Hi everyone,

I am considering buying my very first Benz, a 1999 E320 with 133,500 on the odo. I have taken a look at the car and taken it around the private seller's appt. (he has no plates yet, since he bought it from another guy just to sell it), and it looks extremely good inside and out, everything seems to work and I did not notice anything wrong with it at all. He wants $7,000 for it. My main concern is that with the high mileage, something might go wrong in the future which would be costly to fix. For you veteran Benz owners, do you know if the mileage on this vehicle is considered exceptionally high, and if I am likely to run into reliability issues just due to the age of the vehicle? Is the price fair?

Thanks![/align]

 

I would suggest going to kbb.com and looking up the private party value on this model. You can punch in all the options, mileage, etc., and get a very good idea of a fair price.
Carfax.com and having your favorite mechanic look at it would also be recommended.
My '92 300E has almost 270,000 miles and is still running strong, though it has had a myriad of electrical issues and oil leaks.

 

Personally, I would keep looking. I would want to buy from the previous owner -- someone who has had the car for at least a couple of years and can talk first hand about any issues they have experienced.

There are a lot of E320's out there (It was one of MB's most popular models) so keep shopping. The mileage is a little high but if the car has been well maintained it's not a problem. Look for something with about 10-12K per year, nice paint, nice interior and good maintenance records. Every car model has a few "issues" but that doesn't mean the one you buy will. Just set aside a little money for maintenance and learn to do the DIY stuff yourself.

Good luck.

 

A lot of these flippers get the car at auction don't date the bill of sale or if bought private hope try to sell before the paper work is done.KBB means nothing unless you are a dealer,that is how they price cars.A more meaningful market price would ba someting like edmunds.com and if you look an average high mile 1999 is about 5 grand.
There are plenty of 99 with under 100k miles with known service historys going in the low 9's
this car could have trans problems,fluid and filter in the trans never changed.
Get PPI of all issues,trans,rust,recalls and if all checks out and you can do your own maint.Offer 5 and walk at anything over that.
ohlord