Mrbrydges

Hello all, this is my first post. I have an affinity for the W220 cars and have been looking for a well preserved example to add to the fleet for summertime.

I’m in Canada, and while there are well preserved cars here without winters, I’m encountering an issue.

Essentially every facelifted car is 4Matic. The only RWD options are pre-facelift. I don’t really want AWD and am only going to drive it in nice weather. My concern is longevity and reliability. Everyone says to avoid the pre facelift cars.

For example, currently there are two fairly low mileage cars I’ve been looking at. A 2002 with the sport package, appears very nice, well maintained and 100k miles, much prefer the look of this car.
Also a 2003 4Matic with 70k miles that currently needs a rear half shaft. I’m having difficulty even finding one of those looking online, but the mileage is lower, body and interior appear to be pristine and the price is reasonable given the issues. I can’t seem to find out how long these systems last before needing transfer case work, CV joints etc. I’m kind of baffled it already has a bad axle on the rear, though I’m assuming the boot tore and it dried up.

I suppose my main question is that in general terms, given the choice between a pre-facelift RWD and a facelift 4Matic, which one is the lesser evil to maintain going forward? Both cars are a long distance away, and I would appreciate some guidance before I make a day long round trip to view.

thanks

tusabes

Both pre facelift and post facelift are fine , it all comes down to the individual car for sale . Some are terrible and others are mint and you can’t judge by mileage alone . There are abused low mileage cars and pristine high mileage cars .

if you don’t want to view cars far away then pay for an inspection . You can have a seller take it to a local major repair shop for an inspection or oil change and have the shop give their opinion . In the USA we have a service called taskrabbit where you can hire people anywhere to go look for you .

Mrbrydges

Thanks for your reply. I went and looked at the “rust free, never winter driven” 70k mile 4Matic to find a bunch of rust starting in several body areas despite undercoating.
Also the rear end clunks when going around corners and when at a stop when power is applied or removed - fine going straight down the road. I’m inclined to think the differential is the issue rather than a half shaft, the boots on it seem to be intact. Coming from older General Motors stuff mainly and Toyota it’s hard to see a differential going out at 70k but I suppose it’s possible. This car was a one owner and sat for a long time, mileage verifies with the carfax. I will keep looking. Thanks again.

jasontaylor7

Almost all 4wd cars have a transfer case. IMO the fluid needs to be replaced much more frequently than "lifetime" ATF fluid. The bolt on the transfer case is usually hard to access, like an inch away from part of the frame, as an example. So if you don't wanna mess with it get 2wd.