2006 E320 Cdi, Exc. Condition, New Michelins, Very Well Maintained, Hwy Miles. on 2040-cars

 Hello.... this is my personal vehicle... I bought it in July 2013, when it had only ~43,000 miles.  I'm in sales, my territory is the eastern United States, and my office is 110 miles from my home.  98% of the time this car has been moving has been highway miles, and with only me in the car.  I have another vehicle that I used for more around town driving, and dirty stuff/trips to the hardware store, etc.  I'm a "car guy" and I know how to maintain/drive cars to enable longevity.  It had two owners (one family) before me.  The first guy was an elderly person, and once he couldn't drive anymore, one of his family members took over the car for a while, then traded it in for something different.  I purchased this car from a boutique vintage Mercedes dealer who was in his 70's, and had been in the Mercedes business for his whole life. It looked like new when I bought it, and it still looks the same.  The car sounds, feels, runs, like new, and has zero rattles or shakes.  The week that I bought the car, I put model specific rubber Mercedes Benz floor mats in it, and stored the original carpet ones in a plastic bag inside of my house.  I brought them out and placed them on the driveway just for a photograph. 

I have performed most of the service on the car myself.  Oil, fuel filter, brakes, serpentine belt, air filter, all performed on or before the recommended service interval.  I have receipts for most of those purchases, and since I did them myself, they will not show up on a "vehicle history report".  I took it to the dealer one time at 58,500 miles for an alignment and to repair a hesitation.  They couldn't repair the hesitation (told me that it would have to get worse before the could troubleshoot... I'm a bit of a car hypochondriac!).  I figured out through research on Mercedes forums that it was due to a dirty EGR valve, and after cleaning/lubricating, it ran perfectly again.  That is actually a sign that the car had not been run hard enough... probably from the  elderly previous owner.  I make sure I put it through its paces occasionally, especially after long interstate trips. 

Most recent services:
#2 glow plug - 79,000 miles
Fuel Filter(Mahle) - 80,000 miles
Air Filter(Mann) 80,000 miles
Oil change (Mobil 1 synthetic 229.51 and MANN filter) ~88,000 miles
Serpentine Belt (Contitech) - 80,000 miles
Front brake pads (Akebono) and Rotors (Bosch) - 95,000 miles
Michelin P225/55R16 Pilot MXM4 - 88,300, with some kind of national roadside assistance program
The transmission sensor fittings are notorious for leaking on these, I replaced mine with an OEM part at ~55,000 miles.

I always dropped the plastic shield and drained the crankcase for oil changes.  The bottom of the engine and transmission are pristine and bone dry.  I don't tighten things without a torque wrench, and all service is by the book.  I will include oil for the next oil change(I purchased it in cases of 12), but since the interval is 9,000-13,000, there's no reason to change it prematurely.  Transmission service is due at 100,000 miles... it's just a filter/re-fill, NO flush.  Should be able to have it down for a minimal amount. 

Condition:

The paint is slick and almost like new.  The molding looks like it could have very very minimal oxidation/rain spots, and I have not tried to polish.  It has been garaged(when it wasn't moving) when I had it, and it appears to have been garaged most of its life.   The upholstery, carpet, and dash are almost like new.  You can see very slight "puddling" of the leather on the driver's seat and the armrest, because that's where my boney elbow and butt are constantly in contact.  I don't drag myself out of a car... there are no rub marks on the seat at all.  Back seat and passenger areas all look basically untouched. I hand wash this car every week or so, and do a thorough job every time.  The pre-photography wash for this ad was only slightly more thorough than usual.  The car smells perfect, no smoking or weirdness.  

