I'm trying to track down a 2003 Mercedes Benz E320 wagon with green exterior and tan interior. No, I don't deserve it, but I've been waiting for a W210 wagon for 10 years, so it's time.

Problem is, they're tough to find. I've got eBay Motors e-mailing me whenever it finds one. I also run nationwide searches on Autotrader weekly (I really wish they had an e-mail alert service).

Are there any other popular used car websites which attract established sellers such as dealerships and allow for detailed searches? My (temporary) impulsive impatience thanks you.

carsoup.com
carsdirect.com
cars.com

You would probably have better luck with more flexibility

CarsDirect now has a pretty decent selection of used cars. I don't think I've ever found anything there that wasn't also on Autotrader though.

I found my last car on Autotrader (as well as one other). I think it's a really good site because you can drill-down almost exactly what you want. By the way, my new car will hopefully be getting the empeg treatment this weekend. Details will follow!

Thanks for the tips. I may have to get an older one, but I can't go older than my current car. Thanks again.

I saw some 02s listed but they were not green.

No advice, but that is the best built car on the road IMHO. Nice choice.

Lots of them in silver or black, but get what you want.

The car without the navigation system has a standard DIN stereo. HID headlights were still an option that year (I think), and they are worth holding out for. If you've never driven a car with HID, you'll be amazed.

Good luck!

Jim

You know what? I *do* have some advice.

You want to get in touch with someone called an "Auto Broker". This guy has access to all the wholesale markets, auctions and other industry listings that we don't. For a flat fee, and auto broker will find exactly the car you want, and arrange delivery, etc.

I can get the name of a guy here in Minneapolis for you, but you should be able to find one locally.

Jim

HID's rarely annoy me any more than other cars. Also driving a short car, it's the SUVs with their headlights through my back window that really iritate me. (or the pickup with the two dirt bikes in the back, so the headlights are no longer pointing down going down the freeway 10mph faster than the rest of the heavy traffic)

Real HID systems are electronically leveled - so they don't get out of whack and point upwards into peoples cars. They're also much better to drive with - they don't necessarily cast a brighter light, but it's much more evenly dispursed to give you a much better view of the road.

Matthhew

After hitting a cat thanks to a MB hid car, I started driving around with my high beams on all the time. I've since then upgraded my Volvo with the euro glass headlights (why we americans get the crappy plastic ones is beyond me) and equipping those with 100watt halogens, it's not such a big problem, but I find I still have to flip to high beam just to see what's in front of me when an hid car is about. This is a really stupid situation...

It seems the hid cars splatter light as much as they ever did, just with much brighter sources. MB and Ford seem to be the worst offenders.

Largely, I try not to drive at night any more.

When I was in Russia in 1980, they drove with only marker lights on in the city, and I was amazed at how well I could see. It's too bad we've gone to blinding each other...

I have HIDs in my car and I hate them.

There's no doubt that there's a huge problem with SUVs, headlights being just one of them, and there are a huge number of people out there with simply misaligned headlights. But HIDs are a major player in this, too. I needed my headlights to be neither more white nor more bright. I could see just fine with my old headlights. Now I drive around all the time blinding people because there's no difference in the intensity of dim lights and bright lights, only the direction. And if the road in front of me is lower than the line marked out by the wheels of my car, my dim lights, which are now as bright as the brights, point straight into the car in front of me.

Quote:
Real HID systems are electronically leveled - so they don't get out of whack and point upwards into peoples cars

If, by this, you mean that the headlights won't get out of everyday alignment and work like a searchlight, then yeah. That is an advantage. Not one that couldn't have been put into non-HID lights, though. If you mean that the lights are supposed to remain level, then that's just wrong. If I go up a hill, that would mean that the lights would be pointed way down at the road, and if I go up a hill, it means that the lights would be pointed towards the sky. None of that is helpful.

Add onto all of that that I can't flash my headlights anymore since I've either got to wait a second or so for the lights to move to the bright position, which may or may not seem any brighter to anyone, or I've got to wait for the lights to power up, which also takes a second or so, and I've got a system that is worse in basically all aspects than what we had before. Actually, I suppose that the bulbs will burn out less often, but they cost way more, so you trade inconvenience for expense.

I'll take the "Auto Broker" tip and leave the rest of the thread to the GMC Envoy with 24" spinners.

I've begun asking sellers who maintain an inventory of similar cars if they have access to any green 03's. Maybe they can get one at an auction. Unfortunately, they know they have a buyer, and can easily sell me any dirt they dig up. I'll have to make it work somehow...

I figured I'd check the local craigslist for you, and found this:

http://www.craigslist.org/eby/car/135580909.html

with this

2002 MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS 4D WAGON E320 6G/A 31,008 GRN 753

coming up at an auction. It's a year older, but it's low milage for an '02.

Matthew

Keep my fingers crossed for 6 more days and hope I didn't anger the dealer by overstepping my bounds..........................

The one out here? Or did you find a different one?

Matthew

Flying cross country for a car would have been fun, but I found one locally. I skimped on the test drive and my research (benzworld.org/forums) keep saying all Benz in the last 10 years are crap. So, now I'm nervous I got a bad deal. Maybe I can still back out before I sign the papers this weekend.........