Help me out Oppo! Picture dump in return.

"AM3R" (AM3R) 06/01/2014 at 15:14 • Filed to: None

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So I was walking out of the gym today, and this black facelifted W210 E430 drives by. It must've just been detailed because I almost caught myself checking out my massive ceps' in it's reflection. It was THAT nice.

Anyways, I REALLY like how these look. Whenever I see a W210 it's usually a beat up wagon that looks like it's been imported straight from Taxi duty in the Middle East so I never really took a second look at them. Today completely changed my mind! The only problem is I know nothing about W210's besides the fact that E39 BMW's completely stole the spotlight from them.

Bottom line: tell me about the W210!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 15:36

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I love them, but apparently they have some build quality issues.

JoelA237 > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 15:37

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I have an 01 E55 AMG. Totally badass car. It's super comfortable, luxury options out the wazoo, the doors close with a nice solid thump, I average 23mpg with it, it still looks almost new, and the best part... the 5.5 sohc v8 stuffed under the hood, 349hp 390 ft/lb of torque to propell it to 60 in right around 5 flat and down the 1/4 in the low 13's, top speed is limited to 155.. gets there quickly too. Mine has 247k miles on it now, everything still works perfectly, drives very nice, and was still able to hand out a serious ass whooping to a 07ish mustang gt from a dig and from a roll. Amazing car.

AM3R > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 16:01

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Damn just what I wanted to hear. Thanks bud, got any pictures?

How are these when it comes to DIY'ing?

AM3R > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 06/01/2014 at 16:01

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yeah this was around when Chrysler took over. I've been reading that they were still good though.

asindhidude > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 16:17

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My parents a 98 E320, they kept it for 13 years and 150,000 miles. No issues with it whatsoever. Routine maintenance was as expected for a German car of that vintage, roughly 800/year over the last five years they had it. The only reason they sold it was because they wanted something newer/nicer.

Drives like a tank, solid and nice to look it. Good ride quality, surprisingly fast, and could get in the mid to upper twentys in mpgs if careful. Standard stereo was pretty good, transmission was fabulous and the engine sounded nice and expensive. 9/10, would recommend.

Spring for the AMG if you can. C/D did a special a few years ago where they mention the 55 as one of the most fun/easy to own fast cars to buy used. I think they also discussed and NSX and SRT 10 Ram in the same article.

AM3R > asindhidude 06/01/2014 at 16:22

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great to hear. This would be a weekend car/cruiser so if I did get one it would definitely be an AMG. Is it possible to DIY on these cars?

I'll look that article up right now.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 16:24

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They are stupid reliable. I have a 4matic wagon (the wife's car). Yeah, sure, some of the technology might be a backwards step (SOHC 3 valve engine), build quality might be down just a hair from 124's, might not look as modern as an e39. But damn are they comfortable and reliable. I have no intentions of ever getting rid of mine and the wife loves it too. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

JoelA237 > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 16:37

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I haven't really had to do anything other than an oil change yet. I've only had it about a month so far. Looking over it, it should be pretty easy to work on. I love the cartridge style oil filter mounted ON TOP of the engine! You do need some special tools for certain things, but they aren't too bad. Basic maintenance does cost more than a "regular" car, like my last oil change was around 95 dollars... Two 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 0w-40 full synthetic and a Mobil one filter. It also has 16 spark plugs, so plug and wire changes can get spendy as well. These were the last of the hand built AMG cars, and are really a very high quality car that ages very well. I don't have any pictures on the computer here, but will add some later off my phone.

AM3R > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 16:48

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Even more good news. I just wish they came with a manual transmission haha.

From what I'm hearing, this sounds like it'll be a GREAT weekend car.

AM3R > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 06/01/2014 at 16:51

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Can't think of anything specific right now but how is the handling + the transmission?

