At the beginning of the week I was all set to pick up a '95e300 d with 125k that LOOKED immaculate I found on business while in Chicago. Long story short, the engine was swapped out (unbeknownst to me until I flew in from TX to pick up) and there was title issues.

Walked away, thank God! and have been diligently continuing my search. I love the looks of the 124, the fact they have "less computers" and (from my research anyway) more biodiesel friendly fuel lines so I don't have to switch to viton quite as quick.

I had been staying away from 210s because I wanted to spend less then 10k but on a lark I ended up driving an '99 e300 turbodiesel while in Houston for Thanksgiving.

Lots of whistles and bells but a nice ride so dediced to open up my search to post '95 once I saw here most people GENERALLY seemed endorse the 210 especially with the turbodiesel in the '98 - '99.

Enter the headline. So I found a '98 traded into Mercedes Benz of Miami on Friday night. "Old lady car" with 70,505 miles on it. Biggest issue is that the Carfax shows an accident which they swear to me was a MINOR incident in the parking lot but since the police were called it showed up on the carfax. They said they did the bodywork in there shop.

The car was purchased at this dealersip and was maintained the car for the life of the vehicle and are including all the books and service records with the title.

They are asking 17k firm and I was one of several out of state folks (or so I was told) who responded to the hurried ad they put on Craigslist.

It's silver smoke and I'm getting pics tomorrow.

Is this madness to buy a car like this site unseen?

Has anyone had any negative dealings with this dealership?

The gentlemen on phone promises they are going to run the car through the ringer there and deliver it to me as close to perfect as possible. I have no reason to believe they couldn't sell this car in 2 seconds whether I take it or not so I've given him the benefit of the doubt (despite the bad experience in Chicago).

I plan on babying this car and running it on b99; I think this could be my car for a long, long time.

Would love hear any opinions. Thoughts on what could go wrong with these cars at this point in there life or just some sense talked into me.

At the very least this post was therapy. Thanks!
Rich

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever buy a car sight unseen. No matter how good the deal sounds.

i did it once on ebay with my 300Dt, and got lucky. then reading of all the horror stories and pain and death and destruction and malice and greed and ....

i would not do it again. not worth the risk. what if that damage was not properly repaired, and you end up having to really fix it.

__________________

Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

Miles are fairly low but price seems high to me. Am certain that as it is at a dealer is it priced at full retail.

The 99 has head protection curtain air bags for front AND rear seats. The 98 doesnt.

If you are single that may not be an issue when looking at one vs. the other. For me (after 6x rollover accident in a BMW) it was a big issue when shopping for mine.

They are nice to drive and not as fussy as some might suggest.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

I guess it's a matter of location. A 98 E300 with 70K miles offered at $17K in the SF Bay Area would strike a bidding war. Throw in that it's being sold by an MB dealer and you'd have to walk in there with a bodyguard.

The sight unseen condition is subjective. I prefer my cars to be pre-depreciated but I shop in a considerably lower price bracket.

I took a quick look on autotrader.com and there isn't a comparable (IMO) E300td offered for less.

Sixto
93 300SD

Ask them to do a total service including the transmission and have them replace the glowplugs. That alone could save you as much as $5,000 or more.

Records, records, records.....what maintenance has been done to the car; especially the fuel system? By 62,000 I had to:
1. Change glow plugs
2. Change MAP sensor
3. Change fuel line seals
4. Replace copper seal on delivery valves
W210 diesels are nice, but they can require a lot of maintenance. The M-B tech at the dealership has been very puzzled about my E300 requiring so many things that should not need addressing until many, many more miles. Assume nothing…..”Show me the records”

yes, i plan to get the records faxed to me to see what has/has not been done.

I talking with them today didn't seem like much had been done - which seems like a con because it's waiting for me.

UGH.

your perspecitve is much appreciated.

too many 'katrina' cars out there, verify every single function of the car in person b4 shelling out a single dollar, and don't forget the sniff test.

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Cheers,
Robert

If they did the bodywork then they can provide a detailed invoice showing what was replaced and how much labor and paint were involved. The suggestion for them to do a full service is a good one. I would recommend you have a local independent mechanic check the car after the service is done (to verify that the service was in fact done) to give an unbiased opinion of the car.

