Opinions on '95 E320

[d.delano]

Hello All-
I have been looking for a nice w124 for about three years now. I've looked at a few, and in the end decided to let them go on account of not the optimum color, most had grey interior(not my fave), rust, miles, price, etc. Finding the right one takes time.
Now I believe I have found the car. Black on black '95 Special Edition. Very nice and very clean, 66k. Already had the head gasket replaced. Has transferrable warranty with 2 years on it. This would enable me to replace the engine harness, and the A/C evap if they were able to determine a leak(A/C works excellent). Has a very cleanly installed Alpine head unit with iPod connector and Sirius satellite capability. On the dash center panel, there is a button up by the defrost that has a graphic of a tire with a chain on it? Never seen that before. 2nd owner, he bought it with 40k on it. Came from upstate NY. He has had it 2 years. This car is what I have been looking for.
Guy's in law enforcement, but not a DIYer and basically doesn't know jack about his car other than where to put the fuel. Car has records. He wants 10k.
Caveats: body is in great shape with no rust and undercoating that looks as brand new; it's just that the rear subframe carrier? is white with road salt corrosion(it's a small metal crossbrace going across the rear of the final drive) and the rear lower control arm bolts are rusty, and I think I thought I saw some surface rust on the rear lower control arms around where the bolts are located. The exhaust is also rusty only at the joints/welds. Final drive also has a 1/4" cake of oil on it, which may be normal. The only blemishes on the car. My questions to the forum:
1) sound like a good deal?
2) with the petroleum situation as it is, would you consider it?
3) with all the troubles with fuel relays and throttle actuators, et al, would you buy it?
4) how bout those rear control arms? do they tend to rust out like the w123s? that rear-end rust bothers me
5) the classic w124 trans problem; shifts fine now, but...
6) negotiation tactics? I don't want to insult the guy(he's HUGE) but I would like to talk him down a little

I have a week to decide as he's on vacation. I'm agonizing over it because I know if I let this one pass I will never ever see one again. This will be the last black-on-black that will ever come my way for sure @ 66k miles, and I don't feel like keeping vigil for another 3 years, but I also don't want to make an unwise impulsive decision as I already have a fine w123 diesel that gives me great joy. If I let this one go I'm just gonna give up the search. Thanks all

[ILUVMILS]

You should expect to pay a premium for an exceptionally clean 124. How much do you expect to talk him down? You should obviously try to negotiate, but don't let your dream car slip through your fingers over a few measly bucks. Most of your questions can only be answered by YOU. I can tell you that the rear control arms do not suffer from the same rust problem as the 123's.

If I ever decide to sell my 124, I'm gonna overprice the hell out of it. Why wouldn't I? It's in beautiful condition and highly sought after. That's the way it works. One of my co-workers just sold a gorgeous '85 300TD. He got so tired of people asking him to sell it to them, his standard reply was "sure, eight grand!". One day someone took him up on it. The new owner couldn't be happier, and why not? He's got a great example of a popular car in mint condition. Good luck

[softconsult]

I have had 3 different W124's. 2 Southern , 1 North Eastern, Boston.
I bought a '93 Sportline that had 250K miles for $3500 on a whim.
Car runs fine, but there are a couple of rust spots and the underside of the
car really is much worse than the southern cars.

This is an 11 year old car and a North Eastern car.

I would not even consider this car. You must consider the effects of the salt.
Like for instance the exhaust system. Not cheap.

Why not look for a car that has lived it's entire life in the South?
I recently spent a fair amount of time looking for either a '94 or '95 E class.
I was also open to an E420. Based on advice received on a couple of different lists from knowledgeable people, I also became open to '97 E320's and '96-'99 S320's.

Using Auto-Trader and a Car-Fax account, I examined various cars over about a three month period. For instance there was a '94 Black E420 in Birmingham that had every dealer service record from the beginning. Never auctioned, local car. Think about 12K$.

There were more than a few southern E320's for less than 10K$.

I ended up with a '97S320, local, dealer records, 106K, 11.7K$.