Negative stuff:

The previous owner backed into something, and you can sort of make out 2 scratches that look like they came from license plate bolts, and a black mark.  Hopefully you can see it in the picture, it is very slight.  (photo with hand)
A couple of rock chips on front.... extremely slight, and not picture worthy.
The plastic rocker has a very small crack below the front of the driver's door.  I think it may have been there when I bought it, I just noticed one day when I was washing.  It hasn't grown. (photo)
One wheel has mark from what I guess is a balancing machine.(photo)
One wheel has a mark from where I ran into a concrete curb at a slow speed in a parking lot.(photo)
The carfax will show one minor accident that occurred in September 2011.  It states that it is minor.... and I obtained a copy of the accident report.  It was during a traffic jam, and a semi-truck back into the front of the car.  No airbags were deployed, but I'm pretty sure both front fenders and the hood were replaced.  It was obviously not at high speed, and it did not harm the inner fenders, etc.  

I've listed/bought a few cars on eBay, I disclose EVERYTHING, and I never have any type of "please review pictures for condition"/seek and find garbage. 

Summary:

This is the last year of the cast iron block inline 6 cylinder.  It has NO DPF, and does not need the blue exhaust fluid/stuff.  That makes this car more desirable than the 2007's and newer and it should last longer.  That information has been validated by a few people who I've talked to.... the dealership, an independent Mercedes mechanic, etc.  It's somewhat of a "demand" vehicle, and from what I've seen, the prices range from low teens to over $20,000 for the same car.  It has 368 ft/lbs of torque!  It's a fun/easy car to drive.... simply touch the accelerator just a little, and you can feel the acceleration as the back of the seat pushes you.  The car almost never downshifts, and it has a claimed 38 mpg.  I get 37 on the open road, and I don't baby it.  It has the 5speed auto, which is known to be semi-bullet proof... unlike the 7-speed that came out in the 2007 and newer.

Below is stuff that is the same on all of them, and you can "google" to find out:

6 disc cd changer
Dual power/heated seats
GPS
Usual power stuff
Sunroof that opens, tilts, has shade
Keyless entry
RWD
201 HP
368 ft/lbs torque at 1800 rpm's
It does have some funky gadget stuff like all of the windows/sunroof will roll down with the key, window shade in the a back, etc.

My original plan was to drive, then hand it off to my son after he's had his license for a while.  I've discovered that I need something a little bigger for hauling work stuff, and I'd rather have something that can occasionally pull a trailer.  Plus, my son has yet to point out a pewter colored sedan on the road that he is excited about driving.

There is a lien, and I've talked to my bank about the logistics of the sale.  The check will go to them, and the title will be dispersed to the buyer.  You can contact them if you want, I'll give you the account # via message. There will be a bill of sale for the vehicle transaction.  I think a third party/bank being involved is actually a little "safer" than you just sending the money to some guy in North Carolina.  It shouldn't be an awkward transaction, and I'll do my best to make it go smoothly.  I owe around "clean trade in" which is ~$15,500... and that is close to what the reserve is. 

The Charlotte airport is the closest one to me, and I will meet the buyer at the airport if they want to fly in/drive. 

If you want to talk to me, I'll give out my number, but I'd prefer to have all communication via eBay, that way it's documented.

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On Sep-03-14 at 04:18:33 PDT, seller added the following information:

 Revision from original listing.... I didn't think I was going to drive it much this week, but I was wrong.  It will probably have ~97,700 on it by the end of this auction.  I will park it the moment the sale goes through.  Sinc it's closer to the oil change... actually was closer than I thought, I will change the oil before the car goes to its new owner.  Thanks! 

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On Sep-04-14 at 21:38:09 PDT, seller added the following information:

 PLease note!!!  The car now has 97,746 miles.  I did a "down and back" quick work trip to Georgia, and a trip to the office, and that's pretty much how we have rolled for the past year!  I won't drive it much if any before auction end.... and it will be perfectly clean. 
Also.... someone has a keen eye.  In the driver's door panel picture, the door lock knob (on top of the panel) is missing.  I removed it when I started driving the car, since I sometimes put my elbow on top of the door panel, and it was in the way.  It's in the console, and I will re-install it.