General Buying Tips

These tips apply to all cars, not just the Mercedes E-class. There’s no way around it. Unless you park your car in protected storage for 80 years, it will always cost you money! While you can’t avoid car repair bills, you can reduce them by becoming an educated car buyer.

Tip #1: Know Your Car

Study the details of the the car in which you’re interested. Since you’re interested in the W210 E-class and are reading this site, you’re already ahead of the game. Spend some time reading the archives of enthusiast forums that pertain to your car of interest. By understanding a car’s strengths and weaknesses, you can steer away from troublesome vehicles. Being attuned to possible issues will help you spot problems you otherwise overlook when test driving and inspective a potential purchase.

Tip #2: Know Your Market

Track the prices in the newspaper and on eBay of the car you’re interested in. By having a good handle on what’s out there, you’ll avoid overpaying.

Tip #3: Know Your Paintwork

Many cars on used car lots have been banged up and repaired. Buying a car that’s been in an accident could lead to problems down the road. You can often tell if a car’s been hit by inspecting the paint. Even the pros can’t perfectly match factory paint. Here’s how you can spot body work:

  • Look for areas of uneven paint texture or color. Pay particular attention to sanding marks visible under the clear coat. These suggests that the panel has been filled with Bondo and resprayed.
  • Check all the panels for even gaps. Are the gaps even between all the doors? Is the hood higher on one side than the other?
  • Squat down at each end of the car and sight down the side. Look for waves, ripples or unevenness in the doors and fenders. Ripples in the panels indicate possible repair work.
  • Look under the hood for metal that appears to have been crumpled and stretched out. Body shops worry about the condition of the exterior, not the quality of the repair under the hood.
  • Check for overspray on headlights and trim. The factory paints the body before any of that stuff is installed, so there’s no way a factory paint job will get any paint on them. Most body shops are too lazy to remove the items before painting.

Learning to spot body work takes practice. Go to a used car lot and look at a dozen cars. Can you tell the difference between repaired and accident-free vehicles? For more tips on how to spot paintwork, click here.

Tip #4: Know a Mechanic

Your job is to filter out the obvious lemons. Don’t buy a car without having a trusted shop perform a thorough inspection. Chances are, they’ll spot something you didn’t. They’ll also give you a good idea of what repairs are likely in the near future. When you’re spending thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on a car, a couple hundred bucks for a pre-purchase inspection is cheap insurance.

Tip #5: Buy Based on Condition

In the long-run, condition matters more than age or mileage, particularly in the case of the E-class. If maintained correctly, the W210 will run hundreds of thousands of miles. Buy the car in the best condition you can afford. Make sure it’s mechanically sound, free of prior paintwork, and comes with complete service records. The Mercedes Starmark pre-owned warranty is unbeatable.

If a third-party extended warranty is available, considering purchasing it if it costs $2,000 or less. But buyer beware. Carefully review the terms of the warranty and get references to make sure the company will actually pay for claims.