Quote:
Originally Posted by Palangi
We are kicking around the idea of buying a 210 or 211 wagon. I know basically nothing about MB gassers.
What do we need to look out for on these things ?
Are there any big differences between 210 and 211 ?
Were we past the biodegradable wiring harnesses by model year 2000 ?
Are these going to have the "lifetime" transmission fluid with the special dipstick tool and proprietary fluid ?
Some of them seem to have 4-Matic. It doesn't snow much here, so we really don't need AWD. I know the 4-Matic was trouble on the 124's and on the early ML's, but is it OK on 210 and 211 ?
Anything prone to expensive failure at around 100K? Suspension rebuild ? Climate system ? Spring perches ?
Any reason to avoid the E500 ?
Thanks for your input.
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The 210 and the 211 are about the same size. So there's no difference in passenger room or carrying capacity. Both drive very well, as you would expect from an E-class.
The 210 wagon has the same weak points as any 210 sedan, pretty well documented here. Body rust, spring perches, window regulators come to mind.
The 211 seems to not have any of these problems. The primary downside of an early 211 wagon would be SBC brakes. SBC carries a 10 year warranty, but this is rapidly running out on older cars. All E500 wagons have airmatic suspension, and the air struts do not last forever. Both SBC and airmatic repairs start at several thousand $$$. The '04 and '05 211 wagons use the same m112 and 722.6 drivetrain as the 210. In '06 the 211 got the m272 v6, which has occasional balance shaft issues. I understand MB is now paying the full cost of repairing any balance shaft failures. There are other 211 quirks, such as the two batteries, that drive up ownership cost. At least some 211 wagons with the 3rd row seat do not come with a spare tire.
All these cars have the lifetime transmission fluid. You can service the 722.6 just like any earlier transmission. Just purchase the dipstick and the special fluid. Otherwise it's the same process as ever.
4matic is reliable on these cars. But if you don't need it, preference definately goes to an RWD version. It's simpler and gets somewhat better fuel economy. At some point 4matic became standard, I think it was the '07 model year.
Ball joints on the 211 tend to be short lived. But it's not a difficult or expensive repair.
It's getting difficult to find a clean 210 wagon with reasonable mileage. On the other hand, there are not very many 211 wagons out there, as SUVs had pretty much taken over in the 2000s. If you can go a bit smaller, the 203 (C-class) wagons seem to be easier to find in good condition and at reasonable prices than the E wagons.