Well, I've done it now!
My wife found HER car. 96 E320. Now I'm scared...
My first gas MB (first gas car since '84!). It has 155k miles on it (whew!) We gave $14,600 for it.

Ok, tell me how stupid I am.

It seems to have full records and serviced mostly by Atlanta Classic Cars. I did see where the wiring harness has been replaced, and the antenna mast (several times).

What can I expect now? Is this too many miles on this motor? Will this car be dependable? What should I look for or change? I've searched the forum and read what I could find. (I don't feel much better right now...) I need some emotional support.

Congrats!

It sounds like a good deal to me if it's in nice shape. I would have no hesitation or concern buying one like that. Sure, you'll have to make some repairs here and there, but that's true for any car.

The nice part is that despite the miles, the car is young in terms of years. That should put you in good shape with things like electronics, interior parts, etc. - things that wear out with age and heat/cold cycles.

Don't let the miles worry you. Just keep up with your maintenance and enjoy the heck out of it.

And please post some pictures of your new car!

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D.H.

04 ML500
02 E430

Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

My boss has one and it is pretty nice. The only problem he has had was with the ASR triggering the limp home mode for no apparent reason, but he got it fixed. Beautiful cruising car, good looking, comfortable and a solid ride. Congratulations and enjoy!

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

Welcome to gasoline MB ownership captain. What did you end up doing with the 300SD?

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Jim

I think you made a good purchase, and the price sure does seem low, even with the mileage.

In Southern California, you can't find a W210 listed for under $20k, even with high mileage. And when you do find one for under $20k, there's something wrong with it, like a salvage title, etc.

You have the 3.2 liter M104 in-line 6 cylinder engine, that was first used from 93-95 in the W124 body style, and then from 96-97 in the W210 (your body style). In 1998, all MB 6 cylinder engines went to a V6.

Your car wasn't plagued with bad engine wiring harnesses, which were faulty from 93-95 in the W124 only, so on this count you're lucky.

I believe you have OBD-II, as opposed to the W124's, which were all OBD-I. I suppose this is better for diagnostic purposes.

The only weak points I think you'll have to monitor are head gasket oil leaks, common at the right rear corner of the head, and at the front of the head where it meets the timing chain cover; possibly you may encounter an engine fault code for low EGR flow (code 5 on the W124's- may be different on yours), and the fix is to 'ream out' the hot inlet pipe which gets blocked with carbon from egr vapors. A description of this is under the DIY section under Evaluating Engine Diagnostic Controls or something like that. In the article, the car is a C280, which is also an M104 engine, but 2.8 liters instead of 3.2. This is not really a major flaw, just a part of regular maintenance, about every 30,000 miles.

I really have never read any weak points other than those above for the M104 engine in the 96-97 W210's. And I've read thousands of posts, so I think that's saying something.

I'm sure you'll be more than pleased with your purchase.

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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".

Just did a search of your posts, and found your original thread, "If not a diesel, then what?".

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=32624

I wonder what you took away from all the advice?

What was the persuasive argument that led you to a 96 E320, instead of a 95 E320 or E420?

Did you (or your wife) have a preference for the W210 over the W124?

It seems to me that women especially are attracted to the W210's because of the front end appearance, with the round headlights.

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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".

Well, I really was looking for a diesel. But they're almost impossible to find! We found only 3 and all were at dealers (I hate dealers!).

The defining factor was price. We set a goal of $15,000 max. This lead us to the '95 as the newest within this range. We found a 95 E420 but the body looked like it was run through a briar patch.

My wife found this one in the paper and saw it was a '96. We went, we looked, we bought. My thought was that at this price, if we wanted, we could always re-sale and not loose money.

She already says it's not the car that the '85 is. A lot more plastic. But, as I read some threads I understand that MB had to cut costs.

Engatwork,
We still have the '85 300SD. Just put a new CCU in it! I'm a motivated seller now, it has less dents and dings than the E320! It's in the Trader for $5700.

If I can figure out how to get pictures I'll post some. I've got to read some more.

Thanks for the encouragement. I need to spend some time on it, detailing. Then I'll find out a lot more about it.

QUESTION?

If one dealer has the records, Atlanta Classic Cars, can that be transfered to another dealer? We're closer to Carriage House Imports.

If you are ever in the area get in touch and I will show you the egr recirc line that needs cleaning out every now and then.

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Jim

The Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) is prone to mal-function due to the exhaust heat. The part is expensive. There have been a couple threads about that. My 97 E320 had it done.