KingDEL23

Hey guys, long time lurker of these forums but haven't posted much since I did much of my posting in the Club 202 forums. But basically here's the story I recently sold my 2006 Saab 9-3 Aero, 6-speed manual. I've been looking to replace it since and I've been trying to find either an W210 E55 or a W202 C43. I haven't had much luck finding a C43 but I stumbled on a 01' E55 in Brooklyn, NY (https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...9366/overview/).

So my question is would you guys pull the trigger on this one? I ran the CarFax on it and the only thing that jumps out at me is the fact that it's had 5 owners, but I do not think that'll be too big of a concern but according to the CarFax it seems like it's been pretty well maintained and additionally I'll have one of my buddies run a VMI on the car to see more of the specifics of the work that was done on the car. And on top of that I've wrenched on my W202 and W211 along with W204's and W212's with no issue so I don't think I'd get killed too bad with some of the more routine repairs.

I'll attach the Carfax and I'd appreciate if you guys let me know what you think!

I'm trying to take a look at it this weekend but I'm in MA so I'm trying to coordinate someone driving my E350 just in case I end up pulling the trigger.

rnelson

The link you have is for a 1 owner 2002 not a 5 owner 2001. I would go after the one owner if you can especially if they have the records!

I used to be really concerned about miles but the thing to be concerned about is overall condition. A 150k mile car could be better taken care of than a 70k car.

I have a 2001 and bought from single owner with 50k miles.

Personally I would check the following:

Front rotors are super expensive
Make sure trans fluid changed
Check for leaky valve covers
Look at motor mounts for any sign of leakage
Drive and make sure no clunking of suspension
With high mileage plugs should have been changed
Brake bleed
Coolant change

Basically I believe hard records are key, I would hold out for this.

Good luck!

allenjdmb

Can't tell you the thing you really neextoknow...and that is how rusthen you a dx in the northeast factor....a recipe for disaster. Don't touch this thing without getting it in the air.
ty.210s are famous for it. And

KingDEL23

rnelson, thanks for those tips! Good catch on the 2002 vs. 2001 thing, I thought the same thing but the car is actually an 01 and appears to have had 5 owners. I'm not too sure if this should be a red flag though, a listing that says it's a 2002 but it's really a 2001? and also a listing that says it's a one owner BUT it's actually had 5 owners. Like how could you make two mistakes like that??

Anyhow, rnelson I agree with you about having the physical records!

Question to the forum though, has anyone seen discrepancies between what CarFax reports for "maintenance" versus what a VMI reports out. I'm assuming it's pretty close to what CarFax reports, let me know what you guys think though!

But yea based on what CarFax reports on the maintenance of this car it seems like it was actually pretty well maintained. I may be overthinking this but I'd hate to go buy a complete bomb!

rnelson

First of all I would not buy a car that says five owners and person claims 1. Is he the original owner or second owner? You know how dealers get a car from original owner then claim only one? Have him send you a pic of vin number to clarify.

Also sometimes as with my car car fax can say more owners than reality because my car transferred from business name, to wife's name to his name... so you got to ask questions.

As far as carfax vs what has actually been done... carfax does not always have everything nor is it detailed enough.

allenjdmb

1) This car is SIXTEEN years old. Carfax did not have nearly as much information , nor were the nationwide data bases nearly as comprehensive during those years. Even though a car may be in one family forever, it still can show multiple owners due to transfers. Have you tried getting a local dealer to help you with the Master Vehicle inquiry?
2) You're overlooking the obvious problem with 210's--RUST. That is your biggest enemy. The body build quality was some of the worst of recent Benz history.
3) Reality is this: it's very hard to buy a 16 year old performance car remotely. You can use the inspection services, but even they will miss some things. Best bet is to get a cheap round trip, go look at it yourself, touch it, smell it, drive it, and check the owner's attitude.

I've been doing this a long time. Some things just don't change. JMHO from an old dude who has learned a lot of lessons, some expensive, some inexpensive.

Overheated

I recently bought a '99 E55. It had low miles (74K) and appeared well cared for...paint, body, interior. I had it checked out and all fluids changed out. The only issue I didn't see until after purchase was the speed sensitive steering. Needed to replace the rack because the SPS Valve couldn't be found on it's own. Other than that she's tip top.

It showed 5 owners, but little more on Carfax or VMI. The moral as I see it is that while everyone on this thread is 100% correct, it's still possible to find a great car if you know what to look for and considering that these cars were very well built.

You're not far from that NYC, so if the car is still available, and you can find a reputable mechanic nearby the seller to check it out, do it. I think these cars sell quick, either at asking price, or if not the price is lowered and they sell fast. There are only @ 500 of each model year in the U.S.

KingDEL23

Allen, good points here thanks. Yea one of my friends was able to get his hands on one but he's saying that company policy does not allow for them to send or distribute them unfortunately.

KingDEL23

Wow, I think this would be the first time that I've seen someone mention a rack replacement..........Overheated is this common? Any warning signs I should be aware of?

KingDEL23

Also guys, what's a reasonable price to pay for these E55's these days with 160K?

Also too, why is Mercedes such sticklers about VMIs? Kinda confusing if you ask me.......

Overheated

Not sure if a weak rack is common to the model or not. I've seen a few posts here and there, but for the age of the cars info is scarce. With older model years of any mfg. rubber items including seals and gaskets become an issue.

However, my mechanic loves this car and says it's one of the best models ever produced.

KingDEL23

Okay sounds good, thank you Overheated!