When I purchased my 1995 E320, almost 8 years ago, it was considered to be the best used car value for more expensive premium automobiles. Within a year or 2 of my purchase, the newer version of the 5 Series BMW became the best-rated used car value in the premium used car market. I don’t know all of the model numbers and dates for the changes in the BMWs, but at some point the BMW solved many of their issues with reliability and thus the 5 series became a preferred purchase. I love my 1995 E320, but I think the 1997 5 Series might be as good or even better as a used car value. My w124 does have a more unique appearance, since there are just so many 5 Series BMWs that look so much alike. In my neighborhood, you don’t see as many nice W124s these days.

I just can’t get excited about the Lexus LS. They may be great cars, but somehow I just don’t feel any excitement about them. I feel about the same way about the W210 E-Class. I just never fell in love with them. I love the looks of the new W211, but the W210s just don’t do it for me.

As for the 7-Series BMW, I have to say that the short wheelbase version of the car is one of the few vehicles that makes me feel like I would be willing to trade for my E320. I think the long wheelbase ruins the sporty look and feel of the 7 Series, however, so I would only consider the shorter version. I have a feeling that the maintenance might be an issue, but I think the 740i is definitely one of the finest looking cars on the road today.

I love my E320, but a 740i is VERY NICE

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I just couldn't give up on my 1995 E320.

I think it might be like always going back to that same bad relationship with an ex girlfriend.
You feel you love them too much, or you are just too stupid to know any better.



Flickr slideshow of my 1995 E320
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24145497@N06/sets/72157616572140057/

I love your E320 too . There are no W124s in my area at all other than my cars. I like that fact too and I always loved the W124 since the first day it came. I'm just wondering if it may be time to move on to something else since I already have 2 W124 coupes.

It's not supposed to be an exciting car in the first place..but it's supposed to be super reliable and offers loads of technology and creature comforts. Its got the big booty like Jay-Lo but missing the wild/fun side of Angelina Jolie


I never fell in love with them either. I figured if they prove to be amongst the most relaible, than I could settle for that option. No disrespect to all you W210 owners.


I just love the looks of the BMW 7 and I find it hard to resist and I may end up with one for that reason. I'm supposed to think of reliability before style, but it's so tempting! My number one concern is safety and that's why I like these big cars. Take a look at the movies on this link. You can control them to see the accidents in slow motion.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9706/18/luxury.cars/

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1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz

IMO The 7 is nicer inside and out than the 5 if you can afford to buy/run it..

Objectively, they are all newer/more advanced/plain better than a W124 based vehicle.

However, none of them are a really special car. None of them are a modern day classic like the W124. So many people have a story to tell about a W123 or 124 Mercedes they owned once, and appreciate it for being one of the last really great Mercedes, that it would be nice to own and drive one of the best of them while they're still relatively modern, before the newer disposable Mercedes become your only choice!


So if you want a great car on your driveway that is capable of filling you with emotion, and makes you want to polish it often, a well equipped W124 is lovely. However, if you want the best car to drive around like everyone else does, the 7 series is tasty.


Russ

__________________
190E's:
2.5-16v 1990 90,000m Astral Silver
2.0E 8v 1986 107,000m Black 2nd owner
http://www.maylane.demon.co.uk/190esmall.jpghttp://www.maylane.demon.co.uk/190esmall2.jpg

1. Thank you lino.

2. I think you definitely have the W124 covered, since you already have 2. Nobody can say you don’t appreciate the W124!

3. If it isn’t exciting, I definitely don’t want it.

4. I think the sportier short (regular) wheelbase 7 Series BMW is definitely a “SPECIAL” automobile. It seems to have a little more road presence than a W124 and I think it smokes the S-Class, because of the sportier look and feel. I think always being broken and costing tons of money to fix would be the only things that could tarnish the awesome 740i

You are a lucky guy to be able to have 2 W124s and consider buying a 7 Series.

__________________
I just couldn't give up on my 1995 E320.

I think it might be like always going back to that same bad relationship with an ex girlfriend.
You feel you love them too much, or you are just too stupid to know any better.



