i am most likely buying a 99 e300 with 151, 000 miles on it on the other side of the country
debating on flying out and driving it back

it is a 1 owner

i am having it taken to the mercedes dealer and doing a pre purchase check or whatever you call that

i plan to tell them to look for any mechanical issues or worn items, also i think i am supposed to check on the recall of some kind of supports in the front that rust out???? i kept coming across that in my research on these cars but cannot remember what they are called, was this an issue with the 99 also?

any other suggestions?

and my last question is , is this motor like my 300sdl where if the timing chain breaks it is toast?
i am wondering if i should go ahead and pay mercedes - probably a lot of money, but maybe not?!- to check the timing chain in the car before i drive it back

Spring perches were problematic.

Just drove mine all over the state after sitting for months, man I love that car.

Timing chain - maybe somebody knows something I don't but with 151k on the clock it should be just about perfect still.

I'd say you need to do the math on the situation. First if you go out you get to lay hand and eyes on it, which is a huge plus. However, cost of fuel back, air fare, overnights, meals, speeding tickets... vs the adventure of driving your new baby coast to coast - priceless.

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raMBow

1999 E300DT Obsydian Black Metallic, Heated Full Leather Parchment options, E2, K2, 136,000+, best 36.5 mpg - GP's 12-04 & 11-12 Zero Stuck
2010 Honda Odyssey - The BrideMobile - best 26.5
(2) 2005 Honday Accord- (1 -Corporate 1 - Personal) - 110,000 4-cyl 30mpg
2000 VW Golf GLS TDI, Upsolute Chip (sold to Brother, now 300+k on it) 48.5 mpg like clock work
1987 Honda CRX HF - Sold 87,000 always over 50 mpg Max 67 mpg

thanks for the input, it is way cheaper for me to fly over and drive it back than ship it
and i like road trips so i am leaning toward that

on the spring perches that was a recall correct? so if there is a problem with those i will just have the mercedes dealer there fix it

hoping some others chime in on the timing chain issue

if the mb dealer does not want an arm and a leg to check it i may go ahead just so i know, will see what they quote me in the morning

i really, really hope this car checks out mechanically sound, my search will be over

Spring perches can run into thousands to repair and generally a dealership wont touch them from what I gather. you should inspect them Very carefully

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

thanks for that input, is this a problem mainly with northern climate cars or all of them?

and i am guessing there is not an actual recall on this, so mercedes will not fix it for me?

i read a few posts about people getting mercedes to fix them, but carfax never shows any recalls when i run some of the vins

mainly the 'rust belt' cars from what I've heard but it can happen anywhere really, Ask the people your getting the car from to pull the front wheels off and take high resolution pictures of the perches.

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

IIRC, the spring perches were only a problem on the gasoline W210s. The diesels have a more robust setup due to the added weight. But there was *no* recall for it in the US.

I don't know that I'd be inclined to use a dealer for a PPI, an indie is likely to do a better job. But unless that reveals something dire, a 2,000 mile road trip is these cars' bread and butter.

Good luck and happy motoring!

that works for me, does anyone know any good indie shops in the wilmington north carolina area?

the dealer there is bob king mercedes and i saw 22 good reviews for their service dept somewhere

but being 2000 miles away hard to know where to go

any suggestions on indies would be great

Good luck on the car and the trip. It sounds like a great adventure!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

CHECK THE GLOW PLUGS!. If they're stuck, okay. If they're broken, no deal. Broken glow plug could mean a $3000 repair.

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2009 E320 Bluetec 117,000
1995 E300D 306,000 Sold
1996 Ford Taurus LX 130,000 Sold
1985 300TD Still 225,000 Sold
2016 Ford Fusion 24,900

I have a friend that has a '99 E300 that had a glow plug get stuck in the head. Instead of doing anything to it his mechanic at that time just hooked a glow plug up and laid it on the intake manifold.

I'm willing to go down and check this one out for you for hire. I'm not sure they will let me pull the intake manifold to try to remove the glow plugs though. PM me if you are interested. I have not seen this car in person yet but suspect it has been well kept and is a good one. Grainger is a reputable dealer that has been around a long time. If I still worked for someone else I'd probably be all over it.

Mercedes for sale

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Jim

hey jim

this one is in north carolina
not sure where you are?

one owner 151, 000
looks mint , but....
my biggest concern is the mechanical soundness

if it is not mechanically sound then it is off the table

found an indie i am calling right now to discuss a pre purchase check, etc

also going to talk to the dealer and get their price etc

is it diesel?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

yes 99 e300 td

Apparently, you have the mistaken belief that an M/B dealer has some knowledge about your vehicle. Nothing could be further from the truth. That "M/B" star in the front of the building is simply a license to separate you from your money............nothing more.

If you want a knowledgeable mechanic to look over the vehicle, find an independent (via sources on the forum) that works on such a vehicle on a daily basis. I see that Jim has offered to do it for you. Take him up on that offer!!

There is nobody at the dealership who knows anything about a '99 (the vehicle is 13 years old).