that's a heckuva endorsement

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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]

^that is exactly what I thought.

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Jim

No kidding, that's an endorsement. 4 wheel drive makes me nervous as far as maintenance...thanks guys for your responses, I need something bigger than the slk 230 99.
going to stay away from the diesels unless i find a real beauty. around here in n cal they are expensive and well used. i do have a f250 95 diesel 7.3 4x4 beast for towing. i like diesels but can't afford the nice ones.

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Thanks, Juan

Do you like the e350 not 4 matic, I don't need 4 wheel drive in the san francisco bay area.
Could you add to the goods of such a car! thanks.

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Thanks, Juan

Non-4matic gets the bad 7 speed.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

They're fine.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

Best hold out for a low mileage one, or one from the Southern latitudes that's not spent it's life in the Salton Sea Up there.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

I tend to gravitate towards older stuff than the OP is looking for, but I'm kind of with who ever said about a W211 CDI. Don't know about the prices, so not sure if you can find one for the price, though.

My daughter's 05 C230 has been a solid runner for her for over three years now with issues whatsoever and wouldn't hesitate to recommend one for others. Her car came with impeccable service records, though, so that probably makes a difference in the current reliability, too.

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1995 MB E320 Wagon
2005 MB C230K SS
2001 BMW 330i
2007 Chevy Tahoe LTZ

RE: W211 CDIs - they come in all prices, miles, and conditions. From $4K & Up. $10K will definitely buy one. What it'll cost in upkeep hours & time, repairs, and money after buying, is the biggest unknown.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

My personal advice is spend more for something in better condition if needed

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

2001 E320 (W210): watch for electronics (everything attached to the CAN bus) and search here for harmonic balancer. They're prone to falling apart.

Biggest worry: spring perches. Again, search here.

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1961 220b: first project car - sold.
2000 CLK 430: first modern Benz - sold.
2001 CLK 55: OMG the torque!!! - sold
1972 280SE 4.5: Baby Gustav
1991 300TE 4Matic: Gretel the Snow Bunny - sold
1978 300SD: Katz the Free Man - given away
1980 Redhead: Darling Wife

Personally I would find the nicest W211 4 matic you can. I am solely driving W124's for my daily transportation and when the time comes that is what I'm going to get. In addition to all of the known mechanical and rust issues with the W210 I just don't like the way they look.

I've been considering an e320 as my possible next car. Is the spring perch issue mostly for northern cars with rusting, or is it more of a stress fracture/weak metal issue?

A Northern issue - and ones that spent their winters being driven in the North.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

As an owner of a 1999 C280, the biggest issues with this V-6 are the transmission (had a rebuilt installed) and the quality of the materials used in the interior and trim. The trans failures due to the "lifetime fluid" are legendary, however the later production years (98-00) did not have the wire harness issue. The interior is finished mostly in plastic and "mouse fur" and headliner sagging is epidemic.

On the other hand, the W203 cars are total disasters, being most affected by the Chrysler merger budget cutting and QC.

A best bet would be a maintenance documented or CPO car that doesn't have the ABC suspension.