Hey all, I have been looking at buying a 2000-2001 E320 have a budget that will allow me to get a good condition 80K miles car.

But I have been reading the stories about the W210 and what goes wrong, but are they reallyas bad as they will have you believe? My other options are a 2001BMW 525i or a Volvo V70 2001would appreciate the opinions.
Thanks
James

 

I have a 2000 clk320 which is basically the same engine. It had three repairs during the first 100k miles, no repairs during the second 100k miles, and is still going fine.

I don't count tires and brakes as repairs because I consider them to be consumables like fuel. I have had eight, soon to be nine sets of tires, three sets of brake pads, and one set of new rotors on this car.

The One part that actually went bad, was the MAF sensor; it was about $550 US. The other repair was rather expensive at approximately $4500, but I don't know that it was actually a failure. You see a mouse had climbed into the car and chewed some wires. The car was running badly, and I had taken the car to about three shops and drove the mechanics crazybefore someone finally figured out what had happened. The chewed wires apparently made the diagnostic computergive false readings, and was misleading the techs. Later,a third problem developed; Iknew to inspect the wiring this time, and found the problem immediately, another chewed wire. So do I blamemyself for leaving the car outside?

I think people are criticizing Mercedes today for three reasons. Number one, the cars are more complicated than ever. That makes them difficult to repair, therefore expensive to repair. But all cars are over complicated today, so they are not distinctive in this way.
Two, I find that people, salesman , and marketers do not measure cars on the same scale. They hold Mercedes to a higher standard. For example, some cars are a total loss after 100k miles, but people generally expect a Mercedes to run at least 200-250k miles. And anytime a Mercedes doesbreak, thecompetitors jump out of their seats and scream "ah HA!, it broke!"
Three, Mercedes has changed with the times, andmade some mass production changes that make them more similar to other cars on the road, and this has drawn some criticism. Examples include, thinner paint, thinner body panels, plastic headlight lenses etc. They're not the "tanks" they used to be, but they're still quite sturdy.

Personally, I was planning on buying another MB in '06, and retiring the 2000clk to light duty at around 160k miles, but I was still studying Law, still paying tuition,and only working part-time, so I reluctantly had to count on my clk for primary transportaion for another two years and another 50k miles. (absolutely unheard of in the car market) The car gave me zero problems, got me to my exams every day, and now I will graduate in 14 days. So as you can imagine, I have the highest admiration for the car.

 

If you treat it like a disposable car, it can be. If you take care of it likeimportantequipment, it will exceed your expectations.

Don't let hacks or kids work on your car or change your tires. Check your oil regularly; if it's dirty, get it changed. Meet other satisfied Mercedes owners in your area for referrals. Blue

 

Great cars,find a good one,inspect it,inspect it.Check for rust as with any car.Either be willing to do your own maint.and repair or as with any used car be prepared to pay big for a shop to do it.
For instance in the above case ,he went to the dealer when his check engine light came on and it cost 500 bucks.Diy with a little hand held obd2 scanner you can pick up for $40 he would have discovered it was the mass air sensor and can be repaired in ten minutes for about $130 for the part.

Some of the complaints are from people that spent to much on a nice looking but poorly maintained E320 or they bought one and never figured in the high cost of upkeep in taking it to the stealership or they treat it like it is a hoopdie and then complain about the price to fix a true piece of high performance machinery.
Good luck on the search.Where are you located?Several members have nice models to sell on other mb w210 forums 1999-2001 for 9-12k
ohlord

 

I have an 2002 E320 SPORT(w210). I bought with about 42,000 miles on it. it just turned 75,000. The car has been great to me, it is very strong and runs great. i did need to replace the altonater, batteryand a few light bulbs but thats it. what else can you expect the car is almost 6 years old. you can fin used e320 with low miles and great condition for around $15,000.

 

Hey Ohlord, that's right. The techs worked on the car while the nice lady served me coffee anddoughnuts in the waiting area, and I watched the ball game on their bigscreen tv. They even cleaned the car for me.

I had looked for the problem, got tired of tinkering with it, and let somebody else deal with it. Blue

 

Hi guys thanks for the comments, this is the news that I was wanting to hear. I am in the Eastern PA reagion. If anyone car put me onto a lead for a good car that would be great.

does anyone know where you can get one of the hand held scanners from?

Thanks
James

 

want a wagon?
1999 Mercedes-Benz : E-Class AWD E320 - $8600 862-881-2273

probably take 7900 cash,looks to be in nice shape,inspect inspect inspect.
#94169 scanner at harborfreighttools.com 40 bucks or if you have a hb store near you they will match the internet price if you ask them nicely.

dc area
Mercedes 2000 E320, Flawless in/out, Runs new - $9750 571-345-8687
cash talks,inspect professional inspection if you are not experienced at it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W210
1998 Mercedes Benz e320 55000miles - $6200 [hr] Black, Black interior, sirius radio, 55k Runs Great Call 973-979-3540

I would call on this one just to find out the story on it for a 98 if in nice shape with 55k miles It would be a nice deal,inspect ,inspect ,inspect.
I point the way,it is you who has to use due diligence in the inspection and purchase.

 

ohlord, thanks for the leads on the cars, do you know where I can get some pics of them online? the 2000 in the DC area and the 4matic wagon would be of interest.

Also do you know if the OBD tools will reset service lights/indecators? I plan to do all but the most time consuming and complicated work my self (I am sometimes wondering if I should pick a simpler car but they are mostly the same these days).

Also does anyone know what the RWD autocars are like to drive in the snow? I have driven an FWD manual (stick)car in the snow and that was ok but what would these be like?

Thanks for all your help guys
James.

 

rwd is okay in snow,we just had a few inches and the snow tires went fine any deeper and it's chain time.4 matic claw through it,if you get a lot of snow.

obd2 scanner I posted reads clears erases shows pending codes in history(to check out erased codes from a seller not on the up and up)
and reads I/M status codes for smog test readiness.
ohlord.
The dc car was on craigslist and the other you may find by googling craigslist E320 pa.
hope it helps
inspect,inspect,inspect.
also you can call them and ask for emailed pics and details.talking to the owner is often quite revealing in finding out the goods on a used car.
always inspect and inspect and be very cool about the car before even taking it for a ride.
ohlord