gasser76

Hi there,

I am narrowing down on my purchase of an 04 E320 Wagon.
Is there anything I need to be aware of or gotchas to consider (in addition to the scheduled maintenance, etc).

Thanks for your time.

mbnj

i used to have a 2001 wagon and have a 2006 wagon now. biggest issues have little to do with wagon but more to do with basic recon on any used car; #owners, accident history, condition, miles, options, service records, and price. i happen to love 4matic wagons, way better than an suv for most applications. i ran out my s550 yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks because i just like the wagon so much.

gasser76

I hear you on the 'used car' note; I guess I was more curious about specifics regarding that year and the e320 wagon. I haven't seen one thing that overwhelming was a "big red flag", but I have been reading about issues Like computer or transmission relating problems. Just seemed to be more common during that time period. I have also seen it mentioned more than once that the 2006 and newer have noted to be more reliable and required less major maintenance the previous years. Due to a change, or because they havent been around that long?

mbnj

i've done really well with the 2006 wagon. you can do the standard CR reliability look ups and some other sources with similar analysis. you often get different results but they all highlight specific points of common failures if they exist. also remember that CR will always (exaggeration) show better reliability with later models because the effects of aging overtake abnormal failure points of a problem vehicle. An 80 year old in great condition can be whipped by a 28 yr old who is overweight, smokes and has a bad heart.

NorseWagon

Hmm, reading between the lines you don't have an S-550 Wagon, but ya have been using the other Wagon so much the S-550 has been parked.?

I could chip in on the 2004 E-Wagon, but the 500 rather than the 320...

In a nut-shell, I am quite to very happy with my 2004 Wagon.
It has been about as reliable as a hammer and the one or two problems I had was taken care of by the extended (after market) warranty.

Hint:

Do not buy one of these W-211 cars without some kind of warranty unless:

1) Ya are a handy-man and employed by MB-USA with access to cheap parts and labor

3) Ya get it for free.

A few hours ago I got back from a "road trip" in the E-Wagon:
Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta Thursday, back today. (Saturday)
1300 miles, high speed, stable as a rock, very comfortable, no issues.
My **** does not hurt from sitting too much.
Wifey did not complain in the right seat as it lays down like "business class" in a big airplane and she keept snoozing away except to squack if I exceeded 95 mph.

Average speed 73 mph, average MPG 20.7.
A 320 without the 4-Matic and without the V-8 would probably get 24 and if ya drive the speed limit, 26 or better.

Had the car for 18 months, average MPG mixed driving 15.9.
Cost to buy extended warranty, 3/36...$3,100.
Cost to fix problems to qualify for the extended warranty: $3.000.

Repair bills covered by warranty: $4K + and 1.5 year to go.