Review of my new E430 vs. my W124 124.032
 

I posted this in another thread, but had intended to start a thread of my own.

I've been planning on writing a post about this very subject. I've had the car for about 3 - 4 weeks now, but haven't put a lot of miles on it, yet, as I fly a lot on my job.

One thing that has been forefront in my thoughts is the quality issue. Everyone talks about the decline in quality with the W210 chassis. We all know that the 210's were the first that Mercedes ever designed to a specific price point, instead of a specific quality level and pricing the car accordingly.

My honest opinion is that the car has as high a level of quality as my W124 300E (3.2) "E320". It feels very different, though.

By different I mean that you can certainly feel the affects of Lexus on the minds of the engineers that desgned the W210 cars. Everything has been softened, damped, and quieted. The braking is more power-assisted. It takes a much lighter touch to stop the car. The accelerator pedal has a lighter spring. The pedal in my W124 car felt overly stiff. The steering is vastly different due to the new rack and pinion in place of the recirculating ball. It feels more like your typical Japanes car. It is also more power-assisted. Again, too much so in my opinion. The interior of the car is quieter. Engine noise and road noise is considerably muffled.

The suspension leaves much to be desired. It wallows like a whale. It is massively under-damped. Going over bumps is like being on a ship in a bad storm. It rocks back and forth so much that it gives me a feeling of seasickness. My W124 with Bilstein HD's was perfect in every respect: firm but not harsh, controlled by not skittish, and rode like a magic carpet on the freeway. Even my wife, she who doesn't even know when she is driving on a flat tire, notices the difference.

Interior-wise, I love the new instrument cluster and center stack housing the radio and HVAC controls. The instrument cluster is modern and very well-lit, and the digital HVAC controls and read-out are very welcome. The push buttons and rotary dial were a relic of the past IMHO, and should've done away with in the mid-seventies. Also, even though the exterior dimensions are with a couple of inches of each other, the back seat space in the W210 is dramatically larger than the W124. I can't describe the difference it is so great. It is like being in an S class car.

Body design is a draw. But if I have to choose one over the other, I'd choose the W124. I like the front-end / hood design of the W210 better, but overall, I prefer the classic lines of the W124. It is holding up well with time like all Mercedes. Time will tell how the W210 looks 10 + years from now.

To summarize, I guess I prefer the W210 over the W124 in many ways, but not all. While I still believe it is a high quality car like the W124, I believe Mercedes has taken a lot of the Mercedes out of the car. It has lost some of its "DNA". The 124's, like 126's, feel unique. There is nothing else that handles and feels quite the same. W210's, on the other hand, feel much like any other luxury car. In fact, one could say the Mercedes has "Lexified" the car.

Thanks for that write up.

I really appreciate your effort to enlighten those of us who have no exposure to the 129, or any newer Mercedes, as a driver, as to the differences between the it and the 124.
It gives me a sense of satisfaction to know that my 86 300E has not been left with nothing to offer

I have driven a series of late 70's & early 80's cars as daily drivers. (Toyota Landcruser -for about a month and a half, WV rabbit diesel -for 2 years, a string of bicycles, an 86' Toyota 4Runner, an 84 Toyota Cresseda, and finally the 86' 300E [while the wife drove the 96 Cammry Wagon and the 2000 Mazda MPV])

I have always loved something about all my cars... there own unique souls.
In each of them you could feel the make and model... its limitations, its specialty... made it a culture onto itself... something you could fall in love with.

Today’s cars have grown into androgynous children of wind tunnels and fast food cup sizing.

Don't get me wrong they are better at what they do in almost every respect dollar for dollar... depreciation aside... from there predecessors. But you end up with cars that all look alike and thump on your inner ear when you roll down a rear window at highway speed.

I like knowing what I'm driving. I'll put up with no cup-holder and although my engine is not as efficient as a newer car's I like seeing the nicely machined Finnish on the OE parts I have to take off and put on with such frequency.

I quit even thinking about getting a 97 E420 when I heard about the spring perch problem. I had already quit thinking about an E430 when I heard how much the manufacturing cost of the 3 valves had been lowered compared to the 119s. I think the 124 is the end of the road for me - when it's done I'm done.

Paul, Had a 97 E420 for a couple of years but ended up trading it for the SL. I did like the car and the more modern appointments to a degree. Don't think it came close to the 124 in quality and ease of repair though. When I got rid of it for the SL, it was starting to show rust in some hidden places, which disturbed me to no end. My TE has 104K on it now and have not seen a speck of rust on it yet,,,,, and that says a lot for this Pennsylvania climate. The 97 ran great though and I really think it would have cleaned the 400, but we never had a chance to find out. Simpler is better for climate controls as far as I am concerned, as the computerization of these cars is what is getting Mercedes in trouble right now. The front of the 210 was pure sex as far as I was concerned, but the 124's have a timeless styling that is still a head turner if you have a well cared for speciment. Whoever got yours will be very happy I'm sure.

97 E420
 

I own one, and love it. Fast fun and very nice to drive.

Actually, a very long-term member here, JCE, bought it for his son. I let it go for $6,000.00.

Like you, I have read about the spring perch problem. I think it is very, very rare though, and should be easy to fix anyway.

I actually prefer the M119 engine to the newer M112 / M113 3-valve per cylinder engines. Thus, I was initially leaning heavily toward the E420.

What ended up swaying me to buy an E430 was the inability to install the Command navigation in the E420. Steve Krabbenborg, of the MBenzNL.com website, does Command installations all over Europe and the U.S. I e-mailed him and he responded that the Command came out in 2000, but could be retrofitted back to 1998 models. It could not be installed in 1997 models.

He can also retrofit the 2000-2002 revised instrument cluster and steering wheels into 1998-1999 models, but not 1997 models.

Since I planned on doing all of the above if I bough a pre-2000 model, I ruled out the '97 E420.

Yeah, I love the W210 E420's. They are faaaast.

I don't know exactly why....maybe due to the 5 speed transmission, but the W210 E420 seems exponentially faster than a W124 E420. I've driven both, and it doesn't even seem close.

Paul,
Thanks for the write-up. Congtrats as well.

How many miles are on the E430?

What is you opinion of the 4.3 relative to the 3.2?

Thanks,

Geoff

suginami

On the ride issue, don't forget these cars are " ride -tuned ", for North American consumption/roads. ;)
According to Europe, we like to glide over potholes & not spill our drinks while doing so.
Oh,........I see some suspension improvements coming soon. ;)

Hey, I'm with you brother.

Don't get me wrong, I love my W210 and I plan to keep it for a long time. I've already done the Command install, and plan on doing the E55 AMG suspension to alleviate the excessive wallowing. Otherwise, I'll have to pop dramamine on a regular basis.

However, the W124 has much more of the classic Mercedes feel, and I plan to buy one again as a third car.

I'll probably get a W124 coupe or cabriolet, and tool around on the weekend, cruising chicks. Just kidding.... :P (as the wife looks over my shoulder). :eek:

You got that right!

E55 AMG suspension, here I come! :D

I was trying to avoid making the comparison as its just not fair. The V8 is so much faster than a six.

Both engines have a wonderful mechanical engine note. They love to rev.

I find that the 3.2 is more like the M119 4.2 liter engine - they are both slightly "peaky". You can feel that they really come alive higher in the rpm range.

And like the literature tells us, the M112 (or M113, I can't remember) V8 produces more torque lower in the rpm range. It is noticable.

It's no mistake that the W210 E420 goes 0-60 in 6.7 sec. and the E430 goes a half-second quicker to 60 at 6.2 seconds.

.....oh, and the car has about 72,000 miles on it.

