douggefreshNH

Hi,
I found an E500 in Mass previously registered in PA. Has about 57k. Last service at Benz before it was traded this year shows engine/power train module checked. That scares me. I know this is broad but anything there to be particularly concerned about?

From my reading it looks like brakes and air ride suspension can be an issue. What about drivetrain?

juanmor40

year? serial number?

douggefreshNH

2004. We talking VIN? WDBUF70J24A455626

juanmor40

https://tuningpro.co/mercedes-m113-v...in%20cracking.

Hope the link above helps you.. Heard this is a very good engine, though very low mileage can also be a problem if sitting for too long, or always driven for short trips (grocery driver)

Also, a short video from FCP Euro

Red Ryder

I see that phrasing on most of the Carfax reports I have looked over, which is whole lot. Seems pretty normal to me, for what that's worth. I think the thing to look for, more so, is what has been replaced.

The things that make me shy away from the E500 are the full Airmatic suspension at all 4 corners, and the ones that are equipped with the 7spd auto (as opposed to the 5spd auto). Otherwise, I'd love one for its V8 which is generally/relatively reliable, and the interior luxury features like cooled seats. Anyway in general with these cars other things to watch are fuel tank filler neck and SBC unit if equipped, the latter of which is likely fine still given the low mileage.

I was looking for a wagon for a while, but am holding off given the current market since we do not actually need one right now. Anyway good luck with your search! A lot of these seem to reside in the northeast, unfortunately.

douggefreshNH

Thank you both for the insight! The differential seal was done but I didn’t see spark plugs, rear main seal, or valve cover gaskets so I prob have to do those. Also no SBC mention either. It is a 7 speed transmission. Listing is 11,995. I feel like it should be $10 because of the $2k I will have to put into it on day 1. I can do gaskets and plugs but not RMS or SBC. No airmatic issues on the Carfax.

cetialpha5

SBC is a 25 year warranty so it should still be covered for about 6 more years. Pretty basic car though, has bixenons and back then they didn't have active curve illumination. There's also the 15 year extended warranty on the fuel tank so check for a gas smell when the car has a full tank, that would be expired by now. As for plugs, I think that engine is 2 per cylinder so that's 16 plugs.

I don't think low mileage cars that are old are really worth it. The rest of the car ages whether you drive it or not but at 12k, it's certainly a pretty high premium. While that mileage is low for airmatic, it's also a rubber bladder and those age and crack whether you drive it or not, same as lots of other parts on the car.

douggefreshNH

Thank you. I’ve reached the same conclusion for those reasons and also some others. I bought an ‘03 A8 at a good price to flip and though it seems 100% the CEL came on due to solenoid in tranny which is a known issue. So profits will be completely eroded. I may drive that for a bit out of principle while the chip market gets settled and prices normalize. I think $12k is steep for that car and even $10k would be a fair price but higher than I’d want to pay based on the maintenance I know it will need within 3 months. It probably needs brakes. Tires are probably old because it wasn’t driven many miles so owner thinks they’re still good even though tires degrade with age regardless of miles. I’m sure airmatic will need replacement soon and my mechanic said stupid expensive to fix whereas the Audi one has aftermarket options and is a simple swap. With the Audi I have timing tensioners to be concerned about but the maintenance intervals show good oil change frequency so I’m hoping that’s the ticket.

thanks all for the thoughtful responses. I want that E500 but probably not doing it. If it was a wagon I might have to but it isn’t.

cetialpha5

For 12k, I'd just look at a 2012+ E350. No SBC, no airmatic, no fuel tank issues, avoids the M272 engine in the 2010-2011 models and goes from 268hp in the M272 to 302hp in the M276 which is what the E500 had anyway plus gas mileage was 20/30 in the E350 vs 15/22 in the E500. And they're starting at about 12k with normal miles in the 80-120k range. Plus how much longer do you think a 19 year old car would last? The older E500 didn't have bluetooth for music and I'm not sure if it was wired for an ipod. At least in 2010+ bluetooth was part of comand although the older 2009 W211 might have had it too.

As for the airmatic, there's also aftermarket ones, Arnott makes them and they used to be around $500 a corner instead of the Mercedes prices of 1k. But in addition to the 4, the compressor or the lines could also develop a leak and age wise, I think they could go anytime regardless of the miles. And when they go, there's no air in the lines and the car basically sits on the tires so you can't even drive it. At least with regular coil springs/struts, they slowly wear out so that the suspension is harsher or the car sits lower. Of course the springs still break occasionally but not that common and people sometimes don't even know that the spring broke until they go to replace them.