E320 4matic Wagon - Best Year? Fair Price? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

stephenson · #1 11-18-2006, 03:44 PM

Wife decided Tahoe now too big - last kid to college soon ... considered options ... she insists 4WD (or AWD) or FWD ... wants a substantial car, so ruled out Subies (admittedly a great car) ...

Drove a 1999 version, but wasn't in suitable condition, so passed on it - but, drove like an E - she loved it!

So, what years should I look for in the under $15K range ... what are price ranges I should look for ... I am willing to pay a little more for a "perfect" car (lesson I learned last couple of purchases) with low miles, but most I have seen, regardless of year (from 1999-2003) all seem to have 60-100K ...

Oh yeah, were there any options look for or to avoid?

Thoughts?

Thanks!!

suginami · #2 11-18-2006, 04:09 PM

Generally speaking the 2000-2002 E class cars are considered to be the best because they were completely sorted out, especially the transmission.

2000-2002 models also got the updated speedometer cluster with all of the menus, plus the buttons on the steering wheel that allow you to scroll through the different sub-menus, as well as adjust the volume and change the channel on the radio.

But regardless of the year, the 4-matic system used on all W210's is considered to be reliable.

sunman · #3 11-18-2006, 05:10 PM

The updated wagons from 2000-2003 W210 body style are the ones to go for. See if you can get xenon headlamps with headlamp washers and heated seats. Roof Rack was an option as well as lumbar pneumatic seats. Comand navigation was a rare option on the wagon. I have never seen a wagon with ventilated seats but they do exist. ADS was an option but again, I have never seen one before.

POS · #4 11-18-2006, 05:14 PM

Chase an '02 or an '03 - they're the best of the bunch.

suginami · #5 11-18-2006, 05:42 PM

'03 would be the W211 chassis, and I wouldn't recommend a W211 car, especially the first production year. Quality was horrible.

211's also have the brake-by-wire braking system, made by Bosch, and have proven so problematic that MB is phasing out the system. The system still has a master cylinder with hydraulic fluid, but is used only as a back-up. The brake pedal is connected to sensors which uses computers to determine braking pressure. The end result is that owners of these cars are having trouble modulating a smooth breaking action, resulting in herky-jerky stops.

jcyuhn · #6 11-18-2006, 05:50 PM

Paul -

The wagon was still a 210 in '03, even though the sedan had moved on. Typical Daimler wierdness.

Back on topic -

The wagons tend to be used pretty hard. You'll need to be patient, but clean cars are out there. Wagon buyers seem to be very different than sedan buyers - they don't baby these cars. I take it easy on mine - I've never hauled more than 30 bags of garden mulch at one time!

Most wagons are lightly optioned. Most seem to have leather - MBTex was standard. Sunroof is almost universal. Bose audio and CD changer are common. Rain sensing wiper is common. The more exotic options such as navigation, xenon lights, and pneumatic seats are extremely rare. I never saw a wagon with any one of these while searching for one.

From a reliability perspective, anything from 2000 onwards is the best bet. A good 1999 car would be fine as well.

- JimY

sunman · #7 11-19-2006, 09:07 PM

Yes the 210 wagon went through to 03. Just like the 208 convertable went to 03 where as the coupe changed in 03 to a 209.

stephenson · #8 11-19-2006, 10:50 PM

Thanks for all the comments ... we missed the first 99 at about $10K with 100K miles ... he started at $13K, then next week to $10K - was OK, but not perfect by a long shot.

Today looked at 99 silver with gray leather. 78K showing, seats all showing some degree (some bad) of cracking, about 15 light dents up and down sides, driver fender replaced (poor paint, of course), driver door hard to shut (making sense now, huh?), hadn't been vacuumed in a year, incredibly dirt engine compartment ... drove OK ... Wants $13K - not as nice as the first one at $10K ... will keep looking - I know they're out there!

Might even try an ebay from a 100% positive rating, high volume place - and pay more than I should - just for the adventure!

Thanks!!!

loubapache · #9 01-29-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcyuhn

Paul -

The wagon was still a 210 in '03, even though the sedan had moved on. Typical Daimler wierdness.

