Value of 93 400E ?

[Ether]

I'm looking at a 93 400E.
Haven't seen it in person yet, only pictures. It appears to be in excellent condition with 187k miles. Owner is asking $11,500. Is this a reasonable asking price assuming the car is in the excellent condition it appears to be?
Is this era of MB gas engine noted for high mileage? As you can see from my signature I'm not necessarily afraid of a vehicle with some miles on it.
I realize this is scant info but I was just wondering if anyone had an opinion on this car.

Thanks,
Joe

[chowpit]

That is a bunch of miles. Take a look at it. The worst that could happen is that you don't like it.
Have it inspected thoroughly by a reputable MB mechanic.
My wife drives a 93 300E with 107k on the odo and its worth about $2k more than the 400E you're looking at.
HTH

[Mr. BILL]

KBB says that car whth those miles has a $6570.00 trade in value and a $9800 private owner value. That should give you an idea. A 400E is an awsome car. All Mercedes if properly maintained, will go a bunch of miles, with the possible exceptiion of the 350 SDL engine.

[mossimmo]

I'm just about to purchase a 92 400e w/ 165K on the clock, how long do these engines/trannys last? Is that too many miles, the car is cheap at only $6500, is it worth it, decent service history.

Thanks!!

[Lebenz]

Unless you are lucky, you will get about what you pay for; probably a little less. The pre-purchase inspection and service histories are all important. At that mileage most or all of the suspension will likely have been changed or need changing. The cat and exhaust system should be inspected. A valve cover should be lifted to see if there is sludge build up. The timing chain and rails should have been swapped out. The tyranny should be inspected. A close inspection for rust and accidents should also be made. Hopefully the car will have been mostly used for hiway trips. If you find a 400e that is fully restored and in really good condition, you can expect to pay a lot more than KBB or NADA values. Otherwise KBB and NADA guidelines will be.....good guidelines.

All that said, the 400e is a very nice example of MB craftsmanship. It is a pleasure to drive and made for about 20 years of service life, or so I hope!

[jsmith]

my mechanic also warned me that repairs on the 400E are generally more expensive just because the more complex engine / layout makes it more difficult to work on. i have heard that echoed on the tech forums as well. i still covet a 400e/e420 but you should take that into account...

[dieseldude]

I forget the gentleman's name, but a fellow here had 3 different 400E/E420's over the years and was a travelling salesman. The fewest miles he put on one example was 275k. The other 2 topped 300k, and even sold one to a friend :O.

This was just another data point that conviced me of the M119 (and W124 chassis for that matter) longeval qualities . You'll have to pry the steering wheel from my cold, dead hands to ge ahold of mine.

I payed $21k but that was for a previously Starmarked car with very low miles - I've seen beaters go for half that. Tracy offers some sage advice. Could be it needs a ton of stuff, it's just had a ton of stuff done (and will be trouble-free for some time), or somewhere in between. Those 'inbetween' things can add up though: timing chain/valve work, evap core, etc....get it thoroughly inspected.

Regards,
- Ryan