1997 Mercedes E320

Oil changes and brakes can be pricey, but it's a good car, with VERY low maintenance.

It's German made so it's a good car regardless of year. Owning a foreign car, it's harder to find parts for it and repairs can become costly.

E model mercs are very nice indeed. the silky smooth 6 cylinder, as long as it's an auto, go forever. The biggest downside(s) Running costs - as long as you don't have a lead foot, it should return a somewhat decent mpg, but don't expect 30-35! Servicing - dealer prices are high! But you have to think of the after market value, should you wish to sell it on. If you've got a full service history, it'll be more promising to other buyers. Auto box - When they work, fantastic. If they go wrong. Oh boy. Get a bank loan. Timing chain - A hefty job, when, and they WILL need replacing, but you'll get a good 100,000 miles or so out of them.

I owned number of Mercd. mostly S class, SL, SLC and Clk for 40 years. Never bought an E class. But I just checked for you in the annual Consumer Report Magazine. Mostly it is a good car with few minor problems unlike 99 Eclass which Consumer Reports recomends to avoid. With 20K miles you would not have to worry about anything. Timing chain will last the life of the car, but if you are unlucky, which could be true with any car, you have to dish out a couple of thousand dollars Just use synthetic oil. You will enjoy it for a long time. Oh, I sold my S-class after 178K miles.

Oh,back again Now I drive a CLK cabriolet with 20K miles,Sits in the garage most of the time looking pretty!

What ever you do not (DO NOT) base any purchasing decision on consumer reports. They tend to be a reverse indicator.