Howdy guys..would someone tell me the difference in performance between a 400E and E420..i am in the market for either one but really not sure what the difference is or which is the better model.. my price range is around 10k..i have seen several very clean low mileage cars for under 10k..wonder if i should be watching for the right things..thanks for the help..

1. 1992-1993 400E's have the same 4.2 liter engine as 1994-1995 E420's.

2. 1994-1995 E420's have the exterior updates: facelifted hood / grill / headlights / front corners / tail lights / painted bumper impact strip.

3. 1992 400E's produce slightly more horsepower. M.B.DOC has posted that 1992 was the last year for WOT (wide open throttle enrichment), which decreased horsepower by 5-6% on the same cars in 1993 & later. Emissions & CAFE (fuel efficiency standards) were the factors in that change.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

with that in mind..i might go back and look at a very nice 92 400...has 66k miles and is blk/blk...18" whls...i cant find a mark on the car..clean title and only one owner..they want $10,000 for it....might just be the ticket...thanks again

'92 400E's have 268hp.
'93-95 have 275hp.

Whether anyone can feel this 7hp is probably debatable. Or maybe I am just bitter. I usually don't care about hp numbers, but its in my O.M.

I think suginami is thinking of 5.0 cars.

Mike

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'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Check the repair history. Engine wiring harness issues. About $1200 repair if I remember.

Craig

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1994 E420, Pearl Black/Black. 2.82 rear diff., AMG front spoiler, painted lower half. SOLD

1972 & 1974 BMW 2002tii's.

i really dont think the extra hp will be missed or noticed then...but any of the newer models will be a step up in performance from my 87 420 SEL it looks like...i will lookat the wiring issue on this 92 i have my eye on .thanks

What about the next gen E420 (96-97?)? I don't know if nice ones are down to $10K, though.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

I wouldnt panic about the wiring harness. The actual price of the harness for a 92 400E is about $370 (at discount). I know I just replaced mine. It is also a very easy DIY replacement takes a couple hours if you are slow and start cleaning things as you go. If places are charging $1200 they are making a huge mark up.

I'd volunteer to replace harnesses all day for $600 ea including parts.

With low milage it may not need it yet but it will. If the previous owner hasnt had it changed you could bargan the cost of a harness.

Good luck
Paul

Sure the part is cheap but if something weren't hooked up properly and you BBQ'd your car, that would be a drag. With a dealer install, there's a warranty if something doesn't work right.

The MB dealer did mine before I bought the car. I don't know if it's so much a mileage thing or a time thing. My car did have 24K more than the car he's looking at, but was also 2 years newer.

Craig

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1994 E420, Pearl Black/Black. 2.82 rear diff., AMG front spoiler, painted lower half. SOLD

1972 & 1974 BMW 2002tii's.

OK if you have no idea how to plug a cable in then by all means go to the dealer. I have a hard time with an $800 labor bill to plug in connectors. Use the same procedure as outlined in the DIY section (lay the new harness over the old). Here is the summary of how many connectors there are;

Two connectors where the battery would normally be (one big rectangular one with a release lever, and one round)

8 fuel injector connectors - 4 on each side of the engine

One round 5 pin connector that goes to the airflow sensor (hot wire sensor it has a rotating lock)

Two connectors plug in near the distributors (one each side)

one connector on the right cam housing (cam position)

three temp connectors right at the front of the engine (one one pin, one two pin, and one 4 pin)

of course your supposed to unplug your battery befor you do this, and remove the air filter housing.

I think the risk of a BBQ is greater from not changing the harness at all. I have the 5 pin connector right next to me. You should see the condition of the wires! Every one of them has cracks that run the complete length of the wire plus craking around the dia. the gaps at the cracks are about .020" and there are chunks of insulation comming off. Its a wonder it was only going into limp home mode occasionally.

Paul

How much is the labor rate at your dealer?? $800 labor @ 2 hours is $400 per hour.

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1994 E420, Pearl Black/Black. 2.82 rear diff., AMG front spoiler, painted lower half. SOLD

1972 & 1974 BMW 2002tii's.

Hi Craig,

Labor rates around here are in the range of $90/hr last I checked (I do virtually everything myself).

You stated that it was a $1200 job (granted, from memory). Dealer list on the harness is about $440 although one dealer told me $470 so I subtracted 400 from your 1200 which gives $800.

Hey I was only trying to make sure the original poster didnt get scared off by the harness. I believe you have disassembled your instrument cluster to paint the gage needles. If you are comfortable with that swapping a wiring harness is a piece of cake.

Paul
1992 400E (not on the road yet)
1984 300SD 317,000mi and still going
1986 Porsche 951
1972 Land Rover 88
1972 Saab Sonett (for sale)

I agree that most jobs on MB's are really straight forward.....but for me, the "E" is pretty much off limits. On the 300CD I'll try anything. I guess the "E" is just to nice to tinker with, besides, nothing has gone wrong, knock on wood. I need to update my sig picture because the car doesn't look like that anymore.

I just looked at my receipts from when I bought my "E" and I stand corrected. The cost for my harness was $285.60 plus $170 for labor for a total of $455.60, 2.5 years ago.

Sorry about that....I don't know where I got the $1200 amount. I'd swear someone said that's what it cost and I never checked my receipt. Oh well, the MB dealer paid for it anyway when they got it ready to sell. The harness was only a small part of the $3000 bill the dealer picked up

Sorry again, I don't like to spread misinformation.

With that , see if the owner has all the receipts. In my book a higher mileage car with documentation is worth more than a low mileage car without. Also, copy the VIN and take it to the dealer and ask for a VMI. It'll give you an idea of what's been done to the car at any MB dealership.

Lastly, look for a car that you want and don't settle. I wanted a '94 because I prefer the updated look. I wanted the Pearl Black/Black leather. There are a lot of 400E/E420's out there and the exact one you want is out there for sale.

Good Luck,

Craig

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1994 E420, Pearl Black/Black. 2.82 rear diff., AMG front spoiler, painted lower half. SOLD

1972 & 1974 BMW 2002tii's.