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Gianclaudio
I owned a W210 E320 for 14.5 years. Purchased brand new in 1998. Traded her in last November 2012.
Here's some of the good and bad. Hope this helps in your decision.
Good:
If you know a very good mechanic and you absolutely must have this car, then by all means get it.
Properly maintained, you will have a long lasting car that will probably hit 1 million kilometers and reliably start every day and take you wherever you go.
It has a very comfortable ride, very smooth, almost gives you a wafting feeling like you are on a much much more expensive vehicle (newer E-Classes are not as smooth even with similar tires).
For best ride comfort, make sure you have Michelins. The wheels in the pic look like the standard R16s so you are OK there. The sport model that came with 17s already had a tougher ride.
Feels like a vault. Feels heavy and every sense will tell you, you are in a tank.
It will most likely keep you out of trouble on slippery roads. Even if the system included is the precursor of the ESP, the ASR works just as advertised. It will add/remove power from each wheel independently and as needed and will save you from, i.e. (this from my own experience): a tire exploding while going at 80 mph in a highway, during rain, car began applying power and breaks to each wheel to slow down the rocket, warning lights flashing all over, keeping the car in control until able to pull to the side and call for help. With other cars from the 90s and many current vehicles without a proper system like this, you would most likely end up upside down, in the ditch, and hopefully unhurt.
Bad:
This car design will give you tons of unpleasant cross-winds shaking while driving at high speeds during windy weather. This is a design flaw in all W210s, not sure how that translates to the station wagon version though.
The V6 engine in the 320s have a slight hesitation when stepping on the gas pedal, even if the engine is already running hot. This can be a nuisance whenever you need the car during overtake. The torque is there, you just need to allow it to 'wake up' and respond.. but this is also not an issue actually, it is, to put it simply, a recurring Mercedes theme..
Also, get ready for multiple ongoing issues, some can be serious, some just minor nuisances, for example:
Leaks.
Transmission fluid leaks, fuel pump, brakes.
Air conditioning issues, leaks, fan, condenser replacement.
Window regulators, get ready to replace them (and they are not cheap).
Window regulators, did I mention these? Damn window regulators!
Sunroof mechanism may also stop working and will probably require motor replacement.
Sensor gnomes inhabit this car and love to give you false positive warnings at random.
Lights burn often and/or need to be re-adjusted since the car gnomes also love to jiggle them and give you faulty contacts.
Cup holder mechanism built in center compartment, although ingenious design, it may get stuck and/or break if you don't know how to properly eject it and/or fold it and place it back in the receptacle.
Never try to trickle charge the car battery while connected to the car. It will short the car's electric circuit. It clearly warns it in the manual. You must disconnect the battery from the car in order to re-charge it. this is the way for most, if not all Mercedes-Benz built during the 90s and early 2000s.