Flickr slideshow of my 1995 E320
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24145497@N06/sets/72157616572140057/

I appreciate your comments and your point of view. If you were to choose a W124 which model and year would be on your list. The 500e, E500, E60, Hammer and such not included

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1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz

I ended up losing my W201 which cost me more than the 2 W124 cars put together after all the money I dumped into repairs and my W124s weren't cheap either. That was a very painful experience both financially and emotionally. My 1989 300ce is my summer car driven up to 6 months a year. My 1992 is in storage and has only 60,000 miles on it. I always thought owning 2 cars are better than one , especially when it comes to Mercedes coupes. I will bring that one out either this summer or next as daily driver to join my 1989 depending on the financial situation. Keep in mind that I'm putting a new tranny in the 1989 right now and have to buy the new daily driver. Maintenance and insurance and fuel is not cheap when you have a few cars! I also have a BMW ///M special old school racer/sleeper that I have only driven maybe 10 miles at most in the 3 years that I've had it. That's my baby! Now, my daily driver needs to be replaced due to the fact that it was involved in 2 major collisions within 5 days of each other. Both accidents were proven to be not my fault by the insuarnce companies involved, but they do want to right the car off and offered an insultingly low write-off offer $. I hate the insuarnce for what they are doing to me with this matter. Ths loss will cost me more than $5000 out of my pocket and it wasn't even my fault. The lesson I learned is get an appraisal for each car and make sure it is outrageously high to protect yourself in the event, God forbid, of an accident.

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1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz

I think that is a pretty subjective issue. I totally agree that the W124 is a fantastic automobile, and fully deserving of its excellent reputation. However, the 7 is a phenomenal car in its own right, and you have to look no further than roadfly.org or other Bimmer forums (or the BMW Car Club of America) to find plent of stories about individuals' love for their 7 series and other BMWs. Also, your same argument can be made about the E38- it was the last pre-Bangle 7 series, and one of the last of the 'old school' BMWs- that is, before the funky styling, iDrive, and technological overkill. So, a compelling argument can be made to get one of the last classic Bimmers before the new designs take over!

I guess whether lino ends up with a W124, E38, or one of the other choices, it will be a very good car!

I was going to say 500E..!

A nice late E320 is very nice, as is the E320 coupe (320CE), although strangely I think the saloon looks newer.

Of course you've also got the cabrio, a very desirable car which seems to be going up in value (as Mercedes cabriolets tend to) which probably makes a good investment if you don't want your car depreciating to nothing like any of these others will, yet is also completely useable everyday with normal running costs.
A late model in dark metallic is by some way the best looking IMO, sportline package makes it look better too (lower etc).

Very good point, didn't think about that!


good luck whatever you get.

__________________
190E's:
2.5-16v 1990 90,000m Astral Silver
2.0E 8v 1986 107,000m Black 2nd owner
http://www.maylane.demon.co.uk/190esmall.jpghttp://www.maylane.demon.co.uk/190esmall2.jpg

I agree about the Gen I, and the more recent the car with lo miles, the better.

On avoiding the first year 1995 Gen II, this is the "gist" I get from the Lexus forum on avoiding the first year of a model change. As with the Gen I, the more recent model years would be better. I remember a comment made on these boards along the lines of "avoid any 1995 model year car". Mercedes had their wiring harness problems in this year.

I've been lucky with my cluster and LCD display. Everything works, knock on wood.

glenmore
1991 300CE
1990 LS400

And I was thinking that the LS400 was an old person's car:

http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/39070/sort/1/cat/505/page/4

http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/39068/sort/1/cat/505/page/4

http://www.clublexus.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/39067/sort/1/cat/505/page/4

Looks like the Lex can be a sport/agressive looking car Not as much of a bore as I thought.

I wonder what size rims and tires those cars have?

__________________
1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz

I could definitely get excited about some of those LS400 cars. I never thought about what they would be like lowered with nice big wheels and tires. I get that sometimes with my car. People say, “Why would you do that to a Mercedes?” Of course that is only what they say before they have seen it or gone for a ride in it. After a little education, I think they start to understand.

