Well, after getting your comments on the 1991 300E I had seen a few days ago, and thinking about I decided to pass on it, as it didint look right for some reason....

So, I went yesterday to look at the other make/model candidate I am entertaining and I loved it, 1996 BMW 328i w/76K miles.... Left there thinking "this" is the car.... Then after work stopped at a dealer on the corner of my job who sells MB, Jag, BMW, Lexus.. ... and he had a 1995 black/tan interior 320E..... This thing stood out accross the showroom .

Here is what I found:
-Exterior - immaculate, not a ding, no swirl marks, "looked" like the original paint (ie: no orange peel, overspray, etc.).
-Interior - immaculate is an understatement...not kidding! the wood, the leather, the steering wheel (which I was suspicious on the prior 91 I saw with only 70K miles on the clock). The wood shined like new, seats had no wear... Visually it all looked beatiful.
-Engine compartment - same as above, MB battery (must be good they didn't just drop in a diehard right, hahaha.
-Price - $13.5K

oh.... the catch?...... 1. It had 102K miles, 2. Maintainance log only went up to about 60K miles and no record of wiring harness changed on the M104 nor a/c evaporator changed , so have to assume I will have to do that sooner or later (add another $1500-$2K). 3. I wanted the M103, since it is simpler to work on and seems to be the better/simpler engine of both

It is amazing that this 102K mile car is in sooo much better shape than the 70K mile I went to see! They could've rolled back the miles to read 50K and it would be believable

thoughts? btw, I had planned on doing alot/most of the mechanical work on the car, so that is why I am hesitant also on the M104