DigitalFubar

ok my buddy owns a tow yard and a 2001 S500 has become available and im thinking about buying it.. price is decent to me any ways at 6k although it does have the classic symptoms of the airmatic failing.. it was working then after a month of sitting it stopped working..

now what i was wanting to know is this.. I dont want to buy a lemon and although i know about cars MB is new to me.. it starts.. runs. shifts..ac works blows ice cold..lights work.. now.. seems the rear window screen isnt working.. although i havent checked the fuse.. lights seem to work.. haven't checked brake lights yet or blinkers.. just a quick look over the car but im going back there in about a half an hour to look at it more in depth..

so.. i was going to to do the whole carfax report thing ..says 24 reports found.. but i cant justify 39.99 so if some one that has the unlimited carfax service or a similar service could run the vin that would be awesome..

im basically looking for a yay or nay on the car and any advice would be great..

vin is..( WDBNG75J61A189338 with 171k onthe odomiter) ive tried the decoder here and didnt get much info on it as to what options it came with.. and the data card wasnt there.. i was going to call and see how much it would be for a new one .. with owners manuals .

THANKS for any replies in advance and any one that can help out on the car fax or similar service..

tusabes

These are good cars but you're going to be near many expensive repairs

Better to get one in the 9-10k range with 100k miles and known history than 170k miles, already needing work and no known history

DigitalFubar

whats some of the major repairs that will be coming up? can you give me an example?

trombone

I agree with Tusabes, leave this car in the junkyard, or at least do not rush for the deal.

Read the forums and you'll quicky get and idea about the loads of problems can give you unwanted surprise, too many to list in a single posting.

And practically all repairs are expensive unless you are a DIY enthusiast.

But whatever you decide, we wish you good luck.

vmystikilv

6k? Hmm. I think 5k with that kinda of mileage and year. I will spend 7-9 on a 100k one instead of 6k for that. Also, honestly , if you worried about this car being a lemon you might want to look at something else or a different model. Yes the engine is bulletproof , the suspension and other items are not . Wait till you get stuck in park. It will happen if it hasn't already been torn out to rectify. Rust, parts are hella high, etc. this is not a car even at 50k miles on the dash to own unless you can do some stuff yourself or have a nice size wallet . Find out how much to fix the air suspension and you will see what I mean.

DigitalFubar

well im not worried about it being a lemon persay.. i just dont want a car thats prone to problems.. i have some cash to work with.. not 2 much but enough that i can do what needs done.. and i dont want to spend 9k or higher to do those same things.. that i could do on this one..

car seems to have been well maintained.. starts smooth , idles smooth..

airmatic needs replacing.. and maybe some fuses.. im going to get more indepth wit it tomorrow.. so now i ask what specifically should i look for on this car..

if i buy this car at 171k and i maintain it.. whats realistic on how long it will last?

and where im at in CA the prices are retarded.. every thing is about 10k-12k 9.5k for a salvage titled one.. so this 6k one im looking at looks like a better deal.. and milage on these cars that ive found in the northern parts of ca are all high milage cars.. so im really choosing the lesser of to evils here..

over all im just looking for some good solid advice.. from experienced people that have owned this model..

mercy-me

Just a couple of comments.

It might be important to know the history of ownerships and where it has been registered over the course of it's life. Also, accidents on these cars really reduce the value.

You mention, " i was going to to do the whole carfax report thing ..says 24 reports found.. but i cant justify 39.99 so if some one that has the unlimited carfax service or a similar service could run the vin that would be awesome.." My question is, if you can't justify spending $40 to investigate the history then you are buying "a pig in a poke".

I have attached the Data Card pdf with the installed options on the car. The data card shows that this car is pretty much bare bones equipped.

The front suspension on these cars is weak and you can expect to have to do some component replacements every 70 to 100k miles. I just did a rebuild on mine purchased with 95k miles from an owner who couldn't afford to do the rebuild.

If the Airmatic is failing then expect another $1k to $3k of parts only,(no labor) over time to keep it working properly.

Finally, the car has 171k miles on it now and suppose you drive it until it has 200k miles on it. What do you think it would be worth at that point to another potential buyer such as yourself? On the other hand, if you buy the car and are able to do all the repairs,(DIY) for the cost of parts only and plan to keep the car until it dies then it could be a great experience.

If it were me, I would do as the others have suggested. Look for a lower mileage car and stay away from these high end money pits.

Don't get my wrong, I love my '01 but she is a jealous mistress and wants all of me!

wallyp

The most obvious questions - why is the car in the yard? What does the previous owner know that you don't?

The $40 history seems like a rational purchase.

If you are willing and able to do serious DIY on the car, perhaps it would be a fun experiment. If you have to pay someone to do any serious repairs, run away!

If you plan to DIY repairs and maintenance, and to keep the car for a long time, a Chinese Star system would be a good place to start.

Maintenance will be a lot higher than that on a Chevy or Toyota, even with DIY...

Quadcammer

It may be a $5k car now, but it was a $85k car when it was new. Repairs are priced accordingly.

Honestly, if you can't justify a $40 carfax, this may not be the right car for you.

