beejAMG

I have an '03 E320 Avantgarde with 130k (kilometers/Australia). Its been very reliable so far (knock on wood too). Still drives better than a few brand new cars out there.

I agree with a lot of comments on this thread, dont mind the mileage AS MUCH if the car has a good complete service history. And that pre-purchase inspection is a very good idea. at least you can haggle with the price for any needed repairs. Goodluck and hope you find a good deal!

E55Greasemonkey

That's a lot of money for those kind of miles....Stay away from airmatic suspension, or 4matic, as they both add considerable maintenance, expense and failures. And ALWAYS have a pre-purchase inspection done BEFORE YOU BUY IT at a dealership. It's not uncommon to see $3k-8k repair estimates on these cars. 2003 had a lot of electrical problems, most of which have been sorted out since, with software updates and new version parts.

Benzdom

I just got off the test drive.

Generally, the car looked very good.

Only when I did a brake test, I had a tire squeal. Which should not happen with an ABS car. So there might be a problem.

The second thing is that it has 18" wheels with low profile tires. I will evaluate the cost of getting stock wheels and tires on.

Inside looks good for a car of that age, A/C is ice cold. Two child seats in the back, so I may have scratches on the imitation leather, but it's no big deal.

SBC pump has been exchanged under warranty in 2010.

The owner is a good guy, so depending on what's wrong with the ABS and what the cost of exchanging for regular wheels is, it looks like I'm going into round two with this car.

Benzdom

Actually, it seems as if used Mercedes are more expensive here.

Usually, people in LA ask for $9000 for a 150 000 mile car. So it's, because of the (fixed) front end accident actually this one of the better deals here.

People regularly ask for $6000-7000 for 130 000 miles w210 cars - and more.

E55Greasemonkey

Also, keep in mind the leaking fuel tank issue which can set you back about $3k... It's easy to look for, lift up the back seat and remove access covers. Look for leaked fuel there.

Agreed, the cars may be more expensive in your market compared to here (Florida)

Benzdom

Thank you for this tip. Very much appreciated!

I'll do a pre-purchase inspection and will ask the mechanic to look for this leaking fuel tank issue.

06E5004ME

Benzdom, what do you mean by tire squeal? Did you try to brake abruptly and didn't feel the pedal vibration usually associated with ABS? If that's the case, you will never feel the ABS pulse as the brakes are "fly by wire", meaning the brake pedal does not actuate the braking in itself. The sensor in the pedal reads how far and how abruptly you press it and sends that signal to the SBC computer which then tells the pump how much pressure to apply to each wheel. If there was a problem with ABS, traction control light (ETC? Correct me if I'm wrong) would go off as well as the systems are interconnected.

06E5004ME

Also, with ABS, you will still get the tire squeal when you stomp the brakes as they are simply pulsating. If you watch ABS breaking videos in slow motion you can actually see that the wheels alternate between locked and unlocked, but it all happens extremely quick.

Benzdom

Yes, I stepped on the brake pedal abruptly. And there was a loud tire squeal, which made me ease off the pedal.

There was no light on on the instrument cluster.

I can compare the ABS braking to test drives I had with one other w210 and another w211. When I stepped on the brakes abruptly, they had no tire squeal. I just braked like hell. On the other w211 I even braked on a slightly downhill street.

I had tire squeal on a few other cars, and one even had severe tire burn, with burn smoke drifting into the cabin.

My old Mercedes did not have ABS, so my only experience with braking with an ABS system are test drives.

06E5004ME

I'd say check the tires? I mean if your breaking system is faulty, MB will let you know with a nice red message in the middle of the speedometer. It either works or it doesn't.

Benzdom

But isn't squealing of the tires a sign that the tires are drifting over the asphalt - while ABS should limit braking power so the wheels keep turning and not locking and drifting?

I'm calling a good mechanic and am setting up a pre-purchase inspection.

He will also ask him about checking out the frame in regards to the front end damage the car had in 2006.

Airbags deployed, and the steering wheel had to be replaced. The owner said it broke - how is that possible? Or does every steering wheel "break" when the airbag in it has been deployed and therefore has to be replaced.

There's a wood grain steering wheel in there now.

Generally, I had a good impression of the car. The transmission is a bit lazy shifting up when you step on it, but that may be adjustable.

I also think the owner is a good guy. He is a sales man in computers with a degree.

06E5004ME

As good as the owner may seem, he is selling you a car and you can never be too careful. Do take it to the mechanic and hopefully he has STAR diagnostics which will be able to show you all error codes module by module.

Like I said before, I don't know how an ABS wouldn't throw a light if it was defective and at the same time not throw an ETC warning.

Do keep us updated on what you find during the PPI.

Benzdom

Thanks! I will ask about the STAR system.

One other thing came to my mind. The owner had a quite full cup with ice water in the cup holder - no lid. After the second test braking I noticed he was holding it in his hands.

I don't know if he had been holding it through the first test braking as well, or if water had spilled from the cup. I never drive with open drinks so I didn't think of this. And I had announced the test braking - maybe he had taken the cup with the water before I braked.

I was so focused on the brake testing I didn't check if there had been a spill on the center console caused by this. I didn't notice him wiping anything off the console.

Well, if it did spill and if it affected the car, it will come up at the inspection as well, I guess. (I know the w210 were sensitive to spills on the console, which ruined their shifting module - I don't know about the w211).

K-A

With 211's try and stick with 2005 and above if reliability is a concern (it always is). 2006 and above preferably, if you ask me.

Kimmy149

Hi guys, this is my very first post on a thread, yet I haven't really introduced myself nor post of pict of my new Benz on the welcoming thread

Anyway, I'm interested in reading this title and went on about reading it. I really do hope 03 w211 E320 is reliable enough as I just bought one myself about 2 weeks ago. This is my 4th Mercedes Benz being w124 twice and ML320 w163 was the last one.

My w211 has only done 35k miles on the clock but it's hardly maintained by the previous owner.
- 2 years regos unpaid
- SBC malfunction
- Panoramic sunroof isn't working
- Smart entry only works on the rear right door
- Air Conditioner not working
- Torn steering wheel etc

I've spent about $3.5k to date just:
- to do the service E
- set of 20 inch incurve replica wheels
- fixing the aircond
- fan belt and all three mounting replacement (2 engines + 1 transmission)
- and some other bits and pieces

I'm afraid I paid a lil too much for the car given it's above mentioned conditions and I'm honestly not really looking forward to spending much much more to make it as perfect as new again) By joining this forum, I'm hoping to find DIY quick fix solutions and recommendations for cheaper parts.

Please also advice if I should worry about replacing all the ballpoints, all the four shockies, arms and tie rods as we'll as the arms

Thanks folks