- JimY

That is good to know. Thanks. I will then be looking at a 2003 wagon. They want $25k (60k miles). So this 2003 wagon definitely do not have the brake-by-wire braking system?

Thanks,

cqhall · #10 01-29-2007, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenson

Wife decided Tahoe now too big - last kid to college soon ... considered options ... she insists 4WD (or AWD) or FWD ... wants a substantial car, so ruled out Subies (admittedly a great car) ...

Drove a 1999 version, but wasn't in suitable condition, so passed on it - but, drove like an E - she loved it!

So, what years should I look for in the under $15K range ... what are price ranges I should look for ... I am willing to pay a little more for a "perfect" car (lesson I learned last couple of purchases) with low miles, but most I have seen, regardless of year (from 1999-2003) all seem to have 60-100K ...

Oh yeah, were there any options look for or to avoid?

Thoughts?

Thanks!!

You might be lucky: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/car/266699391.html

I need to sell my 2002 mercedes E320 Wagon this week.
It is extra clean. “Like new” is not enough to describe.
Milage is just 44.500
Car has all options. SRS, side airbag, CD changer, cell comminication etc.
It is All Wheel Drive great for snowy days.
Excellent for big family -7 passenger-
More economical than SUV's 22/28
Exterior is Black and interior is grey leather.
You can check the price from KBB.
The best offer will take it!

stephenson · #11 01-29-2007, 09:16 PM

cqhall,

Sorry - I should have closed this out last week.

After an exhaustive search, I found an ebay car that did not sell at their reserve, called the Lexus dealership in Atlanta and fly down last week to buy it.

Very nice car with more miles than yours - about 74K by the time I got it back ... silver with blue leather. Can't find anything wrong with body or interior - Carfax shows 3-5K service intervals and no major issues. Price was $16,400. Had looked at two other 2002s in town in the $15K range, but they both had something wrong with them - usually silly stuff due to poor care.

Looked like I got about 25-26 MPG - way, way better than the Tahoe!

The Tahoe is for sale, now!

Good luck selling yours - someone will get a very nice car!

suginami · #12 01-29-2007, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenson

Very nice car with more miles than yours - about 74K by the time I got it back ... silver with blue leather. Can't find anything wrong with body or interior - Carfax shows 3-5K service intervals and no major issues. Price was $16,400. Had looked at two other 2002s in town in the $15K range, but they both had something wrong with them - usually silly stuff due to poor care.

Sounds like you did real good.

I don't know about you, but $16,400 for a 2002 E320 wagon sounds real cheap. It's amazing to me how much used car prices have dropped.

You need to add your new Mercedes to your signature.

stephenson · #13 01-29-2007, 10:26 PM

Wilco, Paul - just fixed signature.

What we found was that every private owner had an idea their cars were worth at least the retail value - and, local WDC dealers were convinced they should get a premium on top of the retail value.

The world of online advertising is changing the competitive marketplace - in this particular case, my wife, after reviewing hundreds of ads, noted the wagons simply don't seem to sell well - perhaps due to SUVs being in vogue, still.

The car I bought has a less than optimum color scheme - the blue interior is not to everyone's taste, but it was what it was. The car is also not well documented - Carfax showed service every 3-5K, but not much else. Books were not in the car and it was not sold by the original owner, but a dealer in a southern state.

Not many folks would fly in and buy a car and then drive it back 500 miles - I would, but this is considered by some to be strange behavior :-). Me? I consider it to be an adventure.

suginami · #14 01-29-2007, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenson

Not many folks would fly in and buy a car and then drive it back 500 miles - I would, but this is considered by some to be strange behavior :-). Me? I consider it to be an adventure.

Hey, I bought my car off of ebay two years ago. It was at a dealer in Houston. Bought it sight unseen, and had it shipped on a car hauler.

It's been a great car so far.

It's funny that wagon prices are depressed. I was under the impression that wagons are hot right now, but that might be for the smaller sport wagons, like the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3 series, etc.

3star · #15 01-30-2007, 07:38 PM

I check the pre-owned E320 prices around here fairly regularly and the E320 wagons usually sell for a several thousand dollars more than their sedan countepart. Mostly all 4 matics