I need to replace my wife's 9 5 Saab wagon and found a really nice 99 E 320 4 matic wagon. Car has had no paintwork,still smells new and has books and records. 128k on the odo and other than needing some pads and rotors seems to be a real good deal for 4 k. Anything in particular I should watch out for? I am stuck on my old diesels but my wife needs something better to park in her garage at work. I know it s a cheap car --but so was the Saab and it is freakin' killing me- if I am going to tinker-I need the smell of diesel oil!

That sounds like a very good deal, check the perch springs. Do you know the seller?

Car came from local MB dealer-I don't know the PO,but seems to be nicely maintained.Do you mean spring perches? Thanks Brian

I don't know much, but I was told to stay away from 4 matics. For what ever thats worth.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

I was there before the 4matic. And got me some.

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

So the old man got sloppy seconds?

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

I am as young as I feel young lady. And right now I feel like "Abe Vagoda"

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

I'm not your young lady buddy. Although, maybe someone else on this forum will play that role for you? I don't know but just guessing there will be at least one person who will. The odds are with you.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Yes, the spring perches were know to rust where salt was used on the roads to melt snow. If they are rusted, don't buy the car. The entire front suspension can drop to the ground. The failure can be very dangerous.

You may want to take it in to a Mercedes dealership and pay for a detailed inspection and have them hook it up to their diagnostic machine. They can also run a report to tell you when and if they serviced the car and what they have had done. It will be apparent if it is a problem car by the number of entries in their system. That is, unless they took it to an independent. That can be a bit scary since you never know what kind of mechanic the previous owner used.

The 210E's are very reliable and the 320's improved greatly. I think they changed the headgasket design after with the 98 and later models. The early 210E 320's had some serious headgasket issues.

One last thing. Do a tranny fluid flush and filter/fluid change when/if you get the car. If you don't do it every 50,000 to 75,000 miles it can lead to early transmission failure. Mercedes lists the transmissions as sealed for a lifetime with no recommended service interval. To Mercedes, a lifetime is as long as the car is under warranty. Get the differential fluid changed too. I'd imagine the 4 matic can get very expensive to repair so as much preventative maintenance you can do the better off you will be longterm.

My Mercedes mechanic told me the same thing.

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1993 300E 2.8 185k miles
2006 Mustang Convertible 4.0 Eaton Supercharged

but the question still remains-better to buy it or keep fixing the Saab?

The W124 bodied 4Matics from 1990-1991, around in there, are the ones that are known to be NOTORIOUSLY bad and that you must STAY AWAY FROM..


I don't know about these later versions of them though.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Sounds like an excellent car for $4K.

The 4-matic was troublesome in the W124 chassis cars.

The W210 cars have a different AWD system, which don't have any issues.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".