that an E-Class handles as well as a 5-Series - not me, for sure, since I've owned a 5-Series. "Comfort" is pretty broad - it can take in anything from the quality of the ride to the seats or the air conditioning. Me, I think that our W211 is comfortable in some respects - yes, like the seats and air conditioning - and not so comfortable in other respects, like the ride quality and noise levels. I think the ride is harsh and noisy on poor road surfaces, not very comfortable at all, but other people describe the ride of their W211 as "soft" and "floaty." Whatever. Take a long test drive over a bad road and make up your own mind.

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/di...file=5150-5157

unclebenz

im selling my 2003 E500 with 20,000 miles for 35K it has every option except navi and pano roof. i'll post pics tommorow. mint condition even has the new car smell. pewter with stone interior 17" alloys 6 disc indash changer climate control all power etc. airmatic suspension.

ElDiabloJoe

UncleBenz, has your car moved yet? I'm selling mine also, but I have 84000 miles on it. Same as yours, 'cept Silver with Charcoal. Got the Drive Dynamic seats in mine, it's the Sport edition with the Black Bird's Eye Maple trim. Course, I'm in Orange County, so I'm asking $34,000. No calls in two weeks, I may have to reexamine price.

EDJ

WEBSRFR

You will probably have to sell it for around $30K.

jangy

Hate to burst your bubble, but not in OC and with almost 85K miles. MB just has too many sales on the new ones and lots of people think the E350 (268hp) is almost the same as the E500 (302hp). I know that the features are different, but I'm just telling you what is going on. The MB dealers aren't exactly minding people thinking that either, since they are still selling during some slow sales times.

Good luck with all your sales and I hope you get lots.

ElDiabloJoe

Bursting *my* bubble or WebSrfr's bubble? I'm having a tough time figuring out what these things are going for in this market. I've seen prices listed all over the map, from $25,000 to $35,000.

EDJ

WEBSRFR

Yeah I too was wondering whose Bubble Jangy proclaims to burst

I still stand by what I said in that a 2003 E500 would now go for about 30K. That's at least the case in the Washington DC area and there are many to choose from. When the 2007s come out, the whole price scale will slide down for all the previous model years so I would try to sell it now to an interested party if possible.

roybenz

Husala, Are you a guitar player? Just curious in re: your handle.
I have a 2004 e500 that is under lemon law litigation you can have- that is before they are forced to buy it back. But I wouldn't do this to a fellow musician. This one is a piece of c*ap.

jangy

Sorry, I was not trying to dig at either of you. I simply know the prices of the W211s in Southern California. I guess I was saying it to EDJ, since WEBSRFR has his sold in DC. I am not in the market for a used anything, so its not like I'm bargaining with you. Jeezz.

sklasse

I didn't there was a premium to the price for being in Orange County, but generally speaking the higher the mileage , either the car has to be in near perfect condition or you have to "competitively price it".

WEBSRFR

Um. I never said I sold a W211 in DC. I just informed what prices I have seen in the market. The figures I quoted is consistent with what some other forum members have recently sold their 2003 E500s. I think we were both just confused by your comment and to whom it was addressed. I don't think there was any concern or question about you being in the used car market and there is really nothing to bargain at that. We were just exchanging facts and figures when you dropped in. Enjoy your ride

intrinsico

If I can add my $0.02: I just sold my 2003 E500 with 64K miles. It was modified (wheels, body kit, spoiler, grille, tint) and in mint shape. I had it at various prices and around $32K I got the usual tire kickers. I bit the bullet and put it on eBay with no reserve and it sold for $31,150. HOWEVER, I am pretty sure that is because it was heavily modified (and all visual stuff). I was watching auctions like crazy and most cars with the same mileage would end around $27K - $28K. That was a month ago. I just looked at the Manheim auction history and a E500 with that many miles (84,000) goes for around $22,000 - $23,000. This is the price the dealer pays. So they would probably put it in the lot for high 20s/low 30s hoping to get around $26K - $28K (assuming no Starmark warranty as no big Benz dealer would buy the car due to the miles). But that's a dealer, not sure about private party... I would definitely recommend advertising it for around $30K and see what happens. And, as I said, there's always eBay but for that to work in your favor the car would need to have something special...