E420 production date 5/94 but year model is 1995?
 

Hi all,

I just bought a 1995 E420 with a production date of 5/94. The title, VIN, and all documents indicate that it is a 1995 model and I have no reason to doubt that it is in fact a 1995, but the door B-pillar sticker says 5/94. I thought they swithed over year model production in the summer, usually July or August, but didn't know that it kicked over to the next year model as early as May.

Another thread stated that the W124 for North America were all produced in "mid-1994." Does anybody know the exact end date for production of NA E420's and whether 5/94 as a 1995 model makes sense? I'd appreciate any history on this. There's probably an interesting Mercedes history story behind this somewhere. ;)

it makes sense, although I don't know the specific dates in this case. To make the market launch dates, production will need to be a few months in advance.

May does seem a bit early, but not impossible. Does the VIN decode to 1995? The 10th digit should be an 'S'.

my 1995 e320 has a build code of 6/94....and the ten digit on the vin is an S.... keep in mind this was the last year of the 124 series...that may have something to do with it....

that said my 95 is not one of the special edition ones

Production dates mean NOTHING as to the year model.......not in the USA.

One of the best examples was the 1995 E300D that came out in November 1993.
The 1997 E420 came out in December 1995, the 1998 SLK230 came out Jan 1997
Also the 2000 model S430 came out in Feb 1999

Go by the 10 digit of the VIN...

Yep. It's an "S" alright. Very interesting, I never would've guessed. So that means it could've been on the dealer's lot by July 1994 or so; pretty early for a 1995 model. I don't recall seeing next year's model on dealer's lots by early-to-mid-summer, always thought it was around August-September that the first ones would trickle in. Thanks for the replies. I guess model year means "about."