martin545

The first 100k on a car is relatively worry free. What unexpected problems have come up with your E Class between 100-200k miles?

kajtek1

It is matter of luck.
I buy higher mileage cars and on some I spend just few hundreds buck to add 60-80k miles I usually do before reselling.
Couple of bad lucks was $1200 front axle on 4M or $560 radiator on diesel.
Than I don't even count $100 expense as real expense on MB.
When you buy used car that was "professionally maintained" , usually you will find lot of broken clips, missing brackets, screws etc. Those are cheap but a nightmare to buy.

JSch

I think it depends on how the car was maintained the first 100k miles and how well it was looked after. Having all the services performed on schedule is mechanical maintenance. Is the car left outside summer and winter? Is it parked is a garage? These can extend or shorten the lifespan of the plastics, seats, and other items.

How will the car be treated and serviced in the second 100k? Apart from regular oil changes etc., will all the other serviceable items like the sunroof be maintained? For example, when I wash my cars, I also clean the rubber door and trunk seals. It keeps the rubber in better shape.

I also have a '88 300 SEL. Although the paint and leather seats is still in excellent condition (The car is from Palm Springs, CA) and there is no rust anywhere on the car, it had some mechanical issues due to not being driven regularly. It was driven ~2k miles in 10 years! But, every time I take something apart, it is clear that connectors and switches looks perfect after 29 years.

For a proper maintained and looked after car, the second 100k miles should be close to as worry free as the first 100k.

Just my 2c..

mellonc

I have the same question and am wondering whether I should buy the 2 year extended CPO warranty ( I can do that before factory warranty expires early next year). I usually like to keep my cars tip-top and don't tolerate good-enough-to-run condition.

My strategy is to try different indy mechanics around my area for different repairs and simple services. Then, I choose one that is as much OCD as I am even if the cost is a bit more. (but cheaper than the dealer, obviously) I try to budget about $1000 per 30k miles after 90K of service. But usually about $1500 per 30k miles after the car goes beyond 150k miles. I have an old Lexus (2001) I'm keeping around with 252K miles. That car now eats up about $1K per 10K miles driven.

jahquan3

I'm at 130k roughly and have not had many issues since I hit 100k. Except for the usual turnover of items and basic maintenance. I'm sure the 130-200,000 miles portion will have some ups and downs. I was this close to getting out of this car and getting an S550 but I might just keep this one for good and get a second car as my DD.

JSch

mellonc - I am very OCD about my cars. The two year ELW is a personal thing. I did it, but I will only know after the two years if it was worth the money. So far in my 30 months of ownership, I had not a single issue with the car. I did buy a 3-service pack at the dealer, which will expire about the same time as my ELW. I think your budget amounts are accurate!

I use a very good indy shop specializing in European cars (MB, Audi, BMW, Porsche) that I will use afterwards. My 21 year old Nissan pickup with 170k miles, my wife's Nissan, and my 29 year old 300SEL go there already when I get stuck.