I'm considering buying a 1 owner E320CDI with 90k miles from dealer. It appears to be well maintained (mostly various Mercedes dealers) and cared for.

Rear passenger door was dented when owner backed up with door open and creased/sprung it. It was repaired for orig. owner by top body shop at cost of $1800. I could not tell it had been repaired until I was told. Pewter paint matched very well.

I've read quite a bit about these models and am wondering if:

1) this is a good time to buy one from a cost standpoint?
2) Any large maintenance cost issues? I have read about SBC pump failure and the like but am not sure these have a high frequency
3) SBC pump warranty expires in a few days......
4) other potential pitfalls?

I drove the vehicle and it is really a great ride.

Thoughts about the CDIs from 2005 (2006) would be appreciated?

I really like my 1995 E300 with 190k miles and plan to keep it but also want to have something different....perhaps newer with less miles.

__________________
-- Chris

'95 E300, 216k miles, Silver Surfer
'05 E320 CDI, 138k miles
'07 S550 4matic, 69k miles

Gone but not forgotten:

'76 300D, 350k miles?, SOLD in 1995
'75 240D, 300k miles, SOLD in 1991

Just some info, do with it what you want. I believe the 2005 CDI was the last year with the iron block. (Aluminum head still)

If I could afford it, I would look more deeply into them...

Thanks.....yes, I think 2005 and 2006 were last years of the I6 with iron block.

The engine seems to be very refined.

__________________
-- Chris

'95 E300, 216k miles, Silver Surfer
'05 E320 CDI, 138k miles
'07 S550 4matic, 69k miles

Gone but not forgotten:

'76 300D, 350k miles?, SOLD in 1995
'75 240D, 300k miles, SOLD in 1991

Depends on the price. With 90k miles and essentially perfect condition, I would not want to pay more than $12,500 or so.

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

That also depends on location

Does not appear to have much salt exposure. From a dealer, it is more then $12.5......should I hold out for one that is less money?!

This one had over $10k in options when new.....I know you can't add much for them but it is well equipped and good color: Pewter metalic (Cubanite in Europe)/charcoal Napa leather interior.

__________________
-- Chris

'95 E300, 216k miles, Silver Surfer
'05 E320 CDI, 138k miles
'07 S550 4matic, 69k miles

Gone but not forgotten:

'76 300D, 350k miles?, SOLD in 1995
'75 240D, 300k miles, SOLD in 1991

Cheapest one on craiglist near me is 2005 by owner 125k miles $13,800. Dealers of course would be more. But this is a Florida car so no salt exposure. Only sun.

I wouldn't buy the first one you saw with out shopping around some and then deciding.

Agree....Have been looking on and off for several years. This one just struck me as a good example.

What I am after is opinions on the E320 CDI based on experience and observations. Will these vehicles stand the test of time like the W124 and W123 and W210s have? I know the 648 engine is well engineered and seems to keep going but will the rest of the car keep up with it?

Will the SBC brake system function over 200-300k miles?

What experience have you had (either first hand or read about)?

__________________
-- Chris

'95 E300, 216k miles, Silver Surfer
'05 E320 CDI, 138k miles
'07 S550 4matic, 69k miles

Gone but not forgotten:

'76 300D, 350k miles?, SOLD in 1995
'75 240D, 300k miles, SOLD in 1991

It's whenever you decide you want to buy-in at a given price for a given car. I probably paid more for my 06 E320 CDI than many would, but I got it right at KBB private seller price. I offered the Mercedes-Benz dealer $5K less than it was listed at, and they countered @ minus $4,500 from asking. We had a deal.

The SBC system I'm guessing now may be up to $3K or perhaps less in fixing it when it goes. I'm good with that.

There was an 05 CDI on AutoTrader a few months ago with 425K miles on it. In fact I started a thread about it. Clean Carfax on it too. Very long Carfax, but clean as a whistle, without any out of the ordinary repairs listed that a car with 200K on it would have needed. Brakes, AC as I recall. Not that a Carfax is a complete record, but it was all there. To me, that would settle the dependability issue one might have with how they hold-up.

I'm happy with mine. I think the Freeh cousins are too, as recent CDI buyers.

Thanks for that. How do you like the Perter/charcoal combination? What options do you find useful? Any maintenance issues out of the ordinary?

__________________
-- Chris

'95 E300, 216k miles, Silver Surfer
'05 E320 CDI, 138k miles
'07 S550 4matic, 69k miles

Gone but not forgotten:

'76 300D, 350k miles?, SOLD in 1995
'75 240D, 300k miles, SOLD in 1991

I purchased my 06 CDI from a MB dealer with 69k miles on it 8 months ago. One owner, always serviced at same dealer. Oil and filter changes are easy enough. CD ROM service manual is very helpful. I changed both original batteries. SBC is a concern as my warranty is up in March 2015.

My biggest worry is if something electronic goes haywire. This is not your 300SD or 240D! It will require a dealer or someone with DAS Xentry computer to diagnose problems.

These are rockets! Fun to drive, 32mpg around town, 38 mpg at 70-75mph on highway.

If price seems right to you and car is in good condition, buy and enjoy it.

JMTC

John

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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
2002 F250 powerstroke with Plantdrive WVO conversion
1983 300SD 190K miles ,sold
2006 E320 CDI

To clarify, RE: "brakes," the Carfax reflected brake pads and or rotors on the 425K miles 05 CDI. Not SBC system parts.

I love the Pewter/Charcoal. I would have preferred the Iridium Silver exterior, but I've grown quite fond of the darker shade of grey.

The main option I find useful or comforting is it's lack of a sunroof. I seldom used the sunroof in either of my previous MB diesel sedans, and because of it's known problems down the road, I was glad it didn't have one. I used the lack of a sunroof and NAV, as a reason why I really didn't want the car to the salesman, when bargaining for the price I offered. Although, I would have found NAV useful.

On maintenance issues? None, that an E320 CDI wouldn't need attention to over time/miles. I had one GP failure, so I had all (6) replaced rather than to piece meal it with my indy. I R & Red the engine mounts myself, (the RT one was leaking it's hydraulic oil) as well as changing out both batteries.

Insofar as electronic issues? I don't think I'll have near the troubles arising from the CDI, that I had with the W210 '99 E300 I owned for 14-years from new, 131K miles. My Brother now owns the '99 E300, and he's experiencing ongoing electrical gremlin/problems with it.

In my estimation they are overpowered, but return as good or better mpg than either of my previous MB turbodiesels did.

I lost the #5 glowplug a week ago. OBD reader flagged which one was bad, PP had one on my doorstep two days later. Took me all of ten minutes to change. Yep, these cars are hard to maintain....

Overpowered? Sorry, no. I get fantastic mileage, because the game for me is to see how high I can get the fuel economy readout to go. But it sure is satisfying to roll some coal when a hero is tailgating you... An interesting aspect to these cars is that they accelerate faster at 1/4 to 1/2 throttle than they do if you floor it. Maybe it's the traction control cutting power because it senses wheelspin, no?

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

OBD, what's that?

Overpowered? That's a first. It's the perfect equilibrium of torque.

I'd say go for it, and don't pay anything more than $11.5K.