Hey guys,

I am researching a purchase. I have a '03 SAAB convertible and although it is a great car it is getting a little small as my kids grow. I'm looking for something a bit bigger and have narrowed my search to 98-99 e300TD. It is bigger, but still gets good gas mileage. I have recently seen several cars that at 140K-180K list a replaced engine, transmission or both. I am worried that any car I get (all have 100K-160K) might need expensive fixes.

Can anyone tell me what might have caused the problem on these cars, what to look for to avoid, and what should I expect the life of the engine and tranny to be if maintained propperly?

Thanks.

 

As long as you get a properly maintained E300 you won't need to be replacing an engine or transmission anytime soon, but that maintenance is very involved if you do it yourself or expensive if you have others do it. That involves changing the transmission fluid, filter, and conductor plate every 80,000 miles, having the fuel lines and o-rings replaced every 50-100k miles, as well as having the hydraulic valve adjusters cleaned every 100k. Try to find one where the previous owner either really knew what he was doing with the car and has good records of the work he's done, or somebody who's had the dealer do all the required maintenance. These engines can be bulletproof with the right maintenance. Also make sure the engine has very good compression, which would be shown by how many cranks it takes to start and if there's any knock or misfires at idle once it's been warmed up.