Hi.

I am looking for a family car for my wife. I have my eye on a 2005 E320 Wagon w/ 4Matic. Think it has the standard options.

89,000 miles, and I have been quoted $17850. (I read on here that the Midwest has higher prices than the coasts). Good price? (Private car lot; not a dealer).

First, is this a good reliable car? I really have no idea when it comes to Mercedes-Benz. I bought my BMW from the same lot (2003 in 2006) and it has been a dream come true. Rock solid reliability and a dream to drive. I am hoping this will be that way for my wife.

Second, what is there to look for when buying a used E320 Wagon? Any thing special I should check? I have my test drive later today.

Thanks so much.

 

89K miles on a 3 year old car is too high....in my opinion....cliff

 

oh, sorry, didn't make my post clear.

Not worried about miles. I love 3 or 4 year old cars w/ lots of highway miles. Great purchases that way.

Main thing is:

How is the reliability of the E320 series?
What should I look for, as far as known issues?
Is the price good? (According to KBB and Edmunds it is fantastic).
The wife LOVED this car. I just don't know about how useful that third seat is. Kids would have to be at least 5 or 6 to use it I would think.

 

I think you made it clear...I have a 300TE wagon with 125K on it and it is a monster..no question about it. However, I only paid $3600 for it so my vantage point is clearly different from yours. Good luck...any help I could provide be sure to ask....Cliff

 

yeah, if I could get it for $3600 I'd be running up and down my block naked with happiness!!!!

I could never afford a low mileage 05.

 

Private lot
so it is at a used car dealer.Probably bought at auction or a repo.W211 wagon With 30k miles a year on it,don't ask what could go wrong or the points to watch out for,easier to point out the good points much shorter list.
Run
Find an 01-03 with fewer miles,fewer problems,easier to maintain,and 7grand less paid.
She will love it,your wallet will love it,and someone else can suffer through all the w211 problems.
I warned you
our latest is a 1999 bought almost 1 1/2 years ago with under 90000miles in mint condition for $9500 cash.

an example on the market now,private party,as always inspect ,inspect,inspect,by a pro before you ever step foot into a used car for a test drive.It will ground you in reality before the car grabs your heart instead of your brain.
mid west car silver wagon ,leather heated seats,4matic,
2001 Mercedes E-320 Station Wagon, Silver, 88,000 miles probably get it for 11k cash.


a few of our race cars to show scale of our 1999 E320 w210 wagon
ohlord

[IMG]local://upfiles/22389/AC81CA45344A42F5847604D795C9DF8A.jpg[/IMG]

 

oh lord, could you give me an example of the problems you speak of?

 

tell you what, I'll sell my 300TE for what I paid for it 1 year ago...$3600....you have to come and get it though...cliff

 

There was some problem whit 2003 E-class, but many of those was solved in later models.
But if the car has Airmatic, it can be expensive to repair. There has also been some problem whit the headlights (active bi-xenon).

IMO it has to many miles on the clock, but it is a fantstic car to drive. So its up to you, if you want to take the risk ;-)

 

yes the airmatic was problematic....what was airmatic again?