Hey all,

looking at a 97 mercedes e420 with 80k miles.

From the small ammount of research Ive done. A few things tend to go wrong with this model.

(in no particular order)

1.) transmission (control module?) goes into limp mode freaquntly.

2.) plastic oil feed lines in head break?

3.) front spring perches rust and fall through?

4.) Rust

5.) anything else I'm missing or should look out for?

I appreciate any help in this matter. I just allways loved the bug eyed look of this e-class and circumstances have dictated that i have the opportunity to own one at a reasonable price.

Its just that if i but another car and something goes wrong My fiance is gonna kill me.

I plan on taking it a local auto tech place for a point inspection aswell. Im thinking with the lower miles the engine and trans should be ok but I just dont want it to turn into a 3k lawn ornament lol.

Again thanks for any help.

Your list is not representative of what most W210 owners experience. For example, there was an issue with spring perch failure when the model first came out. A few failed but most did not. It's unlikely than any W210 on the road will fail but not impossible.

There are a couple of lists of W210 issues at the W210 forums at benzworld and MBworld. Bear in mind that most owners won't experience those problems. Sort of like trying to judge the overall health of the population by just visiting a hospital.

An inspection is a really good idea and money well spent if it is done by a knowledgeable MB tech. Preferably one who has owned a W210. Prepare to spend $200-$300 and receive a written report of exactly what was checked. Besides an inspection look for a car with complete or almost complete service records. Since the mileage is quite low, look for evidence that the condition of the car is consistent with that mileage.

As with any car rust is a big deal. For the W210 the key spots were under the bottom of the doors and under the trunk handle.

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Good luck.






1998 E320 Wagon

FWIW, I would love to have one from that year. The 97 was the only 210 with the M119. Unique beast, and prices are rock-bottom. If the PPI is (relatively) clear, I'd go for it for $4k or less

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former: 83 300D, 97 C230, 93 400E

current: 08 C300 Luxury , 92 500SL

Thanks for the quick response Will_w202 and RichardM98.

Ok IM not making this up. Just called the owner of the E420 and he said this morning car woulden't shift out of first (limp mode second?). So now i have the opportunity to get this car for really cheap. I have to call him back and get specific codes it was throwing.

Thing is I definatly dont need more pretty german lawn ornaments. SO wondering if it would be worth it to fix TCM module (if thats it) if i can get car sub $1500 and cost estimates to do that with worse case senario prices.

Ask Welcome to Beckmann Technologies!

BUT get the codes scanned and have it thoroughly PPId. What's the trans service history on the car? The PO rebuilt the trans in my 500SL at 88k. Just sayin. You don't want to buy that car if you're looking at a $2500 trans rebuild.

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former: 83 300D, 97 C230, 93 400E

current: 08 C300 Luxury , 92 500SL

Block cats on the right bank
The big vacuum hose near the air flow meter turns all gummy and results in a huge loss in power
Sway bar bushing and control arm bushing are due for replacement at around this time.
Blower motor resistor fails, the resistor is no longer available so you have either retrofit the later blower and resistor or rig a W140 resistor.

I bought my E420 at around 65k, sold it at 130k and bought it back at 170k. It's now got 185k and has given me very little problems.

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With best regards

Al

I'll echo the check for rust. DO spend time under the vehicle and poke around. Remove panels if necessary. Check, check twice, especially under the doors and sills. Look hard at the subframe.

I just found three horrible spots in a rear tire well on one of my w124s. They really looked fine to my untrained eye. While changing the pads and rotors, I gave one of the small bubbles a little push, near the rubber grommet. The whole thing fell through. Now I have three holes the size of my fist in one well.

It sounds like a deal, but I'm really learning the hard way that if you have even semi-high standards, there is no such thing as a cheap Mercedes.