1995 E300 Special Edition - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

snp8990 · #1 04-29-2006, 07:07 PM

Hi,
I am planning on buying a 1995 E300 Special Edition (Real Spec.Ed).The car 118,000 miles,but is in outstanding condition.It has leather,not MB-Tex.The one thing that caught my eye was the color.It is Sapphire Black Metallic over Black leather.The color is close to Black Opal.My brother owned a 1995 E300 Special Edition for about 6 months,so we did not really experience any major problems.I prefer the W124 over the W210 and if this car is anything like my 1999 E300 TD was,its great.I would appreciate it if you guys can just give me all information (good and bad)on the car.Thanks,
-Nilesh

thelazzarusman · #2 04-30-2006, 12:38 AM

After a thorough inspection, of course. You'll love the car. I bought mine at the same mileage and had it for two years before selling it to upgrade to a larger vehicle. While I owned the 95 e300d, I had to replace the plastic fuel lines at the injection pump the tend to brown and brittle with age. I also replaced the engine mounts, transmission mounts, and water pump. Cosmetically, I chose to redye the leather seats because mine had begun to wear, and I replaced the headliner because it was sagging. The dying and headliner were DIY jobs, as well as the plastic fuel lines.

The car got incredible mileage, exhibited suprising agility and sportiness for a non-turbo, and had an easily-disabled EGR valve... Do watch out for evaporator issues with the A/C. My 95 had its entire HVAC system overhauled five years after it was sold as new, so I was lucky. I've also heard people complaining about "tired" front suspension after 100,000 miles in climates that require rock salt on the roads in winter. Remember you can write MB customer service with a copy of your registration (after you buy it) and request a service history of the vehicle while it was under warranty.

Personally, I should have kept the e300d. It was the last year of the 124 chassis and perhaps the most refined--classic lines with modern appointments. Too bad for my pesky Mom complaining about its small back seat! Live and learn.

Best,

DL

uberwgn · #3 04-30-2006, 07:47 AM

I had a 1995 diesel. It was exceptionally smooth and quiet. However, sans turbo, I found the lack of power on the highway to be a real shortcoming unless the car was revved to 5k rpm.

I kept the car for 25k miles and sold it for a few thousand less than what I paid.

POS · #4 04-30-2006, 08:01 AM

I've had mine now for about six months - great commuter. Besides fluid changes and a new door latch, I've put almost no money into it.

Mine was like yours - 110k miles when I got it, one owner, excellent history, looked almost new. My seats are the MB Tex (which I prefer) and after putting 14k miles on it in the past six months, I can tell you that I absolutely love it.

bfisher · #5 04-30-2006, 11:37 AM

I have a 95 E300D, bought it new in 95 and have logged almost 218,000. Best car I ever bought... period.

The diesel is quiet (inside), handles well, rides very good. Power is adequate... keeps up with most things on the road. Mileage is very good (28 worst (peak summer AC), 32-33 is average rest of year). Big tank so I go 600-700 miles between fill-ups.

I've had some expenses with the car - rear shocks, power steering pump, motor mounts, etc. Nothing too serious considering the mileage...

Hatterasguy · #6 04-30-2006, 05:11 PM

They are great cars. Really the only downside if you consider it a downside because I don't is they lack a turbo. So power is a bit down, ie if you are coming from a 98-99 E300D you will notice.

Other then that its a great engine in a great car, how can you go wrong?

pawoSD · #7 04-30-2006, 07:41 PM

In theory doesn't the engine last longer w/out a turbo too? Less heat/stress on the engine? Seems like the 240d's and 300d N/A's all go longer between rebuilds than the turbo engines.....then again the 603SDL's seem to go 400k often without one....

so who knows.

I'd love to have a 1995 E300, that'd be awesome. However, lack of $$.

Hatterasguy · #8 04-30-2006, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

In theory doesn't the engine last longer w/out a turbo too? Less heat/stress on the engine? Seems like the 240d's and 300d N/A's all go longer between rebuilds than the turbo engines.....then again the 603SDL's seem to go 400k often without one....

so who knows.