Steve

[d.delano]

The thing that makes me want this one is BLACK ON BLACK!!!! Those are tough to find. 66k!!!! Those are tough to find too. The guy's nice, keeps a clean house, keeps a clean car, like I said the body is rust free and I DO KNOW how to look for rust because I hate it so much, it's just the rear suspension has some on it. I love the w124s but it seems that too many have the grey interior that I hate, or the parchment which is a little too light and susceptible to filth. I really want a grey exterior/black interior or black on black. These are tough to find.
I suppose what I am asking is the rust on the rear axle carrier, which does not look too awful bad, as in looks like I can find a replacement metal crosspiece at a junkyard since it just bolts on, would you tolerate that at a 10k asking price considering gas is $3.25 a gallon? I drive a diesel MB that I do all the work on and it's great. But everybody on this forum knows one's not quite enough. Keep in mind the harness still needs replacing and so does the evap but there is a 2 year transferrable warranty. I need another car like I need cancer but I've always wanted a w124.

[deanyel]

I wouldn't consider the car either - the price is too high for a car with corrosion. And it isn't a Special Edition, no such thing in 040 black. CarFax erroneously calls all 95s Special Editions which isn't true. I wouldn't get enamored with the low miles, there's still plenty of things that will break with age. I personally would rather have 125k mile corrosion free car that has been serviced regularly. And what you want is a western car, not a southern car. I don't think there's any shortage of black on black cars, for considerably less money, if you're checking all the data bases.

[POS]

For $10k, the car should be perfect - not close to perfect. All mechanical items can be fixed, rust can never be fixed without spending lots of cash.

If it was a diesel, the price would be right. But it's gas, and it's worth $6-7k. Offer him low or tell him no. I'd skip it.

More importantly, why can't you find a 300E? I find them constantly - good ones. Are you not willing to travel outside your area?

[d.delano]

Originally Posted by POS

For $10k, the car should be perfect - not close to perfect. All mechanical items can be fixed, rust can never be fixed without spending lots of cash.

If it was a diesel, the price would be right. But it's gas, and it's worth $6-7k. Offer him low or tell him no. I'd skip it.

More importantly, why can't you find a 300E? I find them constantly - good ones. Are you not willing to travel outside your area?

Yeah I find 'em all the time too. The thing is I want a particular color combo. Most of them have that depressing grey interior that I cannot stand and will not pay for. I can't go to CA to get a car unfortunately. Furthermore I'd prefer the twin cam car over the single. This narrows things. FL and LA cars I'm suspicious of. Dad's around Atlanta area so I look there as well. Even though there are a lot of MBs there, most are 90s C-Class cars that I am not interested in in the least. Others are beat down ghetto rides. I also work 60 hours a week which makes it hard to go out and score these deals.
I'm liking what I am reading, and I am quite willing indeed to let it go. I've also been looking for three years and this is the best one yet, save for the corrosion. But remember the body is intact, there is salt corrosion on the small strap behind the final drive and on the rear trailing arm bolts and the exhaust joints, but not the body.
What I'm going to do is play wait-and-see. I left him my card. He's moving from the burbs to downtown and is selling his home so if no one comes to claim there might be a possibility for a deal to be made.

[d.delano]

[QUOTE=deanyel]CarFax erroneously calls all 95s Special Editions which isn't true.QUOTE]

Right on there, he told me that's what Carfax had on record, and there was no burl wood in the interior, just zebrano, so that had me guessing. So what's the button on the center dash with the graphic of the tire with the snow chain on it all about?

[dtf]

That button stops the ASR traction control from engaging until ~1500 rpm, other wise you would spin your self into a four wheel locked up braking situation and never get out of even a slightly snowy driveway.

[Strider]

[QUOTE=deanyel].... I wouldn't get enamored with the low miles, there's still plenty of things that will break with age. I personally would rather have 125k mile corrosion free car that has been serviced regularly. And what you want is a western car, not a southern car. [QUOTE]


Agreed, except it depends on how it was driven and serviced... how often was the oil changed? Were the brake lines flushed every two years?... Basically, was the entire maintenance schedule followed?

Southern versus western cars: Southern cars may have mildew problems. As for the west, it depends on which state, and which part of the state. I.e. They use salt on the roads in Idaho, and sometimes in Oregon, never in Washington. But it rains quite a bit on the western side of Oregon and Washington, whereas the eastern halves of these states are very dry. A car from Arizona should be totally rust free, but may be seriously sun damaged. It all depends.

What I really would recommend you do is have a reliable independent mechanic assess the car for you.

