I've been looking for a nice 300E (E320) for a couple months now and the cars I've looked at locally are such piles of crap that I'm afraid to buy one out of state.....without a lot of screwing around and pre-purchase inspections.

But even with a pre-purchase the mechanic may not find previous body work.

We looked at a '93 today and my full time body guy found that the car had a rear clip.....and of course the Carfax was clean....

The car also has a transmission problem, it overheats and has a hot-start issue!

I'm loosing faith and I can't afford to fly out to look at every car that looks "shiney" in the pics.

Sorry just venting......

Yep, it's hard to find a really clean 300E / E320.

When I bought my old '93 300E in 2000, I must have looked at over 12 cars before I found one worth buying.

__________________
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".

tried craigslist or autotrader? that's where I found my girl down here VVVV

__________________
1994|040|W124.036|E500
http://www.mbworld.org/forums/image....ine=1216527951

About 15 times a day.....

I just bought a very clean E320 wagon w/62k mi. Found it on Autotrader-at a Suzuki dealer!

You'll just have to go out and physically look.

Most dealers are scheming to rip somebody off (and unless they specialize, have zero interest and knowledge about its pedigree), and many owners get rid of their cars because they have issues that cannot be resolved without paying a mechanic a ludicrous sum (ignorance). Sometimes you get lucky, in either case its a chance. That's why you have to BE there to play your hand.

i think you have to find an individual owner who was passionate about his/her and their needs have changed (wanted a new car, baby,etc)

Passion is easy.... the passionate ones will have a service history.

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

How about these:

http://www.mbca.org/pages/Star/nd06tp.htm

400E, 1993: champagne, saddle int., 53,000 mi, V-8 similar to 500SL, like new in every detail, all power, sunroof; if you want a great car, this is it! $13,250. Jim Carney, 36 W. Hannum Blvd., Saginaw, MI 48602; 989/792-3363; jecarney@charter.net.

400E, 1993: gray, gray leather, 111,500 mi, one owner, excellent cond., AM/FM/10-CD changer; $10,500 obo; Al Vivenzio, 96 Belvidere St., Springfield, MA 01108; 413/732-8505; sollariviv@aol.com.

300E, 1993: Sportline, blue, gray leather, 49,000 mi, sport seats, garaged, covered, Mobil 1, meticulously maintained, like-new cond., last of quality-built cars; $16,000. Marty Frith, 7676 Newport Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117; 805/968-3065; maf968@aol.com.

E320, 1994: Sportline pkg., two-tone metallic green, tan int., 141,000 mi, pristine cond., all service records, 6-CD, rear shade; new water pump, belt, pulleys, brakes, MXV Michelins; always garaged; $8,000 firm. John Nash, 6590 Nyasa Bend, New Market, MD 21774; 301/865-1062; nashjohn@verizon.net.

300CE, 1992: black pearl, black leather, 66,000 mi, that’s right, just 66,000 mi!, fully optioned w/dual airbags, ASR, 10-disk changer; beautiful, but I have too many cars; $12,500. Jim O’Sullivan, 55 Park St., Brookline, MA 02446; 617/879-0017; jimo@attglobal.net.

300CE, 1993: black opal (charcoal), gray leather, 18,552 mi, M104 engine, southern car, immaculate, showroom cond., garaged, covered, detailed service records, replaced wiring harness, new Michelins, Mobil 1, none nicer, no disappointments! $22,500. Gerard Gunhouse, 3400 Pine Ridge Rd., Birmingham, AL 35213; 205/871-0844; gpgunhouse1@aol.com.

300D 2.5 Turbo, 1990: white over gray, gray int., 139,000 mi, perfect throughout, always garaged, 28-32 mpg, new-style wheels, beautiful, solid, dependable; $11,500. Robin Retzlaff, 3485 Roma Dr., Springdale, AR 72762; 479/248-1442; r.retzlaff@cox.net.

__________________
Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

I'd personally stay away from 124 cars with the ASR "traction control" system.

__________________
Michael

1988 300 SL (5 Speed)
1994 E320 Wagon
1997 C230

Those ads on the MBCA link posted above might be the way to go.

When I was a member of the club, I noticed that the cars for sale were always the cleanest you'd ever find.

The sellers were also a bit optimistic on their asking price, but I guess that's the price you pay for a good car.

Once again, if there's a car you want me to look at in Southern California, lemme know.

__________________
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".

OOOHH.....the Mercedes Club.......I forgot about that. That's what I'm looking for......creams puffs....

Thanks guys....

You'll need to become a member to get on their website to look at the classifieds.

I'm no longer a member, but you might ask someone here on the ShopForum to copy and paste the classifieds for you.

There is also The Star Magazine that comes with the annual membership that has a ton of classifieds in it.

__________________
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".

Paul......where exactly are you in So.Cal?.....there are a few cars down there that might be something I'm interested in but I don't want to ask you to drive very far at all.

I think I will join the Mercedes club.......

Thanks,
Aaron

I live in a town that is on the border of L.A. County, Orange County, and San Bernardino County, zip code 91765.

__________________
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".

There are plenty here in Texas.

Not sure of your state, but if you look hard enough... you can find anything.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]