Everything has pretty much been covered in the past few posts. I've picked up a few tricks as well.

1. Always Always check the car under direct sunlight when its totally clean and dry.

2. Do a secondary check under Florescent light.

These two different lights will allow you to see any sanding marks underneathe the paint. Beware though that even factory painted cars are not perfect and I've seen light scratch marks underneathe brand new cars.

3. Look at another car that has the same exterior color. This will give you an idea of what the exterior should look like. I once looked at a 500E and the dealer told me it had been painted on the front fender and one door. I looked at the car and because I'd seen other cars I knew the whole car had been painted. The color didn't look the same.

4. Probably the best way to determine if the car has had any major work is to look for all of the serial number stickers. These can not be reapplied by a body shop and if there are there then it's most likely original. You'll find them under the front/rear bumpers. Inside the door panels, under the hood, under the trunk decklid. If they arent there then it clues you into areas you need to look.

Hope this helps and good luck!

__________________
Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd