jaxtheax

recently i found a 2006 E500 sedan, and it was exactly what i was looking for, well equipped, clean, one owner, etc.

But it has 212k miles...

I went to see the car in person, and its absolutely clean all around...apart from some wear on the wood trim on the shift knob and the chrome on the drivers side door handle peeling you cant tell the car has anywhere near the amount of miles the odometer reads.

what kind of problems should i expect with a car like this?

cetialpha5

The usual suspects, airmatic and SBC brakes. At that mileage pretty much anything else could be ready to go, hope it's a really good price. Just get the service history. What options does it have? Bixenon? Make sure that they still autolevel. Panorama roof? Make sure it opens and closes without making noise, motor can go. Power trunk closer? Opens and closes, wires can get cut in the trunk. Keyless go? Check that all door handles work to open and lock the car and that the push button start works. Rear sunshade? That it goes up and down, motor can get stuck. Parktronic? All front and rear sensors should work. Bluetooth? Check for bluetooth puck. Ipod? Check for cable in glove box.

beejAMG

23,500 miles a year is a lot!!! if that was me, i wouldnt even give it a second look. E500's are not very rare so im sure ill find a better optioned E with lower mileage. i was recently on the market and came across a 2009 CLS500 with 160k's on it. didnt even bother clicking on the ad. but thats just me. goodluck!

HKP7Shot

That is a lot for an '06. I just picked up an '07 550 with 48K miles.

vettdvr

Buyer beware is a good tip here. I would be running away.

BryanW203

I just purchased a 2006 E500 4matic wagon with 200k in it. It is a 1 owner with the most impecable service history I have seen. The car looks better in,out,and under than cars with 60k miles. I have zero issues driving and owning it.

I would rather have this than a 75k mile car with 4 owners and no service history.

Plus what I paid leaves tooonnnns of $ for any issues that do pop up.

Look on ebay you can buy low mileage engines all day long for $1500-2000, so if a major motor issue arises just replace the whole thing instead of fixing what broke.

HKP7Shot

Just having that information makes me so glad that as long as I keep up with the service and maintenance 200k miles is not unheard of. I'm really looking forward to the next 150k miles that I get to put on my new toy.

Thanks,
Scott.

tlh711

Looking at a 2006 E500 with 114k on it to leave in Florida to use while I’m there. Any concerns I should have?

tjts1

If you're leaving it parked for an extended period of time make sure its hooked up to a trickle charger. Low voltage does terrible things to this car's computers. When you come back to it after weeks or months don't be surprised if you find the air suspension collapsed. It's normal. It should pump right back up when you turn it on. You might be better served by an E320 with coil spring suspension.

F1Fan

All true. Airmatic is great to have. But the car will sit on the ground almost if there is a small leak. But look at it another way. Most likely the car will not get stolen because theives may see a car that is not driveable! But if it bothers you, the airmatic struts/air springs can be replaced without spending too much money. I would not recommend the E320 v6 model just because there is not enough torque down low. The v8 E500s is much more driveable around town because the torque can accelerate the car much easier in almost any gear.

Lastly, the Florida sun can be brutal. Are you going to be keeping the car outside or will you have the car in a parking garage?

tjts1

How is there not enough torque down low?

tlh711

How can the airmatic be replaced? Yes will be left outside.

cetialpha5

You could just switch to coil springs or you can get Arnott replacement air springs which have a lifetime warranty. Two other factors would be SBC brakes which have a 25 year extended warranty but when the pump fails, you will basically lose 90% of your braking. But hopefully the counter trips before then and the pump gets replaced on MB's dime before that happens. Also there's a 15 year extended warranty on the fuel tank, but it would probably be expired on the model you're looking at. You end up smelling gas in the cabin when it leaks. Try testing it with a full tank of gas. Later 2007-2009 model E350/E550 might still have the fuel tank covered and no SBC. No airmatic on E350 too but the E350 has intake manifold issues, but under 1k to replace the intake manifold.

tlh711

That’s great info. Thank you. You took the fear of buying this car away.

Overheated

I had an '03 E500 with 250K on it when I sold it due to what was likely an easy trans fix. Aside from a few airmatic repairs, an alternator, and routine maint ran flawlessly.

I now have another '03 E500 that I bought with 175K, now has 184K. Aside from regular maint like changing out the engine, differential, and trand oils, plus radiator flush, it was necessary to replace a number of engine vacuum lines, clean out the intake - MAF, EGR, throttle, etc... - replaced a single height sensor, flex disc, idler pully. It doesn't burn oil, but needs a rear main seal. There's an issue with the airmatic compressor mount.

Otherwise the car runs very well, responsive, agile, and fast.