I have bought a number of cars, trucks and motorcycles online. I pay a reasonable deposit up front to hold the vehicle and the balance on delivery after I actually see and inspect it. I try to pay the deposit via a credit card so I can dispute it if the vehicle is trash and the seller won't refund it. Also bring a small digital camera with you to furhter verify the condition if it doesn't meet the "as advertised" description.

Good luck whichever way you proceed.

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Later.........Gregg

(86) 300 SDL
(00) GMC Yukon XL 4X4
(97) C5 Corvette
(02) BMW R1150GS Adventure
(00) KAW Nomad 1500 FI

The price is very reasonable for a low-miles car from an MB dealer. It would probably bring that or more on ebay.

You can always call in a good-faith deposit of say $500 on a credit card, then fly down to inspect it and if it passes drive it home. It will be an adventure and make for a good story. Of all of the sources of used cars I would hesitate least to buy from an MB dealer - at least if you get there and find something objectionable they can address it before you leave.

And yes, I would have them at least do a transmission service on it if it hasn't yet been done.

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Best wishes with your search- but I wouldn't buy sight unseen.
I bought mine sight unseen, private party about 2.5 years ago. The car was perfect then. Do your due-diligence and read some of my posts and some of the other guys who replied with 98-99 e300 cars.

I wholly agree with NCO about the maintenance issue. If I wasn't handy I hardly believe I could afford this car. I have 100+ posts here and sometimes I hardly believe the goods/ bads of this car. Thank God for this forum.

Overall I do love the car, but it probably has needed close to $8-10k of maintenance per year. Maybe half that if you can do it yourself... maybe. I just finished a master list of stuff I want to do and it has got to be $10k for this new "to-do" list I composed. I think I was recently diagnosed as a mercedes hypochondriac. Damn.

Best wishes with your search.
PMU

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Phil
Previously loved
variety, but I miss the 99 F350 PSD- 37k, traded, damn

Current stable
98 E-300 TurboDiesel, 253k
http://www.facebook.com/people/Philip-Underwood/762882374

The original owner of my 98 e300d was also a lady from Miami. The AC works hard down there, and the air is salty and humid. I suggest you have the plenum under the dash checked with a hydrocarbon sniffer to detect refrigerant leaks. Mine had a big leak that the owner didn't disclose, and it is very expensive to repair.

In other news, my wife was halfway home from a 500 mile trip visiting her sick mother last month when the side of the radiator cracked (not at the neck). She said it never overheated, just started steaming. No engine damage, but because I have a relative near there who knows a european garage owner, they replaced it the next day and it only cost me $650. A couple of weeks later, the Becker radio started working only through the right front speaker unless you crank up the volume. Then it works normally for the rest of the day.

These are beautiful sedans with great specifications, but don't assume it is built like the older models. Be thorough, you will have to live with your decision. Like the previous poster, I couldn't afford to own this car if it weren't for this forum. I am hoping to work through the remaining issues so I can get my weekends and my paycheck back for a while. Good luck to you.

There just no way I could get to Miami to do the due diligence.

I called the salesman back and let him know that I couldn't do it after all. He was fine because he know he'll sell the car quickly (it hadn't even made it to the lot yet).

I think I was just plain out of control because my heart was set on the '95 that fell threw.

Monday morning I woke up and dropped off the '87 190d 2.5 Turbo Diesel straight to Austin ******** to have the transmission rebuilt and viton hoses installed so i can run it on b99 like a great big hippie.

I'm committed to that one now and quite frankly excited about it.

Basically I just thought if I was going to need to dump 3k into a 20 year old car with 215k (which I will over time to get it up to snuff) why not get something a little more modern.

Next thing you know I was all set to buy a '98e300d. I was getting waaaaay ahead of myself.

From the forum I know I got a great deal on a rare car (I got all the records from both owners all the to window sticker so I know where it's been), repairs or not.

Anyway, I'll be sure to post pics when I get it back. I can't wait.

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE ADVICE AND FEEDBACK, y'all rock.

I don't know....I think generally ebay is a stealthy way of selling a vehicle at higher than market value. If it was such a great vehicle and deal it would have sold locally in Florida. I would not buy a vehicle I was going to rely on for turn-key transportation sight unseen. Its a way for the owner/dealer to put some distance between them and a potential problem.
Cheers

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FRED

Daily Driver: 98 E300TD 199K
Hobby Car: 69 Austin Mini
Past Diesels: 84 300SD, 312K
87 300SDL, 251K
94 Chev. K-1500 6.5Ltr.TD, 373K