"Actually, a very long-term member here, JCE, bought it for his son. I let it go for $6,000.00"

And he is Lovin' it! :D He is likely to turn into an obsessive-compulsive now that he is in the MB fold - reading his owners manual, studying up on waxes, etc. (but there aren't many mods left for him to consider, thanks to Paul ;) ). He had occasionally driven our 98 C230 (Koni sports, 16" wheels, Summer performance tires), and our 87 Sportlined 300E (Yoko ES 100s) before getting Paul's car, and had commented to me about the different feel between them. His comments were similar to Paul's comments above, and he has repeated them since he has been driving a 124 on a daily basis: basically, less convenience and creature comfort in the 124, but more 'soul' and feeling of solid construction.

He even noted the difference in sound between the sound of the hoods closing on the 3 cars. The 87 sounds like a bank vault closing. The C230 sounds solid, but with a bit of Toyota/Honda metalic clang. Paul's car sounds in between the two - closer to the 87 300E, but not quite as solid. Closing the hood on our 88 Acura Legend 5 spd coupe never sounded as solid as it's contemporary, the 300E - and the hood on the Acura had to be open WAY more often than the MBs hood, believe me. :rolleyes2

Paul, thanks for the interesting write-up, and congratulations on your E430! I think the W124 coupe/cabriolet won't disappoint as your 3rd car -- you'll get back the E320 feel, plus a different body style for variety.

I’ve always been a BMW fan, having gone though a bunch of 7 series ranging from 1984-1990...never did reach the E38. The 3.5L inline 6's were nice, and for such a large heavy car, it moved VERY well. The last 7 died in a moderate collision and thus my foray into Benz's. My dad has been driving Benz’s since the early 80's and I never quite liked them. Long story short....I own 2 1994 E420s now. As of yet, nothing major, but that’s much in part due to both the previous owners who loved their cars so much… money was no object and preemptive service was the norm. Wait, I forgot, I did do an evap core in one (which BTW is not a hard thing to do, just a bit time consuming.)

The only thing I don’t like about the W124 E420 is the turbo lag.......well at least that’s what I call it. I have always found the E420 to be slow to react. You step on the gas and it’s like the car has to think about it, or like there a bunch of sandbags in the trunk. Now I’m not trying to make it sound like its taking 15-20 seconds but when I hit the gas it’s because I need/want to be moving NOW, and I don’t get that with the 420. At highway speeds the car responds much better and makes me more comfortable in its abilities.

I don’t know what exactly I need to get what I am looking for, maybe a BMW 540i with the 6 speed manual? I had thought a lot about the 210’s in 430 guise, but you guys make them sound problematic and that’s sort or worrisome.

Excellent compare/contrast of the W210 and the W124. I also recently added a W210 (98 E300D) to the family stable. I agree with pretty much everything you have said in your review. I'll only add one thing....

This weekend I'm driving down to Hilton Head, NC. I will be about a 1500 mile round trip and I could take either the "new" W210 or my "old" 91 300D 2.5 turbo....I'm taking the W124 - it's a better driving car in almost every way.

Paul, You are dead on with your reporting of your results and I totally agree with your assesment of the road feel. About 2 years ago I said that I could almost feel the pebbles in the road with my '94 W124 wagon more than the E300 Turbodiesel I'd bought. There is a disconnect with the w210 but a partnership with the W124 in my opinion. I love both cars but for different reasons.

E420 Turbo Lag
 

I am pretty sure that the E420 / 400E never came with a turbo (at least not from the factory). You are right, they are a lot faster at higher speeds then at lower speeds. I own a 1997 E420 (w210) and have not really had much trouble with it.
With regards to the 540i, you need to be careful and make sure that if you decide to buy the car must have the alusil block. The 540i's came out of the factory with what is called a nikasil block. This block contained a certain mixture of nickel in the alloy that resulted in abnormal wear of the block caused by the high sulphur content in US gas. As a result these cars were given a 100,000 mile warranty from the dealer and many had been replaced. If you are looking a car that has not had the new block put in (93-95 models) then you need to be careful as it is very expensive to do this on your own nickel (pardon the expression). I close friend owns a 6 speed 540i that was recently stolen and recovered. He is hoping that the car will be totalled due to the 2000 mile run that the thief took it on (damaged a lot of small items resulting in a lot of money), if it does get totalled, I would be very interested in the salvage title :-).

