Anyone own/have owned a 96-02 Mercedes E-class?
 

as title stated, i'm interested in one at the moment, specifically a 98 E430, anyone have any experiences with them? I've read reviews and stuff, all praise it (doesnt help, i find negative reviews to be more helpful), but i looking for specifics like:

- insurance
- maintenance cost/reliability
- gas mileage

and anything else that pops out that might be a deal breaker

thanks!

(searched, couldnt find anything)

I'm sure there are tons of mercedes forums with all these answers and more...
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insurance:

i am not sure, you should call an autoplan and ask them what would be the price for a 98 E430 specifically.

maintenance/reliability:

decently reliable, but expensive to maintain. I Believe the cylinder heads are dual plug, so on the 8 cylinder you will have 16 spark plugs to replace when its time. Anything at the dealer will cost a lot, so i would advise to find a good indy shop (I can recommend a good one if you like). After 120,000kms, expect to do the typical european car stuff like control arms, balljoints, radiator, waterpump, etc. I think the mercedes V8's had some sort of transmission flaw. Not sure specifically, maybe search it up.

gas mileage:

not the greatest. V6 or V8, they are not fuel saver cars, and they are quite heavy. I would have to make an estimate of about 14-15L/100km for the city, and 9-10L/100km for the highway.

good luck on your search!