01BlackE320

I am in the process of shopping for a 2011 E350 after 10 years of owning my 2001 W210 E320. I test drove a beautiful loaded one over the weekend with 67k miles on it and am close to pulling the trigger. This is my first post on the W212 forum

The one I like has LED running lights, which seems to be pretty typical. I found one for sale though much less loaded for a great price and a perfect carfax except for the fact that the dealer has had it over 2 years. I called and they said the problem is it has fog lights instead of the DRL which has made it hard to sell. I pulled the specs from a vin decoder and I believe it may have to do with FW - Limousine designation. Does anyone know what the story is with this having fog lights instead of LED DRL?

thefisch

Here is the 2011 brochure so you can see the options packages. The LED DRL were standard on the sport trim so this must be a luxury trim with P1 or less.

I wouldn't think fog lights are the issue. Post some links for us to see and comment.

01BlackE320

http://www.pepmore.com/2011-Mercedes...BKY6UJ%5D0Y%3D

This is the car. It's a good price for that mileage. Perfect carfax, dealer maintained until 2014 when it sold at auction with 42k miles. This dealer has had it for 26 months with no additional miles. Was told it's immaculate and indoors. Seems weird that it would sit that long. The one I'm about to pull the trigger is a Sport model, AMG wheels, panoramic roof, White with black interior. immaculate but higher mileage. 67k. few dollars more expensive than this one

belarus27

looks like the one in the link is too basic..not so many options. and is a luxury model. so just go for the other one with sport package

01BlackE320

Based on Fisch's brochure (thanks man) the one I like has Premium 1 and 2, Wheel package, Panarama, and 4matic. Arctic white with Black interior.

What I don't have is maintenance history but I cant find a flaw on the body or interior except that the hood hinge was hanging down and not attached to lower dashboard; still works though. The prior owner installed drilled rotors so I'd be surprised if the oil wasn't changed regularly. Tires and brakes are fresh. There was some odd electrical things on the carfax, like battery cable replaced. Now that I think back to the test drive, I had lowered the fan speed, and when hitting the turn signal I think I touched the cruise control lever and the fan speed went up to high. I had lowered the fan speed when I got in. Hmm?? On my old one, once you change the fan speed, it stays where you put it until you change. Hoping this isn't indicative on electrical gremlins. Intermittent electrical glitches are absolute torture

The G Man

Once you lower the fan speed, it takes the system out of auto and the fan speed should stays where it is.

jahquan3

I def would prefer more options even if a few more miles. However do not pull the trigger if you don't get the bulk if not all of your questions answered. It's not worth taking a shot in the dark with electrical issues. A 2011 E350 will not be hard to find at all regardless of where you are. Good luck and keep us in the loop.

belarus27

has a point

beejAMG

25k miles is NOT a small difference when it comes to mileage. not necessarily saying lower mileage is better but.

fog lights is never an issue with others, just depends who uses the car. some places can get foggy at times and fog lights are more appropriate than drl's.

like mentioned above, 2011 W212 E350 are dime a dozen. dont settle, have patience and make sure you get what you want with options you need/like. otherwise you'll be back posting "youre car is an MB and doesnt have this whilst your neighbours 2008 hyundai has it."

goodluck and hope you get the best car that suits you.

thefisch

Luxury trim is not as popular (or common) as sport trims were what most dealers stocked. That said the car looks in good shape and does have the P1 option package so it is not barren of options.

P2 package is worth it in my opinion. Better headlights and keyless go are musts for me. Post a link to this one so we can see. In regards to potential issues, if the car is not a CPO, you should get a prepurchase inspection (PPI) at a local dealer or indy mechanic. My local MB dealer charges $150 for those and they go over everything.

+1

01BlackE320

This is the one I live. Other than the hood release I can barely find a flaw. Hope it's in my garage soon.

http://www.islandacura.com/used/Merc...d874fa5df3.htm

thefisch

Looks good. Love the white with pano look. Given the mileage and no CPO coverage, I would want to see service records and get an inspection. Odd that one of the photos they posted showed the warning that the B service was overdue by 29k miles. Makes you wonder if it was DIY maint. work because any reputable shop would know how to reset the service indicator.

Others can comment on fair price for age and mileage.

