I recently purchased an 1998 E320 in excellant condition It has 58K. I know this forum has many Mercedes owners. My question is, how many miles can this model and engine be driven with (hopefully) relatively minor problems/repairs? Assuming of course it is well maintained. I've seen some posts about Mercedes with many miles and still are running flawless. Would appreciate any replys. Thanks

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Bruce Hat
2000 ML320 50K miles
1997 Jaquar XJ6 41K miles
1992 300SL 70K miles - Mint
1995 E320 Wagon 105K miles "Sold" - 10-6-04
1998 E320 "Totalled" - 1-14-04

If you want to know how crooked a stick is, just lay a straight one next to it.

It's not the tall sails that bring a ship to the port of destination, but the unseen wind.

Uncle's quote to me at 12 yrs old "Why walk when you can Bogaloo"

How long is a piece of string? There is no answer to your question. That said, there is some things in your favour:

The M112 V-6 seems to be pretty robust. Hav seen/heard of examples with 350,000kms (about 200K-miles) and still going strong.

The last thing that most Mercedes owners will ever have to worry about is the engine, especially the bottom end. They're built to tank specs, methinks. You're much more likely to repair electrical items, ACC/AC systems and possibly the transmission long before the engine will ever be opened up. With proper care, the engine itself will outlast most everything else on the car.

My C230's M111 mill has 93,000 miles and is not showing any signs of wear at all. I would expect that the engine proper is maybe 25% through it's life, maybe less. However, many other parts of the car will be causing me to drain the bank account beofre that 400K-mile mark comes up.

Time is also a killer, not just mileage. Not driving the car in an attempt to make it last longer is false economy. Deprecation is still your #1 car expense, and when looking at it on a per mile basis, you get raped by not driving the car. Also, inactivity can be deadly, letting seals dry and bushings crack. Corrosion can begin inside engine cases and fuel systems can decay.

I conclusion, if you're willing to keep the car up in good shape, it should have at least another decade in her, probably many more years than that.

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John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

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