What to look out for on 100,000+ miles cars

[Darby]

I'm currently looking at AMG Estate's and on my current budget its going to be an early 2000's year model.

Most of these cars seem to have 100,000+ miles on which is a bit higher than most cars i have owned in the past.

Other than bodywork issues on cars of this age, i assume the engines are good for this kind of mileage, but is there anything else i should be specifically looking out for before i take the plunge ?

Any advice greatly appreciated.



Thanks




Dean.

 

[219]

100K + is no problem on any Mercedes provided servicing has been carried out to manufacturer's spec .

Most of my cars tend to be bought at around this mileage and I generally run them to 200K + , one of my recent cars ( 300TE-24 ) went to 430K before being written off by an uninsured driver .

Important points often overlooked include change of ATF and filter at proper intervals , change of diff oil , and replacement of mineral oil in self levelling system (along with filter) on estate cars . All the other fluids ( engine oil , coolant , brake fluids ) should have been changed on time too . Items like suspension bushes , ball joints , propshaft couplings , shock absorbers can also need replacement at high-ish mileages too - a good MB specialist should be able to examine your car and advise .

Good luck .

 

[GP801]

History is all important. Generally very reliable IF maintained properly. You want to see a large pile of receipts, evidence of ATF fluid change etc and hopefully evidence that the previous owner could afford to keep it in the manner it deserved.

 

[grober]

Any car that has an engine capable of producing high torque like a tuned V8 is likely to test the drivetrain and automatic gearbox components more than most. If properly maintained and driven sympathetically it will be fine but the potential for "transmission abuse" is higher in these models so I would giving this area a close scrutiny. Brakes are another obvious area of concern and AMG bits can be quite expensive in comparison to other MB models.

 

[st4]

However, the engine in such a car will not have been as fully loaded as a lot of cars. The engine will outlive the car.

 

[Darby]

Thanks for the great advice - i shall continue looking !!



Dean.

 

[Londonscottish]

Dampers and bushes could be up for a refresh - less so on motorway cars but worth factoring in. The dampers on my last C43 were pretty shot at 80k.