BUY ADVICE - 2003 E320 97K
 

Going to look at a 2003 E320 Automatic 97k miles for $3500, or best offer. Owner says it's garage kept, selling cheap because of lack of space. It does look clean but of course I would take it through PPI paces.

Have 2 C240s for a year-ish now and I find them predictable unlike the C230 that's prone to some issues such as a stretching timing chain, etc.

I diy my cars so I can get in there, under and above to look. I am new to MB (about a year) But I am generally comfortable performing a PPI to an extent. But E320 is a new beast to me. I would ask you guys are class/year great cars or do they have known issues that they are prone to? I just read about the M272 balance shaft issue and still reading. What type of engine does this model have and is it afffected by balance shaft issue?

At the moment I only have a cheapy BT dongle - ordering Autel all system scanner in a week or two.

For this car what would you be looking for as far as potential trouble areas? Does it have airmatic suspension? Not reading very encouraging things on that either.

Make sure it shift smooth and it doesnt flare between gears

control arms and brake lines check them

Decode the VIN online and it will tell you the engine number. Then check if your engine number is affected (most likely) by the balance shaft issue. This info as well is easily obtained online.

SBC Brake unit is an issue, but should have a 25 year extended warranty on it.

Also leaking fuel tanks, fuel pumps, gasoline smell inside the cabin is an issue, which had a 15 year extended warranty in CA (not sure if this was covered in other States as well), so you may want to check if this was ever done as the car is past 15 years. I had an '03 in the past and mine was done 2 days before the 15 year warranty expired due to a leaking fuel pump and gasoline smell.

Other than the above, my '03 was pretty solid.
97K miles and a 3500 asking price, not sure what you all can ask for. If the car is clean and runs well, hopefully has some maintenance history, I would not hesitate.

This is the model with famous 3.2l/5G drive-train that was grandfathered from older models, where it keeps proving to be real workhorse.
Decode car options on site like https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Mercedes-Benz
When SBC brakes in US have extended warranty, if the car has original airmatic bags, put some money aside for replacing them.
For me paint condition on used MB is the most important part. I can fix the rest.

Well the 2003 also had the bad radiators that would cause antifreeze contamination with the transmission which is why it's important that it shifts smoothly. Otherwise once the antifreeze mixes with the transmission fluid, it's time for a new transmission. At this age, either it's been lucky or already replaced. Check the old threads to see how to tell if it's been replaced or not.

And balance shaft was 2006 to early 2007 so no issues here.

Did you purchase the car?