I paid over blue book for my '91, but it had EXTREMELY low miles (28K), spent all of its life in eastern Washington in a heated garage, was in PERFECT condition, and the original owner (an engineer) kept absolutely meticulous records of all maintenance and dealer service. The only problems I've had since then weren't problems, just maintenance: Replaced the water pump after it wore out and was rattling (along with belt tensioner, damper, idler pulley, belt and refilled fan clutch oil), and I had the infamous head gasket leak at 85K miles, which prompted me to re-lap the valves, replace the valve seals, all hoses, expansion tank and cap, and the radiator and thermostat cover (original plastic parts).

But, what it really boils down to is this: You like the car, then buy the car. If you aren't sure, then pass. Generally I hate haggling over the price of anything, but out of habit I always offer $1K less than the asking price, even when I know darn well the the car is worth. It is pretty well understood by most that people will offer less than the asking, and there shouldn't be any hard feelings over it. The only time I never offered less was for my Audi, which was already being offered at a good price and the seller stated that the price was solid.

good luck

[softconsult]

Couldn't resist taking a look at some of the cars I was looking at about 1 month ago on auto trader.

One thing I believe you should consider is that distance is only money. Money spent on travel or on shipping to get the correct car is the same
money you will spend on a car full of big surprises. When you say that the
owner of the black E320 is not a MB enthusiast, that should be a big flag.
What color is the anti-freeze? If you ask sellers that question , most will
ask what in the world you are talking about. Don't tell them the answer.
When they come back and say green, then take a pass.

Anyway, in roughly, 1 minute I had a bunch of black 95 E320's. Most are forgettable. However, one I had considered is in CA. It's in the first or second page listed. Private seller, wonderful paint, black interior. I dislike black interiors due to heat and how the leather wears. This car has been listed for at least 1 1/2 months. There's another one in Bloomfield MI for 8,500, but the picture looks like green rather than black.

Just do an advanced search on '95 E320 Sedan, Black.



Steve

[Hatterasguy]

Its an 11 almost 12 year old car! Of course the undersides are going to be a bit rusty and look like they have some time on them. If you want new buy new, its an old car it isn't new.

If its the model you want, and is clean I say offer him $9k and see where that gets you. The car sounds pretty nice, why lose it over a few bucks.

Just because its a northern car doesn't mean its really rusty. Get it up on a lift and check it out, it is probably fine.

If you really want a nice example, they are all in CA. Look there.

[d.delano]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Its an 11 almost 12 year old car! Of course the undersides are going to be a bit rusty and look like they have some time on them. If you want new buy new, its an old car it isn't new.

Hey look I understand that. I drive a w123 after all. I can handle cars that aren't perfect, just as long as I can foresee some longevity left in them, and their imperfections aren't going to bury me in the end. I've never had a new car in my life, never had one that was less than 5 years old either. But the rusty rear is in SHARP contrast to the rest of the car. It looks like a new car otherwise. I'm not exaggerating. So, I'm trying to figure out if it would be a good risk. He said he was firm on the price, well we'll see about that after a couple weeks. I'll call him back to see if it sold. If not I will offer him less. If it sells before I get a chance to do that, then I have no worries. According to the board I can get one anytime. I saw an '89 560SL go from 18k to 8500 in six months. Hopefull similar will happen here.
I wish I had a picture of the area in question to help you better understand. If you are all familiar with the part I'm talking about, it's a narrow strap of metal that goes across the back of the differential- it's FURRY with white salt corrosion. I mean it's got little stalagmites of white corrosion on it. Looks like somebody went all out on the car itself keeping it clean, but never once looked underneath nor sprayed that part off. I want to think this could be fixed easy but you never know the cost or availability of a part like this.

[Hatterasguy]

Its probably aluminum if its white. If its just surface I'd just grind and paint it.

[slk230red]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Its probably aluminum if its white. If its just surface I'd just grind and paint it.

I agree, if that is the only thing that bothers you, then grind it, paint it, undercoat it, or replace it. It sounds like you really like this car...black on black is a nice color combination, and, if it really only has 66K on the clock, then that is in your favor. The worst that can happen is you drive it until the 2 year warranty expires, then sell it for 8K.
You have been looking for 3 years, so how does the condition of this car compare to other W-124's?
Remember, if it doesn't work out then it wasn't meant to be.

Good Luck,

Dave