Cool . I’ve got a 124 wagon and a 202 sedan, and, while not a totally parallel comparison, your observations between the 124 and 210 are similar to mine between the 124 and 202. Now what about the transmissions… between the 722.4 and 722.6. How do they feel and which do you like better?

I like the .4 for its solidity and, when driven manually, for its silky yet powerful mechanical feel. I hate it for not making more go power and fuel economy from the available power. I like the .6 for its heavenly gated shifter, seductive snick snick between third, fourth, and fifth, ability to make seemingly impossible go power and fuel economy from the available power, and option to blip the computer to perform synchronized manual downshifts. I hate it for its vaguely electronic feel.

With the W210, MB did cut cost in some areas, but most people would NEVER notice some of these things. For instance, the wood on the dash is clipped on instead of fastened with nuts. The door panels use the standard press-on clips and not the hooks, etc, etc.

Many people mention the decline of quality in materials. This may be true to a certain extent, but keep in mind that auto manufacturers are under heavy pressure to make their new(er) cars more recycler/ecologically friendly these days.

hehe, yeah I know that they don’t really have turbos, I as just using that a metaphor as to what it feels like. Actually I'd love to know if forced induction is possible on these engines.

And about that 540, I actually do know what you're talking about. Good info thanks. A lot of people are unaware of that sulfur situation. The 540 I was referring too however was more of a late model....like 98-99.

To me it isn't even close. The 722.6 is a far superior transmission.

which cars whave which?

W124 = 722.4 and W210 722.6?

Yes, the 5 speed in the W210 is the 722.6.

Altbenz,

Yea, the "turbo lag effect" you are talking about is these engines are geared low. You can look at putting the S500 diff swap and the difference would be pretty big.

I want simple, so for now W124. Of course, if I was in the market for a car- you might not be able to find a W124 in nice shape easily.
Comparing V8's to 6's doesn't seem right. W124 400E vs a W210 E430.
Reliability, repairability and rust are the long term owner's concern. I think so far, W124's get the nod.


Michael

My indie mechanic would disagree that the W124 is easier to work on than the W210. He finds the 210 a terrific car to service/repair. Most of the components are easier to access and on the W210 OBD-II cars, diagnosis can be done quickly and effectively. Might be different for DIY, though.

Whoever designed the W210's center console has learned a lot from the W126's. The center console comes out in about 15 minutes with the W210. I prefer the way the W210 feels lighter and is more user friendly around town. I have found them to be just a simple to work on as my SDL.

Again, good writeup. I hate the 4 speed transmission in my E320 wagon. If you FLOOR the pedal, it will wind up in 1st, then go through the gears right. But who floors the pedal all the time? If you start off slow, then some jerk trys to pass you and you want quick power, too bad, the trans is already in second and it won't kick back down again! On the highway, the car feels quick, though not like a V8, I'm sure. Its actually amazing how nice the m104 is, though, when its already going 50mph or so, and just letting it wind...it sounds nice too. Its just that the transmission seems to blunt so much of that power, and its slow to kick down, etc. Love the brakes on the 124. The steering itself is fine, but the handling on the wagon? The w124 doesn't handle poorly, but not that great either! My 1996 Volvo 960 wagon that I sold (with the same 195/65/15 tires) outhandled the Benz wagon BADLY. It wasn't even close how much faster the Volvo could go through a curve. And the Benz has Michelin Pilot Primacy V-rated tires, too, while the Volvo had H-rated MXV4's. Then there is the stiff pedal with the "go" button as I call it under the pedal. When you floor the car it pushes a button which changes the way the transmission shifts!
Styling wise, the 124 is probably more timeless, but the 210 is a gorgeous car in sedan or wagon form. We have some friends with a 2002 E320 4Matic which they bought new, and so far it has been great. The modern conveniences it has (nav, Bose, digital displays, Climate, etc, glass moonroof, etc) make it that much more enjoyable, but the 124 feels so quality on the road. Not one squeak or rattle, everything is secure, tight feeling.
If one thing has deterred us from adding a 210 to the fleet it is the rust issues, and the 3-valve engines which have been said to not be as good for endurance.

2wd vs AWD, 124 vs 210: I vote W210 4matic
 

So Paul, why did you not get the 4matic to grace your E430? I believe the post 1997 design was much improved.
Tell you what: my biggest regret is forgoing the 4matic during my purchase. I was reluctant to fork out $2K plus possibly another $3-4K within 5 years to fix a broken AWD which most AWD experience. This January after 12 in snowfall, I walked 3 blocks home because my rear wheeled w210 could not make it home into my street. Maybe if you live in SoCal, foul weather is not a consideration. But in my book, performance is key. I just thought I ask.

Ok, the rest of the Folks, how come most people (on this forum) believe that the 124/126 was the last of the true blue blood line of the great MB’s. Simply put that all 2xx chassis are all but expensive POS (pardon my french). As a kid, my old man used to say they don’t build them as they used to. I believed. Now that I am a man, I think that was a Myth. The W210 is as good as the W124 if not better. I believe that MB today still makes the best quality car than they have ever done. Ok, Ok, before you take my head off, please go check the statistics. MB quality did not go down, Lexus just raised the ante. Overall, is the W210 is a better car than W124?
I know there are some diehard W124/126 owners out there. Nevertheless, I do not understand why someone will prefer to buy a 15-year-old 1990 W124 to a 4-year-old W210. Other than paying $2K for the car and spend another $4-5K fixing it up, and it will still be a money pit on your hands.
So, for the (shy) 124 owners step out of your comfort zone, try a newer W210. You may like it and keep it for good. I did. So, will Paul. Enjoy

Just about any knowledgeable tech or indy shop owner who has been around for a while, will tell you that the quality, materials, and build on the 124 and 126 are far better than current and recent (210) cars. I have heard this same thing from so many different people, who know far more in-depth about the cars than I do (they repair and maintain them for a living) that I trust what they say, completely. They have no reason to lie.

Cheers,
Gerry

They don't have any reason to lie? One reason is that they make a living from fixing them, and from what one can observe on this board alone, the W124 will need plenty of repairs.

The "slow to respond" kickdown can be "fixed" by permanently closing/shorting the "kickdown" switch at the bottom of the accelerator. You can also swap the transmission's valve body from a C36 for longer "hold" througout the gears.

The problem with the W124 wagon's suspension I believe is in the bushings (same as the sedan), the spring & strut selection, and the swaybars.

Bilstein HD's really improve the "floaty" feel, without IMHO, being too harsh.

I like SportLine springs and a 500E rear swaybar.

The 190E 2.3-16v bushings for the front & rear controls arms are so much better in allowing for road-feel (BMW-like).

My W124 wagon will out-corner a Volvo wagon now.

:-) neil

Let me restate it -- my FRIENDS who are shop owners and technicians at several shops up and down the West Coast have no reason to lie to me.

Cheers,
Gerry

whoa whoa whoa. can I do this to the W124 E420?

Any negative side effects? And how exactly would I go about shorting it out; you mean to literally remove the switch and bridge the connection?

Try putting a set of snow tires on your W210 and you won't have any regrets forgoing the 4matic.

I bought my E320 used from San Diago. The previous owner put a set of high performance Michelins on it. When I drove it back to Chicago and experienced the first snow fall with it, the car would not get from my driveway into my garage. I purchased a set of Michelin Pilot Alpines snow tires and put them on a seperate set of rims so that I can change them out in the summer. I could not believe the difference, in the snow and ice the car handles likes its on dry pavement.

PA2TU,

Several of your points are spot-on, and I agree completely. Even the part where you encourage W124 owners to try something new is good advice. With regards to the 124 being the last "blue blood" platform, I suspect a violent horde of 123 owners would take exception. It's all relative.

What is not subjective is that the Mercedes build quality dropped after the merger, leveled off, and has recently (2002-2003) risen to previous levels. I imagine any rational W124 owner would not blackball every 2xx, just MY97-98 and possibly to MY2000.

Ready for a crash course in business and economics? No-one in Stuttgart has been chasing Lexus around the block with a copy of Consumer Reports in their hand. The quality issues have everything to do with improved margins to substantiate the merger for majority shareholders. There are a limited number of ways to improve margins a few points without affecting quality. You can force a temporary margin increase using cheaper materials, but the bottom will always fall out on any long-term ownership item (like a vehicle).

That is what DCX learned after the early 2xx vehicles had been on the market for a few years, not how to better compete with Lexus.

The margin on any DaimlerBenz vehicle manufactured prior to 1997 was much smaller than an equivalent platform today. Not a coincidence, 1997 was the first year the integration process went from paper to plant. The Germans made two significant changes that led to much higher margins per vehicle: 1) full automation of the stamping and assembly plants, and 2) selection of a lower-cost supply chain.

The former has paid off in spades, the latter had some negative consequence (see the latest mass recall).

I have no regrets spending money on and fixing my W124. Total expenses including purchase are approximately $15k USD during the past two years. It is a somewhat unique vehicle on the road, represents a good example of German engineering, and should last quite some time.

Enjoy the ride, fellow Mercedes owner.
-DM

Paul:

Thanks for the writeup...

...and the rest of you who chimed in...thanks for the insights!

I am struggling with the same decision. Replacing the old W124 with a W210.

I am staring down a list of minor anomalies that would probably run in excess of $3K if I just hand the keys over to my indie. But it's paid for, and I just got comfortable enough to do a lot of the repairs myself...when I can find the time.

Did this ever get answered?
 

Just checking to see if this question ever got answered - I'd be very interested to understand how this was done and what, if any, operational issues there might be with having the kick-down switch shorted permanently.

Thanks,

Rick in Raleigh

yeah I dont know. I didnt get an answer. Maybe a new thread is in order to find out for sure.

Yep, short it permanently. It works on my C36 and 500E tranny.

FWIW, the Porsche 928 w/automatic trannys (Mercedes supplied) have been doing this for years.

I've been doing it for a year, and all is well.

In short, it will "kick-down" sooner rather than waiting for you to depress the accelerator all the way down.

:-) neil

[evil voice]
exceeeeeeeeeeelcellent.....Bwaaaa haaa haaa haaaaa :men_ani:
[/evil voice]

Here's the write-up:

http://members.rennlist.com/v1uhoh/kickdown.htm

:-) neil

Like a number of the posteres here, I've got one each of the W124 and W210. Although this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison as the 124 is the E420 and 210 is an E320. That difference noted, for pure driving pleasure the W124 wins out IMHO.

I agree with the observation that the 210 is more upscale Japanese in mannerisms. Still has a lot of the Teutonic touches (the in-line six is a great engine), but road manner are more sedate. Driving position is higher than the 124 and in takes a couple blocks to get myself in tune with the car when I make the transition. Build quality is good. 55,000 miles m/l and one set of front pads and one engine code issue are all the expenses. Frequent bulb failures are annoying, but they all seem to be different bulbs. ;)

The 124 is just hitting 60K miles. A couple electrical matters last year (starter lock out relay). Replaced front pads only because the original pads generated too much brake dust for me and went with Potterfields. The door panel pocket vinyl was peeling on the top edge (chronic, I understand) and dealer found me 2 new ones. Fantastic improvement. Did rotor, bracket and caps this weekend and having the rear bumper repainted this week. Wheel alignment last week (probably the first since the car rolled off the dealership) was overdue. Road manners and desire to just "go" are unreal. Not as brutally fast as GVZ's E500, but high fun meter quotient.

For those struggling with the decision on what to do with an aging 124, I’d suggest looking around. There are a number of ’94 & ’95 models (320’s and 420’s) out there with mileage in the 50K to 60K. My advise is find the best low mileage one you can, do your due diligence, pay the premium for the best example and drive it for 5-6 more years. This doesn’t solve the “what do I do when the 124’s are gone?” issue, but it does postpone it.

