94E420

should i buy it?? that's what I'm facing. it's an 03 E500 with 52k on the clock. black and black. one owner. always serviced at MB dealer. all service records. large service just done. 4 new michelin pilots. mb dealer is willing to take 19800.00.

all service bulletins/recalls addressed.

What are the major worries issues with this car/engine/year??

Is the price decent?

Untertürkheim

What kind of warranty and what options?

94E420

Options are Harmon Kardon sound and sunroof. No warranty is being offered but I'm think I'd ask for one as part of the deal if you guys in here say its safe to buy.

I'm VERY familiar with old Benz's but have little knowledge about the newer ones.

All thoughts welcome.

mcleantmw

Are you getting it from a private party or a MB Dealer? Some type of warranty is a must for these cars as the repairs are expensive.......I've had a lot of things needing repair but covered under my CPO warranty and after that expries in Jan 2010, I plan to get a warranty maybe from Warranty Direct......need to further research which are th best ones. Also, read the posts about the 2003 E500 radiator/transmission problem. If this one is up through production date of 9/2003, check to see if the radiator has been replaced with the updated version. Otherwise, it might become defective like mine did and ruin your transmission. If it's in the affected production range, I'd require the radiator be replaced before I'd buy it. I can send you the MB Service Campaign Bulletin if you PM me your email.

94E420

The car is at the local MB dealer

mcleantmw

A Certified Pre-owned (CPO) vehicle from a MB Dealer comes automatically with a MB CPO Warranty for 12 months or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. You should also be able to buy a MB CPO Extended Warranty like I did, one year or two year, when you buy your car. I'd recommend getting the two year warranty from MB if you can afford it. My 2003 E500 has had lots of stuff needing repair that my MB warranty covered, including the Ball Joints at my last A Service two weeks ago. They are also replacing the Electronic Control Unit for my transmission to make the shifting smoother which is all free under my warranty. Latest issue is the sensor for the rain sensing wipers which also controls the dimmer on my AC Display Unit........I'll ask them to fix this next week under the warranty when I take it back for them to install the ECU. The MB CPO Extended Warranty is worth its weight in gold! But I love the way this vehicle drives and handles, not to mention looks!

Polar Bear

I think most will agree that the 2003 being the first year of the W211 there are typically more issues with this model. Although I have read many posts from owners with more than 150k miles and little trouble, they do seem to have more of their share of issues. The rule of thumb for the W211 is get the newest model you can, as the reliability seems to have been improved dramatically year after year.

I don't think many (if any) 2003 VIN coded cars have COMAND and navigation, so if that is important to you, you might consider getting a 2004 model.

The radiator thing should be a concern. I would have the MB dealer print the VMI for the car and provide you with a copy. See what issues have been repaired in the past and see if the car has been troublesome.

If you are familiar with the older ones you know they are pretty expensive to have worked on out of warranty, and it is difficult to perform many DIY tasks on the newer ones due to the complexity of the electronics (which seems to be where many of the problems come from).

I personally would attempt to locate a 2004 model due to the addition of the COMAND system and navigation (which happens to be the same DVD-based system used up until 2008 so map updates are readily available).

desert-boater

I had a 2003 E500 when it first came out. I only owned the car for 9 months and during that time it was in the shop every month for 1 week because of some problem (mainly electrical stuff). I was so fed up with it after a while that I traded it in and bought a loaded V8 Volkswagen Touareg at the time (but didn't drive that very long either, but that's a story for another forum ...

locomercedes

I have an 04 E500 and it has been flawless, and I am right now at 54k miles, without extended warranty. 03's are a different story regarding reliability. I would try to find an 04 or newer.

Barry45RPM

Don't forget... when a dealer throws in a warranty on a used car deal, the value of the waranty to you is the retail price you would have to pay for it. The dealers cost is wholesale for the warranty so its a big incentive for you at a very reasonable cost to him. ( I have found over many years, that when the F&I guy tries to sell you a warranty when you buy a new car, his 1st asking price is generally twice what it costs the dealer to buy.)

That being said. I personally am leary of 03 & 04 model year 211s. Off warranty these cars are expensive to repair.

Does this car have everything that you would expect in a luxury car? Will you be happy in it for several years?

Good Luck in your quest.

mcleantmw

Good points made by others about the benefit of buying a newer year E500, but that's generally true for any model vehicle. But just for clarification, I haven't had any major problems with my 2003 E500 other than the radiator/transmission issue I discussed in my previous post......and since it has the upgraded radiator, I feel that won't be a problem in the future. Since the MB CPO warranty and Extended Warranty are so comprehensive, I've used them to check out a lot of little stuff. Any of the more significant items could go bad on any model vehicle, such as the alternator they replaced a year ago. I bought my 2003 E500 with 21,000 miles on it in Sept 2005 and I've now owned it for three years with 59,000 miles on it. I've been very satisfied with it but, as mentioned, I'm glad I've got warranty coverage "just in case" anything significant fails down the pike.

Neoii

That is a good price for the car but if you can afford a bit more, I personally would go for an 05+. Yes, there are 03s that runs fine and 05+'s that have issues. It is more about hedging your bets and minimizing potential problems.