I'd love to have a 1995 E300, that'd be awesome. However, lack of $$.

In theory yes, in practice no. In regard to MB's they overbuilt the turbo engines so much the lifespan is the same if not greater then the NA engines. Now if you want to make a case that turbo charged engines don't last as long, say with CAT 3208's well you could, but thats a different animal.

The 606 is probably the most durable MB diesel around. I have personaly seen two examples with north of 300k on them that still burned zero oil, and had zero blow by. The 606 may actualy be the engine that proves those 500k mile claims true...

speedy300Dturbo · #9 04-30-2006, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

The 606 may actualy be the engine that proves those 500k mile claims true...

Yeah, the 617 is undoubtedly an extremely durable motor, but the bodies that these motors reside in usually rust away before the cars hit 500K miles. The later cars (with the exception of the 210) have better rustproofing.

RunningTooHot · #10 05-02-2006, 11:14 AM

An emphatic thumbs up for this car; I second everything positive already mentioned above.

Speaking of longevity, mine is going to turn over 364,000 miles this week. It’s the original engine, with a new headgasket at about 330,000. Burns ZERO oil. Mileage is less than what others report (~27-28) but I flog it unrelentingly. Mileage could be related to the fact that the injectors are also original. (!)

chuck95e300d · #11 05-02-2006, 11:23 AM

I now have 168K on my car. Bought it with 86K on the clock. As with any used car, check the wear items like brakes, shocks, tires, etc. If the car needs those items right away you could end up spending more than you anticipated. Condition of the suspension is important as well, control arm bushings and rear suspension links wear out over time. You might try to search the board with "E300d" to find out more about these cars.

I consistently get 32mpg and 37mph on long highway trips. Good mileage + big fuel tank provides 600-700 mile range per tank which is great. Although I wish the car had a bit more power for acceleration, it runs well at 70-80mph and has good power at that speed/rpms.

Chris W. · #12 05-02-2006, 01:03 PM

Bought with 140K two years ago. Just rebuilt front end, and put new shocks/struts all around. Plastic fuel lines are the biggest nag with this car, but fortunately relatively easy to replace.

Drive on....

Rgds,
Chris W.
'95 E300D

lorenztl · #13 05-03-2006, 09:07 PM

Owned our 1995 E300D nearly two years and impressed with it's reliability and mileage. Our trip out from Iowa to Colorado, Utah and Arizona with 3 adults net us 30.25mpg. Much of the trips speed was 75-80mph with extensive miles at 110-120mph which it maintains with surprising ease. E300D has 187,000mi.
Around town average is 27-29 mpg. Being thoughtful about how I drive I can easily maintain 30mpg. Trips out of town at 65-70mph the E300D returns 35-36mpg!! Seats are very comfortable.

The climate controls on this car are very poorly designed with electronics interpreting a comfortable temperature and having to manually manipulate it regularly to make it comfortable. Miserable fan has only 2 controllable speeds, Hi & Lo, Auto determines speed for you. When there is wider temperature variation fan will run full blast and it is very annoying so I end up setting it to low fan speed to keep my eyes from drying out the the noise level down. Because of this I wouldn't own this car just because of the climate control if it wasn't a diesel....sad.

I've replaced the blower fan under the uni-wiper behind the engine firewall. Two on either side of the car make this job much quicker and easier. While working on this we removed the cover from the wiper pivot and regreased it as the original grease was drying and become "cakey"
It starts amazingly well in cold weather with no need to plug it in. One nite when I did not have appointment and was at -16 below zero left it outside without plugging it in to see how it would start in morning. My sons gas Jetta was also outside and it would not start without a jump. I turned key standing outside E300D with door open and after pre-glow I turned the key and it started right up to smooth idle!!! I was really surprised and impressed and so was my son. I have never worried about cold weather since!

An acquantance with the same car rebuilt his motor at 395,000 miles because of lowered compression. -Tom