Some teenager in oncoming car pulled in front of my mom's 1998 300TD. Car is totaled, thank God and MB she walked away with only a busted lip from the air bag.



Anyways, she is interested in a black, 2003 E320 (non-diesel), 36,000 miles, $22,999. Kelley Blue Book for dealer retail is $27,390. Trade-in, good condition is $19,780. I wanted to get some opinions on whether $22,999 is a decent price, what to look for, what to look out for (known issues), etc. Carfax is obvious. Thanks for any advice.

 

Are there any reliability issues with these cars?

 

I have an early build 320 that I bought from a 39 month lease. In 15 months and 12,000 miles it had a loose battery cable in the trunk that was repaired under warranty. I think that there are 20-30 recalls on the W211 and many are for the early ones. Mine has been a joy to own and drive. Several people on this board had bad experiences with the 2003 but they bought later production cars and have better luck.
The 03's are in the low 20's now with appropriate miles on them.
All I can say is I would do it over again and I probably will.
BMW's generally have very high miles in our market. Conversely, M-B are way under. I noticed two C's for sale here in Atlanta. Both 05's. One had 4,000 miles and the other had 1000. Those owners would have been smarter (financially) to take a cab.

 

IMO if there is a year to avoid for the W211 - it would be 2003. The general consensus seems to be that when it comes to W211s - the newer the better.

I was on a first name basis with my Service Advisor.

 

Here's the Carfax on it...

2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320
SEDAN 4 DR
3.2L V6 SFI SOHC 18V / REAR WHEEL DRIVE



Year purchased 2003
Type of owner Personal
Estimated length of ownership
4 yrs. 6 mo.
Owned in the following states/provinces Virginia
Estimated miles driven per year 7,665/yr
Last reported odometer reading 33,620




Total Loss Check

No total loss reported to CARFAX. No Issues Reported

Structural / Frame Damage Check

No structural / frame damage reported to CARFAX. No Issues Reported

Airbag Deployment Check

No airbag deployment reported to CARFAX. No Issues Reported

Odometer Rollback Check

No indication of an odometer rollback. No Issues Indicated

Accident Check

No accidents reported to CARFAX. No Issues Reported

Manufacturer Recall Check

No recalls still require repair. No Recalls Reported


Basic Warranty Check

Original warranty estimated to have expired. View Info
Interested in an extended warranty?
Warranty Expired



A CARFAX Vehicle History Report is based only on information supplied
to CARFAX. CARFAX checked over 5 billion vehicle history events and found 18
record(s) for this 2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 (WDBUF65J93A316546).




Purchased: 2003
Type: Personal
Where: Virginia
Est. miles/year: 7,665/yr
Est. length owned: 7/12/03 - present
(4 yrs. 6 mo.)



Date: Mileage: Source: Comments:
07/10/2003 Dealer Inventory
Pennsylvania Vehicle sold

07/11/2003 5 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced
Pre-delivery inspection completed

07/12/2003 Dealer Inventory
Maryland Vehicle sold

07/12/2003 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Haymarket, VA Registered as
personal vehicle

08/04/2003 12 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Haymarket, VA Title or registration issued
First owner reported

04/08/2004 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Haymarket, VA Title or registration issued

08/05/2004 7,420 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced
Engine/powertrain computer/module checked
Brakes serviced
Electrical system serviced

12/16/2004 9,960 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced
Engine/powertrain computer/module checked
Brake fluid flushed/changed
Manufacturer's recommended maintenance performed

04/13/2005 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Haymarket, VA Title or registration issued
Registration updated when owner moved
the vehicle to a new location

04/17/2006 20,077 Virginia
Inspection Station
Gainesville, VA Failed emissions inspection
Passed emissions inspection

04/18/2006 Virginia
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Haymarket, VA Title or registration issued

06/07/2006 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced
Brake fluid flushed/changed

12/07/2006 24,408 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced

02/17/2007 26,237 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced

05/17/2007 29,051 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced
Engine/powertrain computer/module checked

06/20/2007 29,883 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced

10/17/2007 33,620 EURO MOTORCARS, INC.
Bethesda, MD
888-656-0350
www.euromotorcars.com
ww.euromotorcars.co
m Vehicle serviced
Rear brake pads replaced

01/26/2008 Mercedes-Benz USA, Inc. No recalls open for
repair

 

You'll find all the people that had a problem like to share, true with anything. Those whos car has been fine aren't going to be as quick to reply to your post. I have a 1/03 build w/40k on the odometer now, no complaints. I got it with 14k miles 2 years ago. Just the usual maintenance and a minor thing here or there. On paper, the car you are looking at looks good. It's a good price if it's a good deal to you, I haven't been following prices as I'm not looking to buy or sell right now.

 

Just went and test drove it. When I stepped on the gas, it went forward, when I stepped on the brakes, it slowed down, when I turned the steering wheel, it turned in the same direction. The dealer had just gotten it in and hadn't detailed it at all, but the car looked very clean, didn't see any engine leaks, belts were nice a straight, just a very,very,very minor wobble in the harmonic balancer, I don't was enough to worry about. My mom is going to take it to a local MB dealer and have them look it over. If everything checks out, we will try to deal later on Wednesday.

 

So true!!