Going to look at a 99 E 300d with under 120,000 miles. What things should i be looking out for besides rusty spring perches? Its at a dealership so im sure there will be no way im going to get a compression test or oil analysis or anything like that. Just looking at it and a test drive at best might be able to get them to put it on a lift so i can look underneath.Besides the spring perch problem and leaky fuel lines/fittings what else are the cars know for.
TIA Don

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Red Green "This is only temporary,Unless it works!"

97 E300D 157000 miles
87 300TD ?141k? miles

Since your in Florida the car should start almost instantly after the glow light goes off. With this car, after the glow you turn the key to start and immediately let go, the car will continue to crank on its own until it starts or about 5 seconds whichever is first. If it doesn't start in the first couple revs it may be air in the plastic fuel lines which these are known for. Relatively simple fix but a good bargaining point with your salesman. "Could be an injector pump problem" that's what I'd tell the salesman anyway. When it starts it should immediately be smooth, no lumps or shaking. If there is this points to bad GP's or possibly injector problems. Also look for fuel leaks around the same plastic fuel lines that cause the air leaks. The car should idle rock steady, the motor shouldn't wiggle at all. You should feel no vibration in the steering wheel, if you do it's likely motor mounts. Mine lasted about 150K. Another relatively simple fix (about $130 in parts). When driving be sure the selector switch on the shifter console is in the S mode, if in the W (winter) mode you will be starting in second gear and it will seem sluggish. The car should accelerate well from a stop but you should really feel the boost hit around 2K RPM. The car shouldn't smoke, except maybe a little when floored. There should be no notification on the display of trouble codes. If it tells you there are demand to know the codes stored and post them here. Most likely minor but maybe not, let the pros here decipher them for you. There are a few more things to look for that I can't think of at the moment. You might try searching "210 problems" or similar. I'm sure others will chime in with more pointers. Keep us posted and ask any questions.

How much do they want? For example I paid 10500 for my 98 two years ago with 148K miles.

Might be a good idea to let them pull a Carfax for you. Lots of flood cars around. It would also be nice to know it has always been a southern car so you know rust won't be an issue.

Take it from an ex car salesman, let them know you are ready to buy (not shopping) but be willing to walk if they don't satisfy you. Nothing will lower a price quicker than a bona fide buyer leaving the lot. If they let you leave, leave an offer on the table and your phone number. But be sure your offer is LESS than you are willing to pay as they will likely counter offer, not just accept yours.

Good Luck

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Muleears
'07 E320 Bluetec 133K my DD
'04 Jaguar XJ8 VDP, 34K
'10 Hyundai Accent 60K Grocery Getter
'02 VW Golf soon to be on the road again
'97 E300 Diesel Son's DD
'61 VERY tolerant wife

Hampton Roads, VA USA

Gone but not forgotten:
'67 250S 95K
'86 300SDL
'87 300D Turbo, 364K! R.I.P.
'98 E300 Turbodiesel, 213K
'02 S420, 164K
'01 Prius 138K

Good Luck with your new endeavor,

Couple of other items,
Has the transmission fluid/filter been changed? That is a good sign of good maint.
Glow plugs might provide problems a@ 200K but not now. As ME indicated a good start up would negate a prob there. Sometimes these steel GP's are stuck or galled to the alum head.
I have also replaced a rear wheel bearing.

This is a great car, in my opinion, with little maint, Trans maint, GP & fuel line replm't, you will enjoy many miles of service.

Good Luck with your bid.

Gary

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Gary
Experience is something you get, Just after you needed it....
'99 E300 295K, '83 300D 220K, '75 240D 185K sold
'80 MCI Bus Conv DD 6V92TA, w/4 cyl. Kubota diesel GenSet 12.5KW

is this car at a mercedes dealership? if so, have them scan for any codes. beware of any warning lights on the dash. i bought a 98 e300 last weekend and the owner told me the ABS/ESP/BAS warning lights were on 'intermittantly'. bah. they are on constantly. this is a common issue with these cars, BTW.

good luck!

Gary is right, the tranny is a technological wonder but it needs care. The car has no dipstick (yes, it has no dipstick) so you can't check/smell the tranny fluid. It uses different fluid and smells different than what you are used to anyway. Look for trans records to validate maint. If you get the car I would do a service right away anyway. I have 208K on my tranny and it works fine.

GP's can be a BIG problem. I have had 4 break off in the head and had to be drilled out. Two even needed heli coils to replace the damaged threads. Might not be a bad idea to have the dealer change the GP's as part of the purchase for two reasons: One, you will start with a known fresh set and two, if one breaks it is their problem to fix not yours. Just my $.03.

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Muleears
'07 E320 Bluetec 133K my DD
'04 Jaguar XJ8 VDP, 34K
'10 Hyundai Accent 60K Grocery Getter
'02 VW Golf soon to be on the road again
'97 E300 Diesel Son's DD
'61 VERY tolerant wife

Hampton Roads, VA USA

Gone but not forgotten:
'67 250S 95K
'86 300SDL
'87 300D Turbo, 364K! R.I.P.
'98 E300 Turbodiesel, 213K
'02 S420, 164K
'01 Prius 138K

Typically this is caused by the brake light switch being faulty...a 10 minute & cheap fix.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

even though you're in FL, i would look for rust underneath. it is also simple to pull the rear bench and look at the battery compartment for any rust.

MB should be ashamed of the job they did on these cars sheet metal

if i were so lucky... i replaced this first after reading so many posts here and on other MB forums. the old switch and the new switch elec. resistance was the same. i also tried adjusting the plunger depth on the new switch. its an 'intermittant' problem (90% of the time its there).

i will be checking the wiring to that switch for a bad termination.

Is there a way to test to see if the brake switch in these cars can be tested? My ABS, ETS lights are on and my cruise control does not work. Thanks