technsandiego

I'm considering the purchase of a 2009 E 550. It has 122,377 miles on it and it's in great condition body/interior wise. The seller is asking $10,000 dollars for it which seems high to me. KBB and Edmunds lists it at $7,500. I'm also concerned about the maintenance cost on a car with that many miles.

I love my 190E 2.3 but it's starting to nickle and dime me to death. It has 258,000 miles on it and still runs strong when it runs.

My question is should I keep the 190E and rebuild it or purchase the E 550?

belarus27

2009 is the previous body which is w211 and this forum is for w212. But essentially it is the same engine.

does the car have airmatic (can be pricey down the road)? Did you get maintenance records from the dealer?
Id ask people on w211 forum , they would know more about w211 chassis.

KEY08

It is the same engine only through 2011. Definitely ask the guys in the W211 section. That is a lot of miles so expect to be replacing things.

tresean1

The W211 E550 is a great vehicle! The mileage of the car you are looking at is average, and I don't think the seller is unreasonable in his asking price. I recently sold my 2007 E550, with around 114k mi, for around $10k too...so 2 years newer for the same price seems reasonable.

The 2009 brings HD radio and updated COMAND with SD card slot, and eliminated the dedicated headlight washer button. I believe those were the only differences, as the facelift in 2007 brought most of the major changes.

My car was practically trouble free, aside from normal maint and wear & tear (brakes, tires, etc). It was a classy and timeless design. I would check to make sure there are no issues with transmission and transfer case; also make sure spark plus and coils have been changed.

The E550 is a totally different car than the 190E.

cetialpha5

Aside from the newer comand on the 2009, it's pretty much the same as the 2007/2008. But they got rid of the headlamp washer button in 2008, it was there in 2007. As others mentioned airmatic is one major item to watch out for, oem is 1k per corner and even aftermarket Arnotts are about $500. And at that mileage if they haven't been replaced, you're probably due soon. Only other thing would be the gas tank extended warranty, it's only for non Pzev cars, up to 15 years, unlimited miles. On pzev cars in pzev states, it's just 15 years/150k. Fill it up and see if you smell gas.

sleeperZ96BT

KBB doesn't really account for how generally limited these cars are in the market. I would recommend bringing it to an independent MB mechanic to go through it to know what you are getting into. They should be able to highlight what could need to be replaced in the future, and, most importantly, what may need to be addressed now, which helps you with price.

tresean1

technsandiego,


You are considering switching classes and engine sizes majorly. The E550 is an entirely different beast than the 190E, in all aspects. If you are concerned with price, I would go with a 2010 C350? It will give you basically the same size as your 190E (aside from the CLA) and a little bump in hp. The E550 is a torque-beast and will feel much different, so if that is what you are looking for and prepared for; then I'd say go for it!

thefisch

If the service records/carfax/VMI check out, then just get the price to a point you are comfortable with it. You won't have a lot at risk as the car should hold it's value well.