01BlackE320

I know, I noticed that too. All my work on my W210 is Diy but I reset the service indicator each time. I couldn't find a scratch on it and it had drilled rotors and recent pads so someone's been paying attention to maintenance. Unless you tell me that it came stock with drilled rotors.

cetialpha5

Just bought one myself recently. Big thing on the panoroof is to check to make sure it doesn't make noise. You won't be able to tell in regular driving, but if you pull into a driveway or parking lot with a ramp, enter at an angle and see if you hear any popping/cracking noise. It can be loud and sudden. You need to take the headliner down and tighten up the bolts to get rid of the noise. Faded wood is also pretty common, I think the first one had a little bit on the passenger side door. Didn't see enough pictures on the 2nd. Doesn't have parktronic which is also nice, it's parking guidance. But yeah, bixenons and keyless go are the best options and somewhat rare. You never really find an E350 with all the options, that's more likely in an E550. Also I believe stock might have been drilled rotors. Can't remember if it's just the sport model or all of them. You should also consider the 2012, they had the direct injection so 302hp instead of 268 on the 2011. I just got the 2011 because it was a good price. Plus 2010-2011 had the airbag recall although my VIN wasn't affected, just a certain number of them were affected. Oh, I punched in your VIN, the first one wasn't affected, the 2nd one is, no date for the bag yet.

Check it here:

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/recall

01BlackE320

Wow I had no idea about the recall. That's a game changer. I wonder it that dealer can even legally sell that car before it's fixed. My 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee had a safety recall with the ignition lock that took a long time for the remedy and I saw postings where dealers that had the Jeeps said they couldn't sell them with recalls outstanding.

Thanks for this info. Very useful. I can't wait till I move from the w210 forum to this one. You guys are great

The G Man

Even if all the maintenance were DIY, the fact that the owner were not bother by the maintenance reminder not being reset tell you something about how little the owner care about the car.

01BlackE320

I was thinking that too. Imagine looking at that annoying message each time starting the car and ignoring it? I didn't get that message on a test drive so I suspect the dealership did the reset since the pics were taken. Between the questionable maintenance and the fact that there's a pending recall on exploding airbags, I'll think I'll be driving my W210 for a little longer.

The other car that I was considering was a 2013 Cadillac CTS. With low mileage it's in the same price range. I know, it's quite different from the w212, but they're quite nice. Feel free to talk me back to my senses. Thanks for all the help and good suggestions.

thefisch

Good catch. Of course those affected are still driving waiting for MB to address it. I guess they will after they get enough parts for their CPO inventory. If you end up buying it unfixed, I wouldn't worry too much, but certainly try to use it as leverage to get it fixed before sale.

KEY08

Those seats are not leather either as stated in the advert. MB-tex (*which had been repaired according to CarFax)
No maintenance records for the last 25,000 miles either. Unless the dealer can produce copies of Indy shop work for those 25K miles I would not buy this car.

cetialpha5

Umm, well it's not a Mercedes? Anyway according to MB, there have been no injuries yet from the bad batch of air bags so in theory it's still good. I'd worry more if you're in a hot state, I'm in the northeast so probably less likely, plus mine didn't even have it. As for the dealer not selling them, I think MB dealers aren't selling them, but any other dealer can sell them or private party even if there is a recall. Just find another one, mine had the P2 package, parktronic, the pano, dynamic seats and the trunk closer and wasn't part of the recall. Wish it had the driver assistance package, but those are also hit or miss like the P2 package.

01BlackE320

Yep, Thanks. I knew they were MB-tex. Surprising how often the MB-tex is listed as leather.
I'm concerned about the maintenance, but more concerned about the recall. If I owned one waiting for an air-bag fix I'd deal with it, but to buy one knowing it was pending? not comfortable with that. I wouldn't be surprised if that's why the owner traded for an Acura.

My 2001 W210 AC died a few weeks ago which is what has me in the market for an upgrade. I suspect a leaking evaporator and don't really want to invest in fixing it. Still runs great otherwise. To be honest, I didn't think the w212 felt much better and was surprised how similar it was. I bought a mint 2001 in 2006 for $16k and had 10 trouble free years. Would like to buy a 2011 in 2016 and hopefully do the same.