Looking at a Mercedes Wagon

Let me start out by letting you know that I work for a Mercedes-Benz dealership. I have worked in the service department as a service adviser/service manager since 1988. I would agree with Ross that the problem with these cars is rust. One of the problem areas is at the upper front spring perches. The will start to corrode and pull away from the front subframe. A good body shop can weld in new perches but it will not be cheap. The W210 chassis came out in 1996 and ran thru 2002. Properly maintained I have seen many cars with 200,000+ miles. The highest mileage W210 I have seen was 660,000 miles! The key though is REGULAR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. Also, the cost for maintenance and repairs is not as cheap as with a domestic car. The 3.2 V6 has 2 spark plugs per cylinder and they cost about $10 each...but they should last 100,000 miles. The cars were available as rear wheel or all wheel drive (called 4matic). The 3rd row seat is pretty small but OK for kids. I would recommend having it inspected by a competent Mercedes Tech. By the way, Mercedes Sensotronic Brake Control (brake by wire) came on the 2003-2006 E-class W211 (not the car you are looking at). Mercedes-Benz has extended the warranty on the SBC units for 10 years, unlimited miles.
Mercedes-Benz invented the car. They hold the patent for the automobile as well at 80,000 other automotive related patents! Mercedes along with Volvo are some of the safest cars made. Now I will admit that I do drink the MB koolaid--that happens after working for them for so long. And yet I do not own one myself. I have 4 kids (a 17 year old and 14 year old triplets!) and need something bigger... so my wife drives a Suburban.

 

Pretty car, hope it works out.
spend the $$ now for an independent inspection. Contact the MB club for a recommendation. Unless of course you feel the car dealer has your best interest at heart

OH, use it more than for short hops. That use is hard for any car. Once you've seen the price of an MB exhaust system you'll want to drive it long enough to dry things out

 

I actually love the wagon. Just hope his little wife can fill those butt dents in the seat!

Just kidding about too many vehicles. Our daughter and her husband have two SUV's and two extended cab pick up trucks.

 

The MB wagon test drive was an absolute delight. The car is built like a tank, and handled quite smoothly with a surprising amount of pep. I can see why people buy these cars. Climbing back into the DeVille just wasn't the same after driving that.

Wife wasn't happy with the driver's seat. The seat bottom was rather long and she couldn't quite get comfortable in it after trying to adjust it several times. We have had this problem with other cars and it is also usually an issue when we go to buy furniture for the house.

The car was in above average condition but not what I would call immaculate. The previous owner had dogs for sure. There was hair evident in the cargo area. The leather on the 3rd seat obviously had not been detailed, but would have cleaned up ok. There were some light scratches around the console area probably from when the pets wondered up front. There was also a small area of damage on the upholstery on the drivers door that was probably from said pet.

The paint and body were in excellent shape, no complaints there. Michelin tires with plenty of tread. Overall a very neat car, but unfortunately the seat issue is probably a deal breaker for the wife. I joked when we got back in the car that I almost liked it enough to buy it and trade for a taller wife....good thing she has some sense of humor left.

 

See! I am always looking out for my fellow station wagon friends. I am an expert on female posteriors and knew there would be a butt indent problem. Now go look at a Suburban.

 

Dollie hoovering around behind the CatMan with the iron skillet ready to take a big swing at his head..................

 

HUH??? She told me she was fixing scrambled eggs!

 

How do you feel about BMWs? The E39 5 series ended in 2002 so same vintage cars are available. If you enjoyed driving the Benz you may like the BM too. My wife finds her seat comfortable, she's 5'5"

 

Yet one more thing to be thankful that my wife doesn't drive. I don't have to worry about her butt fitting the seats. I just say get in, buckle up, and shut up!

 

On Auto Trader.com, in Annapolis...

BTW, this is an E500 model with the V8.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...][]]&listingId=352235526&listingIndex=1&Log=0

 

The search continues.....

Saturday we looked at I guess one could consider the closest thing to a modern station wagon, the Ford Flex. I was shocked at the options in the Limited model that we test drove (2010). Huge fixed glass panel in the back with a pull shade. Kids loved it. My only complaint was the ride was bumpy compared to the Cadillac. And once again, my lovely wife of 4'10.5" could not quite touch the floor with her right heel and just could not seem to get comfy in the seat...

We then checked out a 2010 Town & Country that was traded by a retired military couple. Super clean, no "kid goo". Can you guess what happened next? Wait, did you say "I bet she couldn't touch the floor in this one either!!"