JoelA237 > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 16:57

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Thats kind of my plan as well. I plan to daily drive it in summer, then park it and tinker around with it over winter. The build quality issues that the sm70 guy is talking about is more towards the 03+ when chrysler really got a solid grip on Mercedes. I don't know much about the lower model E-class cars, but I do know they are all prone to rust issues. Mercedes reliability woe's where most prominent from 2003-07ish... when chysler was too involved with them. They actually obtained A LOT of MB tech during that time, the new 300's are based off the w210 chassis, the transmission in the v8 models is kind of a downgraded e55 trans etc etc.

AM3R > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 17:13

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I've never driven a W210 before but depending on how it goes when I ever do drive one, I'd probably just do a couple minor suspension mods and then daily it whenever the weather is nice/drive it on the weekends.

It's such a great car, I really need to go drive one!

JoelA237 > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 17:15

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If you live anywhere near me, I'de let you drive mine to see how you like them. I'm in western Wisconsin.

AM3R > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 17:28

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Oh man, I was born up in North Dakota but I've lived in Virginia the rest of my life. I'm right out of DC right now so we're pretty far apart.

Thanks for the offer though!

JoelA237 > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 17:34

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I'm coming out that way in September with my fiance to see some of her family in Winchester VA, I think that's only like 80 miles from DC. I really like it out there!

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 17:40

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As far as handling, they do push a little, they're not BMW's after all, but in my opinion they are still better than most similar cars of the time. Non-sport models are quite soft but they still don't really feel disconnected or "I'm going to be sick" floaty. Biggest transmission problems come from not being serviced and leaking electrical connectors. Otherwise they are pretty tough. AMG models are the best because everything is upgraded, transmission included.

michael bleggi > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 17:40

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theyre super fun to drive too. The automatic transmission always gave me what i wanted, and the steering made up for its slight vagueness with super responsiveness and tightness. Driving a w210 through corners is so fun because it's so planted because of how heavy they are.

JoelA237 > michael bleggi 06/01/2014 at 17:55

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Yeah it is fun to drive! It feels planted because it is lol... They have great suspension from AMG, and the super wide tires really hold ( 275/30/18 in back 245/35/18 up front). You can really push it hard and it just holds and holds, the limit of the car is above most peoples limits, really an easy car to drive fast.

I kind of like the auto in this thing as well.. nice and smooth driving normal, but will really grab the next gear quickly when you have the gas pinned.. Do the soft reset, and it restores the factory aggressive amg settings ( car learns how you drive) and it will get real fun.

AM3R > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 18:14

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It's a great area! I really like the Fairfax area. Car culture is also pretty good around here too! Unfortunately the cops have a bad reputation but I haven't witnessed it firsthand yet.

What I like the most about NoVa is that in 30 minutes of driving I can either be in the middle of DC or I can be on a twisty mountain road away from the suburbs.

AM3R > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 06/01/2014 at 18:23

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That's good to know. My DD is a E90 328i non sport so I doubt I'll hate the W210.

Is it DIY friendly?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 18:46

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More so than most any bmw or Audi thatI know of.

AM3R > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 06/01/2014 at 18:50

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great to hear.

Might have to pick one up as a weekender now.

JoelA237 > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 19:54

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Here are some pics of mine for you, bug splattered front end and all. It's usefull too, thats 10 bags of mulch in the trunk, and the back end hardly sunk at all.

AM3R > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 20:36

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Very nice! Love the picture with the mulch, it'll help on all the Home Depot hauls I've been going on lol. I don't know what a fair price is but I found a black 2001 with 125k on it for $10k. Gotta keep looking around to see if I can find a better deal.

They didn't bring over the AMG wagon did they?

JoelA237 > AM3R 06/01/2014 at 20:48

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Prices for these cars are all over the map. It really depends on condition, miles, history. 10k for the one you are talking about may be a good deal. There really are not many of them out for sale, only 500 per year were imported. 01 is the "rarest" as only 659 were built in total that year. I've seen them as low as 4k and as high as 20k. Mine has high miles, but was a one owner, dealer maintained, southern car, I paid 7k for it.

AM3R > JoelA237 06/01/2014 at 20:53

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I'll try to check out benzworld and any other Merc forums later tonight. I'll probably get a better deal on a nicer car through an enthusiast rather than buying from a dealer who doesn't know what they have.