In the end, do what you are comfortable doing. Good luck.

vettdvr

That is a good price for the car. We own a E500 03 and at 80,000 miles it is still driving like new.

But for reliability. If I knew I was going to have this many issues with a car over $65,000 I would not buy it again. I might would have bought another brand.

94E420

okay....so the dealership printed out all the service history on the car. It doesn't show any service to the radiator or trans. It DOES have the valeo radiator in it but no history having issues. The dealership is willing to put a brand new radiator in it for me at no cost if I purchase the car. The sales guy I'm dealing with is being fairly reasonable and applying no pressure.

So I'm confused. Could this be one of the rare 03's that doesn't have the radiator issue? I dunno.

Ugh...I want the car but this forum has me sorta scared to buy it.

mcleantmw

The vehicle apparently is within the production range up through 9/2003 if it has the original radiator in it. If you decide to buy the car if they will replace the radiator, the upgraded radiator part #A2115003102 replaces the original radiator part #A2115000202. The original radiator design makes them prone to cracking and then damaging the transmission as outline in the Service Campaign Bulletin. Due to the high cost to repair any expensive foreign luxury car like the MB or BMW, it's important to have a repair warranty. In fact, when my MB CPO Extended Warranty ends in Jan 2010, I plan to get at least the basic coverage from Warranty Direct.

mrvette

I agree with Vettdvr. The 2003 E500 is just a reskinned Chrysler product. The list of annoyances is long for a car that originally cost about $64K. Poor gas mileage alone would drive you to look at other cars. Motor Trend wrote a report on this car after having driven it for some time and absolutely hated the braking system, which was supposed to have been fixed in a recall. Mine still do not operate linearly, especially at slow speeds, and this is unacceptable. The stability control system is at best, poorly designed. So far, I have had to replace both front air shocks and when they go bad, the car will sit right on the ground and you don't move until the tow truck comes and hauls the car to the shop. My '95 Chevy pickup with 210,000 miles is better built and will still be running when my E500 is long sinced sent to the junk yard.

gisham

wow thats harsh- i have an 03 E500 and yes, replace the radiator, yes you will prob have a shock go bad during the time you own the vehicle but other than that the car drives great and does not seem to have many more issues. Im not saying there are not lemons out there, but thats pretty much the case in any make/model-

Polar Bear

It really depends on what has been done to the car already as to what issues you will see. Many if the annoyances are taken care of with software updates, which are easy for the dealer to apply. Other issues, like the shocks, could be replaced with newer, redesigned versions that will last a long time.

If you have an original 2003 E500 with the 2002-2003 parts, then yes, I would say there will be issues here and there.

Polar Bear

Comparing the E500 to the truck really isn't a fair comparison. The truck is like a W123 Mercedes - a very simple and to the point vehicle. These vehicles will always give less problems than more complicated vehicles because there is less to go wrong.

My 213,000 mile Ford Explorer has given less problems than my 2005 CDI, but which one do you think I enjoy driving more?

ohlord

Forest,Run.
Find yourself a nice low mile 02 E55 loaded for 16k.None of the issues.Nicer car ,easier to diy,parts cost less,greater diy knowledge base.
You can sleep at night knowing that someplace down the road the dealer is not going to inform you that although yes they did install the new non commingled valeo radiator that your transmission was a bunch of slush none the less.
Buy a fully optioned 02 E430 for 11grand and and really thank your lucky star you stayed away from a w211.That is unless you are a big fan of that game they play with one bullet in the chamber of a revolver

cunnincr

I have an 03 e500 that I've driven for about a year. Like you I was very nervous about the purchase because of all the issues I read about on the net. The car was at a good price so I took the plunge. I love the car, the ride is smooth and quiet and the V8 power is strong. Before this car I had a 2001 e320 which I also loved. Get whatever warranty you can because you will have issues. It is a used car and any used car will have problems. But problems on premium brands like Mercedes are exaggerated due to the higher cost of parts and labor. A warranty will offset some of those costs for you. I bought from an individual so a warranty wasn't available for me. I have had 1 expensive repair to replace a broken air strut. It cost me $1,700.00. The other normal services are generally in line with maintenance costs of my e320. I will add that the level of service provided to me at my local MB dealer is the best. I didn't buy the car from them but they treat me as if I did. The service tech's are very friendly and take the time to explain everything to me. They even provide me with a loaner car when I need it. The relationship you have with the dealer/service department is just as important as the car you select.

Chip

I had an 03 E55. The car was an absolute disaster. The radio would quit if the temp reached over 90 and come back on when it got cooler. It could not be aligned to go straight down the highway. It pulled to right so bad it wore you out. The dealership in PHX could not fix any of this. They didn't know how fix it. It's said that the 03 redesign was not vetted enough before its release and was one of the reasons Mercedes went down in quality for its whole line. I called it my Windows 95 car.

Now I have an 08 Bluetec. That car is one of the nicest Mercedes I have ever owned. Not the rocket that E-55 was but its fast for D. I hope when the E-class redesign comes out next year that Mercedes gets it's ducks in row

unclebenz

Buy my car, fully modded with many extras and only 42K miles

gaazmon

I love that game. Have never lost once yet .

mcleantmw

So, what did you decide.........did you buy the car?