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High mileage

Hello--

I am getting out from under a rather expensive lease on another car and am considering a 98 E320 with 77k miles. I have literally heard from five people (drivers and mechanics) the standard line that MB's are just "broken in" at 100k miles. Is this a bunch of baloney or does it have some basis in reality?

I don't drive an awful lot (less than 10k miles per year) and may take my car on a two-hour trip out of town once a year, but I have been fortunate to have reliable cars--not that they haven't had some problems, but nothing that left me stranded by the roadside.

I was going to have the car checked out by my mechanic, who tells me that the upkeep on this car is not more expensive than average. I have maintenance done on whatever vehicle I own religiously. Any thoughts on whether this is a prudent choice for my primary automobile?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Reply to
teknofyle
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The E 320 is a fine car. If it is in good shape now it can make a you a good road car for many years to come.

Good Luck

Reply to
BS

MB are reliable car when you take care of it... I have a 20 year old car with 201,000 miles... gas engine and V8... reliable!

That is not a high mileage car... and don't worry about it. Have the MB dealer look over the car for you BEFORE you buy it.

Reply to
Tiger

Don't allow yourself to get lured in on the bait of a good deal; 77k isn't far for a well looked after, properly serviced MB. Look for service stamps in the book (check the actual mileage against the mileage listed for that service) and lots of reciepts.

300 Essie
Reply to
300 Essie

My 1996 E320 Elegance (4sp auto) has 126,000 miles on it and is still going strong. It burns no oil, starts first time every time, has never broken down and despite the mileage still returns between 24 - 26 miles per (UK) gallon (average) though on a recent 150 mile non stop trip it returned a staggering 29 mpg. Servicing is done by a MB trained specialist and costs no more than any other make of car e.g. I have just had new disks and pads fitted all round (genuine MB parts) and the cost was only £180 gbp for the whole job inc. parts and labour! I would whole heartedly recommend one of these cars to anybody.

Reply to
Terence

Hate to be a spoil sport, but I have spent over $14,000 maintaining my S class. It has 122,000 miles on it. The dealer charges $250 for front brake pads, about $600 for complete front brakes. No one with less than a few hundred million can really afford to drive one of these beyond the warranty expiration, so mine has to go at 130,000. You do have to realize that just a few millions or few tens of millions is not enough to realy afford one of these money pits. And the new ones are just little roller skates you strap on so I don't know what I will buy next.

mcbrue impoverishedly under the bridge in the trailer down by the river

96 S420
Reply to
MCBRUE

Mmm... McBrue... if you spend that kind of money on repairs... why not get rid of it?

Reply to
Tiger

You must have a very kind mechanic , in my experience MB's are much more expensive to maintain then domestic or Japanese makes . -Dana

Reply to
Dana

Having owned domestics, japanese and 2 Mercedes i have not found the Mercedes to be noticably more expensive to maintain. I think that comes from people who don't do regular maintenance on other makes. How many people with other makes of cars do all the services every

5-10-15-30-and 60,000 miles like Mercedes owners do? Most just put gas in and take it to the mechanic when something breaks or the check engine light comes on. Even many repairs are not more expensive. At an independant shop i had the rear main seal replaced in both my Jeep Cherokee and 450SL and it was the same price for both.
Reply to
sdp1

And that was sort of my point. My current vehicle is a domestic SUV from a company who shall remain nameless, but is not known for reliability. I have done all the scheduled maintenance and regular oil changes and (knock on wood) have had nary a problem, except for the brake pads. I was hoping to hear that such "Type A" commitment would reap rewards in a "high mileage" Merc.

Reply to
teknofyle

Anyone shopping for a Mercedes always first looks at the service book to see it is up to date and all services done at the proper times. I have never heard of anyone looking for other makes doing the same. Do any other makes provide service books that record it all for

100,000+ miles?
Reply to
sdp1

Yeah I had a Ford once too. Never again. Ever.

Reply to
Richard Sexton

hi i have had 5 MB over the last 10 years all have done close to from 130 to 200,000 miles with no real hick ups,

just look after ti and service it on time..

Good Luck

Guy

Reply to
Guys

drives now ) and i've found EVERY aspect of maintenace and repair to be MUCH more expensive then domestic and Japanese makes I've owned and my family has owned.... -Dana

Reply to
Dana

I did as well, Crown Victoria. First and last Ford i will have. Currently in the corral is:

71 Olds Cutlass convertible 71 Datsun 240z series 1 74 Datsun 260z (auto) 74 Datsun 260z (manual) 80 Mercedes 450SL 86 Mercedes 300 SDL 94 Jeep Cherokee I love all of them and never had a thought of selling any of them.
Reply to
sdp1

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