There is a strange trend I am seeing with the newer power seats. In all 3 of our 19__ cars the seat bottom can tilt forward and backward in what I am going to call an "independent" fashion. You can tip the front of the seat down without really moving the back much and vice versa. Although the newer cars have the same button configuration, the whole bottom of the seat seems to move at the same time so you can not really fine tune the tilt the way my wife would like to.

After pouring over AutoTrader together for over an hour last night we can across a 2004 Town Car ultimate over in Maryland. 1-owner, 52K priced at 10 grand. She likes the fact that it does not have a coach/roadster roof which she believes makes the cars look more "grandpa". It is pearl white (like her DeVille) and the lower door panels are a champagne color. Ultimate package includes moonroof and chrome mirrors/rims.

Before I make the 2 hour trip towards D.C. she is going to go over and try out the seats in the neighbor's 2005 Town Car after they get home from church. (the same time we heathens here go to Wal-Mart because it's not so crowded ) See below for pics....any thoughts on the newer Town Cars?....I have owned 3 all of which I loved, 1988 Signature in Regatta Blue; 1993 Signature in Champagne; 1995 Signature in Dark Green. I haven't seen any of the newer ones sagging in the back like the 90's models were infamous for so I am assuming they have improved the air suspension system. Hopefully the blasted link works....

http://hyundaiofbowie.com/Baltimore-DC/For-Sale/Used/Lincoln/Town-Car/2004-White-Car/20715539/

 

Our daughter has a white Ford Flex. Looks nice but seems to ride rather rough when sitting in the back seat. She's nearly 6 ft and thin so fits in it well.
Maybe let your wife drive a Mini Cooper!

 

Yup - I'm thinking you need to go smaller, not bigger. Your wife being of such short stature seems to me that maybe one of the well-equipped smaller offerings may fit her better......... Also might be advisable to find one that offers a LOT of adjustability - including a tilt/telescope steering wheel. Lexus, Acura, perhaps a small Cadillac? There's also that small Lincoln they had a few years ago - the LS. NOT this one, this is just a screen grab

 

Sunday night update...

We bought the Town Car!! My neighbors have an 04 Town Car Signature, so my wife went next door this morning and got to play around with the buttons and take it for a cruise. She was able to get comfy and liked the ride, so I made the 80 mile trek across to Bowie, MD which is just outside of D.C.

When I pulled up and saw how the car was sparkling, I knew I would probably come home with it. The Limited/Ultimate package adds a lot of razzle dazzle compared to the Signature Series....more wood, more chrome...etc. For us, it really came down to finding something nice within a reasonable budget. After looking at the Flex and the minivans, we decided that we did not really want to spend 25+ grand right now on a car, especially since we have gotten used to not having any car payments for the last three years. We figured with the town car we could get 3 car seats on the back seat if needed (we had done this a few times in the DeVille with a cousin who was visiting), and of course we have the Colony Park to fall back on too. A quick aside...wife took the Colony Park to get groceries this morning and came back saying she thought she would start taking it to the store all the time because she liked how easy it was to get the bags in the back. I was thrilled of course to hear that because this little outing marked only the 3rd time she has driven it since we've owned it this last year. I think I will make a wagon lover out of her yet!

The Town Car was owned by an older woman. Garaged for sure. It literally looks like someone just took the plastic off. Negotiated a bit and was happy with the deal. Long story short, it is a lot of car for the money. If you have been used car shopping lately, you would probably agree that it is difficult to find something really nice in the under 10 grand category. So for these reasons, we went for it. Dealer offers 2 month powertrain, 100% coverage. The car just passed MD inspection which is one of the strictest in the country.

Driving it back to Delaware was a dream. It was 75 degrees out this evening. After crossing the Bay Bridge and getting on 301 I put the windows down and opened the moonroof. The wheels on this are bigger than the DeVille, so it sits up a bit higher which I like. Got 26.2 mpg on the highway on regular gas!! YAY, no more premium prices!! (although I will probably still put silver grade in anyway just because)

Wife took the car for a shake down cruise with the kids in the back, and everyone is happy, happy, happy. My neighbor is already planning to see if his key will work in my ignition. His words were "Gee Mike, I thought my 04 was in good condition until I saw this pull up in the driveway."

May the DeVille rest in peace....not sure if I will fool around with those Northstars again. Another sucessful car hunt adventure comes to an end. And tomorrow, it is back to school for the two music teachers (wife and I) Son is starting pre-K and daughter entering 1st grade. I bet we will probably be the only family pulling up for soccer practice in a Town Car this week.

 

Well Mike, glad we could help! Sounds lke a really nice car and a good deal. Besides "If the little woman is happy we're all happy!"

she liked how easy it was to get the bags in the back.
Maybe you should have had her drive the wagon more first. You might have ended up with another one!