My mechanic is asking $10k -with this kind of miles what should I expect to r/r in the near future?
There is another '97 with 93k miles that I would have to pony up another $1000 for- it's offered by a private party.

Which do you think is the better buy?\


Also... are there any high dollar items that may have already been done by 144,000 that will soon have to be done on the car with 93k?

I think that in 1997 that car still has the m104 engine? INLINE 6 vs V6? If this is the case, the engine is a good engine, but MIGHT have a headgasket issue which won't hurt your engine but will cause a major oil leak and about $1500 to fix. Of course, by 1997 the problem may have been fixed or the repair done already. Other than that, the m104 is absolutely bulletproof and, well, kept, can run for 400,000 miles w/o rebuild. I think the transmission is a 5-speed automatic, and has a good reputation. On a 210 model such as these you are considering, amazingly the problem that seems to be the biggest issue is RUST! Check inconspicuous spots on the cars (wheelwells, trunk undersides, etc for rust.) Do a search on this forum and you will find others with this problem on early 210's.

Good luck!

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2002 Mercedes-Benz E320 4Matic
1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon
2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 SE
1999 Audi A8 4.2L quattro

I agree with the above post.

The only thing to look for with this engine is the headgasket. This engine (M104.992) came out in 1993 in the W124 chassis. The early headgaskets were prone to fail, causing oil leaks. One would think the head gasket would've been fixed by 1997, but I guess you never know. My opinion and those of the mechanics in Southern California that I've talked to is that the M104 is a fantastic engine; smooth, durable, reliable, and very long-lived. The only hurdle to get over is the head gasket repair, if it is a bad one. If it is bad, it is simply an external oil leak, that you can just let go, as long as the leak doesn't get too bad.

I would also like to add that while 1997 is the last year the inline 6 engine was used in this chassis, it was continued to be used in the W140 S class chassis until 1999 as the S320.

Other than that, 1997 is the first year that the w210 chassis got the 5 speed automatic transmission, and there were many updates in subsequent years.

On the whole, $10,000 seems like an incredibly good buy for such a car.

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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".

A lotta miles for a 97?

I drive mine every day...and it's four years older...with only just under 7K more of the miles logged on the 97.

On the bright side, if there were any issues, they would have manifested themselves by now.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car