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S212 E350 Shopping – How Important Are Mileage and Age?
Hi all, hope you're having a great week!
I've been tentatively shopping for an E350 wagon for the last few months, but now I'm getting a bit more serious about my search. For context, my daily driver is a 2005 BMW M3 Convertible, and I live in Maine... it was fun last winter, but I'd like some more creature comforts and a decent sound system this time around. I'm a huge wagon guy (had a few BMW wagons before the M3) and the S212 seems like a great blend of reliability and comfort. I've driven my grandmother's S213 extensively, and now I'm hooked.
I'd love to get your thoughts on the following parameters that I have, as well as my use case, as I feel it would help my search process to have a bit more guidance:
First and foremost, I'd like a safe, reliable car. I don't mind turning a wrench and have maintained/repaired all of the BMWs I've had myself, but I'm getting a bit tired of it. I don't mind spending $1k on repairs once or twice per year – IMO, that's part of the deal when owning a highly-depreciated car of this type – but I don't want something that will strand me at every turn. I will also have less ability to do repairs myself with my new job.
This car will be a city car that I use for ski trips, shopping, or other non-daily uses. I don't think I will be needing a car to daily drive, and this car may end up street-parked on the Upper West Side of NYC. For this reason, I'd really like to avoid spending more than $10k or so, as I don't want to eat a ton of depreciation on a car that will probably get some scuffs and dings.
I'd love a 2014+ luxury trim with Distronic Plus, LEDs, and a heated steering wheel, but that's quite unlikely to happen within my budget
If you were in my shoes and came across a well-equipped M276-powered wagon with very high mileage (say 180k+) that was below the budget limit, would you consider it? I wouldn't want to sacrifice on my goals of general reliability, but I've seen two wagons that could fit the bill and both have Distronic Plus, which I feel would be a huge benefit in tristate-area highway traffic. On my BMWs I do preventative maintenance (on the M3 I've done rod bearings, cooling system parts, etc.) so I feel confident doing road trips, even though it has 180k miles. From what I've read the W/S212 is generally reliable, so I feel like I could take a well-maintained high-mileage example and do some preventative maintenance to make it pretty dependable.
Would you choose a lower-mileage 2011 over a higher-mileage 2012, if both options came up? I'd love the gas mileage of the M276 and to avoid the intake manifold flap issue with the M272, but I could afford a lower-mileage 2011 than a 2012+. I prioritize lower milage over fancy equipment, but it is tempting when I see a well-equipped high-mileage car, especially if it looks well-maintained.
I know there are many threads about W/S212 high-mileage reliability, but I feel that my use case is a bit different given that the car will likely be street-parked and really only needs to be more reliable than my M3.
> SNOW FLAKINESS:
I have Distro Plus and enjoy its functionality but you should note it's reported to have false positives during snow storms, heavy rain which I can't confirm living in California drought.
> PRICE POINT :
It's all about priorities
-- A 180kMi well equipped wagon will may require frequent attention.
-- A lower mileage less equipped should be less troublesome.
> SALTY RUST:
W212 is recognized for rust issue within the snow belt area. This impacts rear sub-frame and rear brake lines.
So inspect these items for cars exposed to salty roadways.
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Nov 8, 2024 at 03:46 PM.
Thanks for the input. Do you also have Lane Tracking in yours? It seems like a great option for highway traffic.
My main concern is with major engine/transmission failure. I've heard that some M276s have timing chain issues at higher mileage, and that would definitely be a bummer, but perhaps could also – but less likely – happen to a 130k-mile car. I guess it's all about risk tolerance, and I'm trying to figure out what mine actually is!
Thanks for the input. Do you also have Lane Tracking in yours? It seems like a great option for highway traffic.
My main concern is with major engine/transmission failure. I've heard that some M276s have timing chain issues at higher mileage, and that would definitely be a bummer, but perhaps could also – but less likely – happen to a 130k-mile car. I guess it's all about risk tolerance, and I'm trying to figure out what mine actually is!
LKA : Lane Keeping Assist - I have the active version that uses both brakes and the electric steering if necessary. Combine with DistroPlus it managed the Steering + Accelerator + Brakes: It works well!
BS: Blind Spot that's a really good feature for merging.
Unfortunately all those radars are unprotected electronic modules that tend to require service after rain soaks (rear).
Well, I've done it! I picked up a Polar White 2013 E350 yesterday and I'm loving it so far. The interior and exterior are in fantastic shape, and it had a new rear subframe, rear brake lines, and rear air springs installed in August, so that's helpful for peace of mind. It has a lot of miles (175k), but I'm glad to find one that has been cared for well (or at least seems to – the 4.5-hour drive home yesterday went flawlessly).
High mileage doesn't matter as long as the car is maintained and the owner isn't asking a high price thinking he has one of only 5 vehicles ever made. There are certain mileage points in a cars history pass which the value drops 10-15% like 30K, then 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 after which the car is pretty depreciated so price has be accordingly low.
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