135K '98 w210 e320 wagon, too many miles?
 

car purchase question:

non-4matic, midnite blue (my fave all time W210 color), tan interior. 135K, new tranny mounts, new motor mounts, new rear shocks, new balljoints, new tires. fresh pads, everything works. 1 owner, now owned/sold by verified indy MB repair shop. the shop's there, they really only repair MBZs.

mechanically sound except for 1 small clunk over bumps from front right, pulls hard to redline, need to test the ASR and ABS next week, decent interior except for 1 small repaired rip on rear driver side armrest. exterior is the worst as it's received a respray covering up the typical rust spots (2 around wheel weels)

asking $7k. i'm thinking about pulling the trigger. want room for my dog and a daily rwd seater w/ more room than my beater Saab 9-3. all thoughts welcome?

135K is really not a lot of miles for any Mercedes as long as it's been maintained.

$7K sounds like a steal.

I see that you're in Cerritos, and this is an expensive car market, which makes it even more attractive.

^ heh. actually, i've been in Chicago city proper for awhile... ditto to the w210w, hence the rust near the wheel well... thanks for the tip!

If its in good shape and was taken care of 135k miles is nothing. For $7k it sounds like a good buy.

Rust? On a 1998 Mercedes? My C230 has lived a very hard life as a daily driver in long Canuck winters, lots of salted roads, lots of sanded roads. It's also a 1998 and has close to the same mileage (about 130K-miles) and has not one hint of rust.

It sounds like the car has had a complete lack of TLC. I hope the price is low enough to offest that...

FWIW, I don't think it's all than uncommon.

While I'm reluctant to admit it as an an owner of W210 chassis car, W210's seem to suffer from rust more than any other chassis since the W116's from the '70's (450 SEL).

^ thanks for everyone's input, hope for a few more responses before seeing the ride again.

FWIW blackmercedes: City of Chicago is known as the city that salts more than any other in the US. the lifetime owner lived in a really fancy part of the Gold Coast and most likely had really nice temperature controlled garage in a really nice high rise. service records are relatively complete and filed.

if i can find an extended warranty program to cover a 135K mi car, i would...

My car is 10 years old and does not have a hint of rust on it.
I think some of the W210's have some problems but not all.

A heated garage is NOT GOOD for the prevention of rust. The only thing a heated agrage is good for is keeping the engine warm and for keeping people warm while they work on them.

IMO, a rusted, resprayed example with that many miles can be had for a better price. Have you checked the spring perches yourself?

^ lol. of course you're right. but there are so few parking spots relative to cars in Chicago, the fact that it's even gotten a parking spot i consider to be a major plus. plus the service records are intact.

have looked at the front spring perches and they look relatively clean. no peeling protective coat, no obvious signs of rust, no over-spray.

based on the above post, Diesel Fan, what would you counter-offer with ($7K asking is his first offer, about $500 off listing)? if you HAD to buy the car. FWIW, there's a un-repainted '98 E320w, rwd, listed @ $10K at the local european used car lot. 125K mi. :dizzy2:

I must admit I'm burned on MB so take any advice with a grain of salt. First, your inspection of the spring perches was inadequate, Part of the problem is the material they used to prevent the problem. It looks fine but with a few pinholes it allows enough water and salt in to start to cause the rust. Not only that, but the design traps the moisture in there to speed up the process. Check around but I believe you must remove the coating to make a proper inspection. Only then have some owners found a serious rust problem. Having said that, you seem intent on ownership. That's fine. If you're a DIYer with significant money to spend on parts then you'll enjoy the car. I would check various sources for current sale prices. Ebay is an esay check to see what they'll go for. Here are some examples....





120063275391 Sedan 66K miles (if you trust them) and currently just over 4K dollars with 5 hours left to go. The but it now price will never happen.

150071053118 99 Wagon 4 matic, xenon. Got to $8000 did not meet reserve.

110067911405 98 wagon 4 matic $8,100 Did not meet reserve

330059782087 98 sedan 100K miles $6600 did not meet reserve.

280051500628 95 sedan 140K Less then $6K asking. Not one even bid.

170055119367 99 with 120K. Starting at 9995 with no bids before auction closing.

Heres one for you.

220057481207 2002 with 128K Miles. No bids at $8700 asking. Call him and offer $6500. In a previous auction he tried for $9500 and got no bids. He might be prime for anyhting to get rid of it.

You may also try autotrader. Call on several similar cars that have listing that are old. Ask about the car. If it's a price that YOU think is good but the car remains unsold then the market knows better then you. I don't remember if autotrader has a way to show expired listings.

Another way to check price would be to take the car to several lots and check trade in on a similar but newer car. IE, go to the MB lot and start looking at used Mercedes. See how much they'll give you on a newer car. Remeber to remove any evidence that the car is for sale like a dealer tag, etc and if they run the vin tell them you're comparison shopping.

Finally, two more things. First, you mentioned the car was owned by an Indy. This is not an indicator of maintenance or upkeep quality. They don't treat their cars any better then the rest of us. You don't think they work on others cars all day and then work on their own as a hobby, do you? And, remmeber about all things automotive. Never fall in love with something that can't love you back. If you don't get this one another will come along. This is true for cars, homes, motorcycles and many children.

Tony, offer $5,000 ... then you have some negotiating room.

2.5 wks later, asking price down $6500, OBO... getting more and more tempting...

The clonking from the suspension is very likely a drop link, which will cost you about 10 dollars to replace.

a year later.. i'm BACK! still w/o a W210W

the previously discussed car ended up being kept by owner (an indie shop owner). the respray really irked me and i walked away. but now i'm BACK! my Saab got nailed by a Saturn w/ no ABS on a rainy SoCal day.

Q: at $8500 (asking price), would you take
1) '98 W210W w/ 104K mi? (cherry paint, cherry interior leather)
2) '01 W210W w/ 138K mi (eeek!!!) miles? (decent paint, decent leather)

both in LA, both sold by small-time stealerships.

looking back at my original post, i must conclude LA car prices, much like housing prices, are RIDICULOUS. :eek:

Everything else being equal, I'd get the 98. It has the M104 along with the proven older non-electronic tranny. Also has lower miles - should keep running for a LONG time to come.

I'm told time and time again that the 2000-02 W210's are the best out of all of them. But since you are shopping at the lower end of the market go with whichever car is in the best shape with records.

1998 E320 wagon has neither 104 engine or non-electronic trans.

It has 722.6 5 speed Electronic trans and the 112 Engine.

I would take the newer one.

You're right, my bad. I was thinking of the 96. I have a 97 which was the last year of the M104...

Thanks for clarifying.

This is my first post but have been following the forum since purchasing 1995 E320 wagon a month ago. I was ready to spend 4-5K for a W124 wagon but was not happy with what was available. Especially on a car with 100k+ miles, I would be very wary of buying from a used car dealer. They will tell you anything they think you want to hear just to make the sale. Also, on E-bay you can use the advanced search option to see completed auctions only. This gives a better idea of what cars actually sell for. Again, I would only bid on an ebay car that was being sold by a private party as they are more apt to be honest.
I finally found my car on Craigslist. It has 175k miles with an excellent exterior and very good interior and was told that it needed a transmission (reverse failed). I always do my own work and was very happy to get the car for $1500.
The moral is to keep looking; there are great deals anywhere if you look long enough.