DigitalFubar

all valid points.. From what i gather from the chp report.. is that the driver had just purchased the car off of craigs list about a month prior and he didnt have a license.. he never transfered ownership of the car into his name.. and im buying the car fax as we speak..

im a big DIY guy.. never take my cars to the shop.. so id be doing all the work on it my self..
so after i get the car fax purchased ill report back on what i find out..

thanks for all the opinions..

DigitalFubar

thank you for the data card..

DigitalFubar

well there is good news and bad news according to carfax..

2 owners.. 1 report.. I guess the 24 reports thing is a gimmic to sucker you in lol..

it was in 1 accident.. as a lease vehicle.. I contacted the dealership to ask about the car and they said that no airbags were deployed.. but both head lights , bumper cover had to be replaced and the leasies insurance company covered it but it was declared a total loss do to the value of the parts replaced.. and sold at auction as a fleet vehicle on 08/30/2011

so over all it was maintained top notch by the dealer it looks like unitl 01/05/2012 thats the last inspection and every thing checked out..

tusabes

So its a total loss salvage title too?

You'll have to get a Brake and light inspection before you can register it

Just the airmatic repairs will cost you $2000-3000 so then you're at $9000 for a ragged salvage title car.

It's not worth $4900

DigitalFubar

im confused here.. from what ive been reading and the research ive done.. the airmatic should cost 200-500 for the pump//or at least thats the prices ive found..

i got the break and lamp inspection covered.. if it comes to that..
and i can do the compressor install my self..

im not trying to convince you guys its worth it but.. a similar priced same milage car with salvage tittle is going for 8500.. and any thing with less miles is going for more.. so i guess i try to talk them down in price..

Quadcammer

yeah the compressor is that much. Price out the struts

loveandpeace

FYI, just got my 2000 s430 138k miles, clean title a month ago from Santa Clara private owner, $6500. i think you have more options than a salvaged one.


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DigitalFubar

you got a damn good deal then.. these retards up here are asking crazy prices..
I saw one last night that was 170k for 4500 and i called the guy and he was like that was a type oh.. price is going up..

dont believe me.. look from where you are at to Sacramento.. I have and the cheapest ive found them for is about 8500 firm or so they say.. and the lowest milage one i found was 95k and that guy wanted 10.5 k.. so..yea there it is..

tusabes

$300 for the compressor
$1500 for new struts (you'll need all 4 , if not all at the same time , over a period of time )
Valve blocks etc .

Air matic is not just a $300 compressor and that's all

Look it seems you are determined to buy this car , so buy it. Maybe youll get lucky and a $400 repair is all it needs. Just be ready for the expenses people have told you.

DigitalFubar

its not that im determined to buy it yet..
although i do like the car.. and with replacing the struts..
isnt there an alternative fix for that from what ive been
reading or is there some thing else that goes wrong with them?

tusabes

Once you've changed the struts , compressor , hoses , valve blocks and relays- then the system should be trouble free for a long time

Byut changing everything at once costs $2-3000 so most people don't do that, and only fix the one thing that failed- then they have another part fail a short time after , and again and again . Remember that every single part of that car airmatic system is 12 years old and has 170,000 miles of wear - so each part has reached the end of its life expectancy and its only a matter of time as to when each part fails

You can also convert to coil springs but that's a $2000 conversion as well

And we haven't even started taking about the control arms and ball joints - two very common failure items in addition to the airmatic

And the shifter issue

And at that high mileage , transmission issues . I had to replace mine at 190k, most of the transmission replacement threads in this forum are with cars between 150-200k miles , so that could be coming up . At the very least the conductor plate issue on the tcu.

Don't forget the crank position sensor , electronic accelerator pedal and eis ignition switch . All common failure items on the w220.

Transmission and engine mounts , very common , and flex discs

Last but not least , electrical issues. Door modules . Pse soft close problems . Etc etc etc . These are all coming up in the future for a high mileage car where you don't know the history of what's already been done . Maybe many of those things were serviced in the past few years. Or maybe none of it was done and everything is on its last legs

For a tow yard car, you never know what you're getting and you have to price it low accordingly . $6000 is not low

DigitalFubar

hmm very valid points.. see thats what i was looking for.. ok..lol
So ether he comes down on price or i dont buy it and look for one that has less miles.. and has been well maintained..

so what do you recommend? Like i said people where im at think they can get 8-15k for an 01 S500 .. is this accurate?
at what price point would you buy this car?
what would you look for in another car? what would you pay based off of millage and service records?

I see this can get complicated very quickly..

tusabes

Expand your search beyond Sacramento if its that bad up there . I wouldn't pay $4000 for the car you described . I paid $5400 four years ago for mine , with no immediate problems . It did need a transmission 10k miles later though .

I'm in the Bay Area . The other person in Santa Clara above mentioned getting one without issues for $6500 . Look in wealthier areas of California where there are a lot of mb owners . Buy a private party car that you can get professinally inspected. In sac it's probably mostly dealers selling luxury cars , not the originsl owners , and the dealers sell cars at top dollar

I shouldn't have had to list all the issues for you , they are in the "start here" thread. You need to do your own research not ask others to repeat what's already been posted

DigitalFubar

well thank you...