good afternoon,
today i looked at a '95 w124 wagon [starmarked]. it has almost 82k miles.

it is advertised as having e1 and e3 value packages. can anyone tell me what is in these packages??

the car is silver and the paint is starting to oxidize on the hood. can anything short of painting save it?

the car seems to be in pretty good shape. other than head gasket leaks, any idea of potential problem areas?

the service manual "couldn't" be found [i'll give benefit of doubt]
this car is at a dealer, who has 3 w124 wagons at the moment.

aren't all the books [service manual etc] required to starmark a car?

thoughts,insights, and opinions, please?

thanks,
peter

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*92 400e 124.034, SOLD

*92 300e 124.030, SOLD

Peter:

I have a '94 Starmarked wagon that I truly enjoy. The other things to look for on this vintage 124 wagon are the usual air conditioning problems which can be expensive to fix and the main wiring harness. There is a service letter or some such thing out on the harness and it should have been replaced free of charge. I've had to replace warped rotors on my front brakes 3 times in the last 7500 miles or so but none of the other wagon owners I've talked to have had the same experience so it is probably something unique to me and my car.

Can't help you much on the paint issue. My car is Arctic white and has held up well. Maybe just the hood would need respraying??

My car is quite basic, sorry I can't help you out with the e1 and e3 packages either.

Good luck, I wouldn't part with mine for the world.

Cheers

Bill

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Bill
92 300E (Black/Grey interior: wife's car)
94 E320 Wagon (White/Saddle interior, Eibach springs, '96 E420 16 x 7.5 wheels)

The things I've found about these cars are:

Sunroof lifting angles crap out easily -- not too bad to fix, but a pain.

Oil leaks at front and rear of head gasket/cover -- some easy, some a real pain. You can sometimes simply re-tighten the rear head bolts to stop the rear leak.

The front flex disk will need to be replaced every 60,000 miles or so.

Transmision pan leaks if imporperly tightened -- easy fix.

Wiring harness trouble -- I'd not buy it if the wiring hadn't been replaced, huge pain.

Pressure accumulators in the self-leveling rear suspension die, causing VERY hard ride. Easy fix.

My 1988 300TE has had the following: Valve job with new valves (160,000 miles), rear wheel bearing, ignition lock, power steeering/leveling pump rebuilt, door lock actuator replaced, window regulator replaced, one set of shocks (I think), numerous sets of tires and brakes/rotors, a couple of switches, a mirror and turn signal (accident damage). Otherwise, not too much service.

Still running fine at 200,000 miles, uses a quart of oil every 2000 miles or so, looks like it will run forever for my mother!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Pretty much the same as any other 124 chassis car. There are very few problems unique to the wagon. Use the search to look up a few possibilities.

Some that come to mind are: broken plastic radiator neck, very difficult (read: expensive) water pump replacement, a/c evaporator leaks, etc. Check the tie rods for play - this car is about the right milage to require a tie rod or two.

Wagon unique problems: Make sure the hatch stays up on a cold day - the struts get tired over time. A '95 is probably too young to have this problem. Ditto with the suspension accumulators. Have the hydraulic fluid & filter for the suspension changed. Check the self leveling function by piling your entire family in the back of the car (it's fun!). On rare occasions the rearmost windows leak - check for signs of water in the wheelwells.

My '87 wagon with only 112K on it has had substantially more repair/replacement. Some of the suspension bushings have required replacement to cure unpleasant noises. As well the accumulators required replacement. These tend to go bad with age as well as milage, so you ought to be in OK shape there.

- Jim

the radiator probably will not be problematic on a 95. And the wiring harness isn't that big a pain, its just money. With 87k , the dealer may get some goodwill from MB. Use it as leverage. It's about a 1.5 hour fix for a good wrench. I'd also make sure the wipers are working properly as the 94/95 cars already have begun to have the cheaper lower quality parts that began in the middle 90's. If it runs very slow, you're in for a wiper motor. And yes, the leaky cylinder head is typical and should be repaired. Overall, these are excellent wagons.

thank you for responding. some good points.

has or does anyone have any "rust"starting on the driver side far back window area? i noticed this spot on the car i like and 1 of the other wagons.

is this common ?

more input welcome.

how about you muskie531?

peter

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*92 400e 124.034, SOLD

*92 300e 124.030, SOLD

I did get a spot of rust back there; as I understand it the window gasket back there shrinks & lets in water that stays right in that area.

I had the window removed, and the area properly repaired. No recurrence, and it's been a year

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"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" Sir Sterling Moss

Michael
2014 E63S Estate
2006 SLK55
1995 E500
1986 Porsche 944 turbo