Help me.. E320 Cdi Avantgarde

[Ram05]

Hi there

I am a newbie here ....its my first MB car.

Considering a purchase of 2000 E-320 cdi Avantgarde edition in special order metallic green.

http://reading.gumtree.com/reading/06/38028806.html

I took help of my friend for a test drive it looks fine i.e. standard items we are able to check are like rusty, wheel alignment, tyres.I dunno what others to be checked.

Also, I was scared the maintenance cost is sky high and was advised that its better to go for Japanese ones.The spec and comfy of the car makes me to go for MB.

Kindly assist me what should I consider or it would be better if you let me know a Indie in Reading area who can help me in assessing the car for any known problems and give a recommendation whether to buy the car or not.

Suggestions and advice are welcome.

Many Thanks
Ram

 

[Myros]

can't help you with the indie

but i can tell you about the 320cdi. Great car. Known problems are rust on the body, and the chassis cross member at the front suspension. and anything else that can go wrong on a big complicated car. The engines are pretty bullet-proof, and for a big old lump, pretty economical. They go like stink and handle like sports cars. Comfy on long and short trips, and once you get moving, quiet as a whisper inside.
Search on here for w210 rust, or just w210 and see what pops up. Ours is the same model as yours and we are in the process of having the rust fixed for the third time. Your guarantee may already have run out, if rust is there and hasn't been seen to by mercedes.
There are lots of posts here about these great cars, just do a bit of searching and all will be revealed.
Even if ours hadn't been covered by the warranty, we'd still have bought it.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I am a newbie here ....its my first MB car.
Kindly assist me what should I consider or it would be better if you let me know a Indie in Reading area who can help me in assessing the car for any known problems and give a recommendation whether to buy the car or not.

Hi Ram,

Welcome to the forum. All very good questions - this MB your first MB, but I suspect you have bought cars before as you are well focused on the key issues.

These cars of that year are prone to rust, as you know, but not all of them do and television has recently seen such cars in impeccable condition.

I have never been a fan of buying at the kerbside, especially from someone giving a cell phone number and stating that he is about to leave the country! You will have no redress after purchase.

The price is ambitious. I looked at this age/spec on the valuations sites and found (for a 2000 X car), Wise Buyers Guide (tend to be harsh) £2,000 dealer, £1,465 private, What Car (tend to be generous), £3,360 dealer £2,940 private. So these are the extremes, but give a range to work in. Obvious things, which might need early replacement (e.g. tyres, service nearly due) could provide leverage and the mileage which the vendor says is average @ 144,000 is higher than the market description of average for this car (100,000).

So there are things to consider in deciding how much you would be prepared to pay.

I support your plan to ask an Indy to examine it for you, and be prepared to offer much less than the asking, or walk away. Reading is out of my area, but others will advise, or do a "search" on this site for Indies in Reading.

Good luck - looks an nice car, but appearances can deceive, no sale of goods act or warranty protection, high (but not overly high if well maintained) mileage and a vendor who is about to disappear.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[inds86]

hello there, i also have a e320cdi w210,its the facelift on 2002 reg,fantastic car, its aubergine in colour,avantgarde spec. drives and handles well,economical also.

the only major problem i have had on my car is two of the injectors have gone.however on the cdi engines its very common.i have had a few merc sprinter vans,same problem.some of my friends who own sprinters and vitos have experinced this.along with my friend who owns a 2003 plate clk cdi.it is common.on ebay you can pick them up for about £100,brand new about £180. nothing major though my car runs like new now

any ideas on where i can get a facelift w210 amg kit from?

 

[mattsurf]

There are a number of things that are likely to fail on this car

Rust - well documented rust issues, just check carefully

Injectors - already mentioned, Mine had 2 injectors done at 150k miles, I am now on 160k miles and I have another failure, so I will probably just replace the remaining 4

Glow plugs - these may well have already been replaced

Springs - the W210 is prone to breaking front springs, although it is not too costly to get sorted

Check that the gearbox oil has been changed - these units were supposedly sealed for life, however, if you don't change the oil at some point after 50k miles, the life of the gearbox won't be that long.

My car has now done 160k miles and is still running well, I don't think that it costs more to maintain now than it would have done at 50k miles. If running costs are your only priority then you may be better off with a Japanese car (my brother bought a 4 year old Diesel Honda Accord with 55k miles for under £5000) - it will be cheaper to run as it is newer and has covered lower mileage. However, there is something special about a Mercedes and a good one won't break the bank - in 3 years time, a 12 year old Mercedes in good condition will be as nice as it is today, you won't be able to say that about a 7 year old Honda Accord, whatever the condition!

In terms of price, I would think that £2500 - £3000 would be about right

Matt

 

[Ram05]

Hi Matt
Thanks for the detailed information, its a really useful tip.As Alex pointed out, the guy wasn't willing to take the car to the indie garage for inspection and the deal didn't go through.

Meanwhile, I inspected another car through Autotrader the car has rust near the wheel arches and in the boot.Looks like the car wasn't maintained properly as the total miles driven by this one is around 650 miles for past 1 year.

I have requested to take the car to the indie garage for inspection, waiting to hear from the seller.

If the rusts are observed is it wise to ask the seller to get it fixed under MB 30yrs warranty if MB says no what would be the way to go.Please advice.

Many Thanks
Ram

 

[OlafMaxwell]

Have one from new, now 156k.
Day one faulty oil level sensor.
4k exhaust gone.
23k approx rear suspension failed.
23k drop links.
65k brake failure, ABS pump replaced.
65k replace air con condenser.
65k replace glow plugs.
95k auto transmission fluid.
75k brake failure.
85k I think MAF.
95k brake disks.
95k ball joints
95k, replace 4 doors due to rust
125k gearbox ECU repair.
145k auto transmission fluid.
Due now injector seals.
Due new tailgate due to rust.
Battery life approx 6/7 years.
No engine oil consumption.
Wiper mechanism fine but at 9 years a likely failure, not cheap. Can be greased to prolong.
Diff oil change due.
CD unit acts up but replacement cartridge is a cure.
Temperature and clock displays go, can be repaired rather than expensive replacement.

 

[tajmbenz]

Merc E320cdi 2001 Y

Hi All, New joiner so apologies for not being here sooner!!

I have a Merc E320cdi avantguarde - (incidentally Im looking to sell) - which has developed an appetite for the odd rust bubble here and there. Is there any where where the existing warranty may cover this?...

If not - whats the easiest solution and the expense?

Thanks
Taj