genius

iam tryin to buy a used e350 very soon.

What should i look for when buying a E350?
Problem area's?
Noticable issue's?
Warning sign's of nay kind?

thanks to all that help

220S

You won't really see anything visually that's different than what you would look for in any other used car out there. Do a quick search on "E350 reliability" and "E350 problems."

But do work to get a CPO'd car if you buy from a MB dealer. It's been inspected (although some dealers are better at that than others, so beware.) Plus you'll get an extended warranty. If it's not CPO'd ask the dealer for the CPO as part of the deal (you may still have to pay extra in the end, esp if the car needs a lot of stuff, like tires, etc..)

Otherwise ALWAYS get a complete ppi from a really good Indy or another dealer (and not the one you're buying the car from.) They'll tell you everything you'll need and want to know. It's definitely worth the time and $250-300.

What a lot of people don't do is take the car to a good body shop. If the car isn't a dealer CPO car, you MUST take it to a body shop. They'll tell you if it's been hit, painted, bent frame, etc.. Don't just rely on trying to use a paint meter yourself. If it's a CPO car, the dealer must divulge if the car has had body work done. Again, it's worth the $100 for a body shop inspection.

CarFax, Autocheck, etc., has limited importance but you still need to check that the history is solid and no weird time or mileage gaps.

If the car is a dealer CPO tell them to run the VMI and give you a copy. Carefully look over everything that's been done to the car (and what's not been done, too.) If it's not a dealer's car, take the VIN down to a dealer and ask a SA to please run the VMI for you (be nice about it and offer him/her lunch or something.)

lkchris

Look for oil leaks from plastic plugs at back of cylinder heads.

Known issue, easily fixed.

loudbmw

Avoid the "brake by wire" years. My 2006 E350 had it and Mercedes had problems with it. They extended the brake system warranty to 100,000 miles for these. Someone here should know when they dropped this system.

My 2009 does not have it.

Lou

Barry45RPM

Dropped for the 07 Model Year and onward.

lkchris

Although there is ZERO reason to avoid it.

A few niggles were fixed under warranty and now they are fine.

The 10 year warranty extension is politics to sooth ruffled feathers.

genius

thanks for the good info.

The E350 that iam looking at is not CPO.
If the car is not CPO, will i be able still to get a extended warrenty?

The E350 is a 2008 with 29,000. Its still has factory warrenty for 1year and 6 months. Is it goin to be cheaper to buy warrenty now or right before the warrenty ends?

I checked the carfax and it is accident clean. I only seen two services done too it but didn't what kind.
would a carfax tell you when the person did a oil change or change the brakes?


When you bought your benz, did you get it pre-inspected?
Did they find anything? Did the daeler fix it before you bought it?


thanks

genius

Where are they located?
Are the plastic plugs at the bottum or top fo the engine?In front or back?

thanks

genius

What is the brake by wire?
thanks

220S

If you are buying it from a MB dealer, they can arrange to make it a CPO car.
You can extend the warranty by buying either a MB ELW or another party warranty (eg, Chrysler.) If you buy the extended from a dealer when you buy the car, you can argue for a discount. ELWs are profit items that the dealer marks up. So you should shop around.



No accident on a CarFax report means very little. The car could have been in an unreported accident. The owner might not have gone thru an insurance company and/or it was never reported in a police report. The only definitive way is to have a body shop look at it. Or at the very least take a paint meter to it.

CarFax will not report all services. Only the VMI. And the VMI will only show dealer services and not any Indy services. But if the car is still under warranty, then the services were more than likely done at the dealers. The VMI is the complete car's history, with all the factory options listed, etc.. Be sure to get one and look it over.


I bought my car new off the lot. Although it was brand new with 18 miles on it, I did a walk-around and checked everything with my salesperson. Dealers can have fender benders on the lot. Plus I had them print the VMI in case there was anything done after it arrived from the VPC off the boat.



Electronic braking, aka SBC. The 2008 don't have SBC.

genius

thanks for the all the great info. really appricate it.

I didn't know about the VMI.
I have the VIN number for the car.
Is that all i need to go to a mercedes dealer to check the VMI.

or Is the VMI a differant number that i need to get?

genius

i seen the car a week ago. Iam out of luck to check the body because the dealer is 2 hours away from my house and i dont know any body shops around there because it is a small town and also no paint meter.

The two things i hate about the car is:
The bumper in the back had a indent from someone hitting it with there license plate screws. the dealer said they would paint the whole bumper.
This would put the car value down right?

Also two of the rims on one side had a little curb damage. not much.
The dealer said they cant do nothing to fix that.

The only good thing about it is the price.
If you want i can send you a link of the car/pictures.
i could use your opinion.

220S

VMI is the Vehicle Master Inquiry. All you need is the VIN and a Mercedes dealer willing to run it for you (it takes them just a few seconds to print it out.)

A painted bumper is no big deal. Body work and painted panels is another issue.

Rims with curb rash can easily be fixed. If the dealer doesn't want to bother, then use your leverage and try to deal $100-150 off. Again, no big deal.

I got your pm and replied. Main thing is be patient in your search. There are millions (literally ) of E350s out there. You are the one who has to live with the car and any issues it might have. And if you have to resell because you're unhappy you'll lose more money.

Barry45RPM

Wheels can be repaired & will look good as new & ride well too. I'd try for $150 off per wheel. I doubt he'll let it be a dealbreaker.

http://wheelsamerica.com/