Ciao for now,

I am really happy to hear about the kick-down switch short / close...but still hesitant. They way I understood it, it will only work when you floor it, of course, and it immediately changes gears given low enough RPM's. Are there really no side-effects? Or am I to understand shorting this button out is like having the trans permanently in "sport" mode, a feature my car does not have?
As to finding a low-mileage 124, possibly one with "average" miles is better. A 124 with over 100k miles will have had the headgasket and / or wiring harness jobs done, and if well kept, will run smoothly forever. I bought mine with 30k miles on it almost 2 years ago, but you get slammed with head gasket, ($$$) brakes, window reg, etc. Wiring harness appears ok.

Finally: Brakes! I replaced the front pads only at 40k miles. Car now has 71k miles on it. The front pads are shot again, wear sensor on, and I checked--they're junk. These are OEM pads I got from Mercedes, $70. Do they really only last 30k miles? Brakes are very smooth, silent, and work great. No ABS issues. I'm doing a complete job this time, rotors front, pads front & rear, all MB parts.

4-Matic or not? My E320 is helpless in deeper snow, even with a more aggressive tire on it. Because of the low ground clearance of Mercedes AWD cars and wagons, i would think their usefulness in very deep snow is quite limited. Someone with a Volvo S60 AWD said it was useless in snow over 7" deep. We park the Benz and use the Range Rovers.

Actually 30k miles is really good from a set of MB pads. MB uses very soft pads to give you a nice bite and quite stopping. Textar is MB actually and you can probably get them cheaper online.


I will be happy if I get 20k-25k out of mine and I know of people who only get 10k-15k.

...like ME! 15-17K tops. I think frequency of rotor replacement has much to do with the mileage on the pads.

My W124 just got on the dark side of 150K and still no headgasket issues. Evap replacement, yes! Other usual W124 anomalies have come and gone, but overall, it holds up well under daily use.

Well, I've owned the car for over a month now, and I've put some miles on it in the week since I started this thread.

My opinion of the car has changed a bit. This is partly because I've driven the car much more, but also because my mother bought a brand new 2005 Lexus ES330, and I was able to drive it back-to-back with my E430.

I carefully reviewed my first post, and would like to amend with the following thoughts:

Perhaps I over emphasized the Lexus-ification of the car. The Lexus was quiet, and had good road noise isolation, but I was completely underwhelmed with the car. Frankly, the E430 is equal to if not better than the ES300 in every regard. It was as quiet, and while it was a draw as to which had better road noise isolation, but the Lexus did so at the expense of driver's feel. I believe the Stuttgart engineers hit the nail on the head. I still stand by my statement that a bit of "Mercedes-ness" was engineered out of the car when compared to the W124 car, it still feels like a Mercedes when compared to the Lexus. It frankly makes the Lexus' driving characteristics feel like that of Buick's Dynaride.

I still feel that the E430 is way over damped. I stated that my car wallowed like a whale. Let me be more creative. The ride on the E430 is like a bobblehead doll, that keeps moving up and down, and side to side after it has been shaken. I just can't take it anymore. Starting from today, I am going to investigate different suspension setups: springs, shocks / struts, and swaybar combinations to fix the deplorable ride.

Further, the fit and finish and quality of materials on my 2000 E430 is every bit as nice as my mother's 2005 ES330.

Last, at full throttle, the Lexus V6 made a gargling sound like a garbage disposal. And was sluggish. I can't believe that the engineers of this car paid so little attention to engine noise, harshness and vibration.

My V8 purrs like a kitten, with a sweet swiss-watch-like mechanical symphony.

IMHO, the best compromise is the E55 AMG suspension, or the "SPORT" suspension. If you can ride in an E55 AMG, or a W210 "Sport" so much the better.

Start with the E55 AMG shocks first, then move to the swaybars, and then the springs. Live with each little mod for at least 2-weeks, also do things as a complete set (e.g., ALL shocks; front AND rear swaybar; ALL springs).

You can also do the E55 AMG bushings, but that will really INCREASE the road feel.

:-) neil