Old guys can get crazy too.

__________________
I just couldn't give up on my 1995 E320.

I think it might be like always going back to that same bad relationship with an ex girlfriend.
You feel you love them too much, or you are just too stupid to know any better.



Flickr slideshow of my 1995 E320
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24145497@N06/sets/72157616572140057/

Lino,

FWIW, I was making the same decision as you (one year ago). I wanted to buy a car for my wife to replace her aging 940 Volvo, which she absolutely loved. My criteria was (1) a luxury RWD sedan that (2) couldn't be a Ford/GM/Mopile - not sexy enough, according to my wife (3) I could do 80% of the wrenching on (maintenance) and (4) I could purchase for under $15k. My thoughts then/now on some of the models I considered:

BMW 3/5/7 series --- always loved the look of these cars. I can't say reliability ever scared me - actually, quite the opposite. For the most part, BMWs seem to run forever (driveline), althought the little things could put a hurting on you financially if you took it to an indy/dealer to handle those items. I felt with all the great Web sites / forums dedicated to this "drivers car", I would have plenty of support in troubleshooting any BMW I purchased.

Why didn't I buy a BMW? Ride is too harsh. Don't like seating position - not that comfortable to me. Don't really *care* for much of the BMW interior components. My wife would've hated it.

Lexus --- These are supposed to be super reliable cars. But, there was no way I was going to buy one - this after doing weeks of research on Lexus forums - due to the cost of parts and dealer/indy maintenance if required. And I understand, eventually --- it's required and quite painful. So, the Lexus was never a serious consideration for me.

Mercedes --- I suppose the reason I ended up getting a **94-95 W124 E320** were the ride/drive, ease of maintenance, availability of relatively cheap parts, longevity of driveline, availability of cheap unmolested (original-owner cars) and classic look --- oh yes, and great forums like these with members from around the world who drive AND know how to work on these cars. To me, the W124 is like a 940 Volvo on steroids. And that is a great thing, as owning and working on Volvo 940s is what made me really appreciate European auto engineering for the first time. Oh yes, and she loves the engine on her '95 model. Smooth, powerful and gets 26 mpg on the interstate. After owning for one year (and replacing shocks/struts, water pump, serpentine belt and tensioner components, valve cover gasket, starter motor, cabin filters, oil pressure sending unit, coolant hoses.....(I think that's it .... and doing it myself, mostly for preventative maintenance reasons on a 10-year-old car, I have saved a fortune), I have been pleased with owning such a reliable car.

I also considered 96-98 E320s, but I felt --- and do today --- my ability to diagnose/maintain these cars would not be as great as our '95 E320. And the cost of ownership would've been higher. My wife really likes the look of the rounded headlights on these cars, though. But, she does love her '95 model.
------------

I think if I could go back and do anything differently, I might have considered the MB diesel models (E300) a little more seriously.

Good luck Lino! Have fun with your decision.

I like the idea of a diesel too. I love my in-line 6-cylinder and the mileage is OK, but the diesel would make me feel more ecofriendly. In this day and age, better mileage and options for alternative fuels, seems very appropriate. Supposedly, you can run the diesel on cooking oil or some other renewable fuel source.

__________________
I just couldn't give up on my 1995 E320.

I think it might be like always going back to that same bad relationship with an ex girlfriend.
You feel you love them too much, or you are just too stupid to know any better.



Flickr slideshow of my 1995 E320
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24145497@N06/sets/72157616572140057/

Thank you very much for sharing your opinion with me. That was a very nice write-up. I see that since you like to getting dirty and working on your cars that a car you could work on was a big consiedration for you. I rely on a great mechanic that I know for that. If I had the tools and space maybe I'd do more myself.

Although you found the BMW seating position not to your liking, I am very used to it since I'ven owned so many BMWs and I don't mind it all.

Lexus is just a car I've been wanting to own since never had one before.

You saved a pile of money by doing that work to your W124.

What year E300 and what do you think would be the advantages over your E320?

__________________
1989 300CE Astralsilber/Schwarz
1992 300CE Schwarz/Schwarz