W124 E420 or W210 E320
 

OK - I got myself into a "good problem".

I currently own both a 1995 E420 (197K miles, rust on driver door) and a 1999 E320 (97K miles, no rust and no heated seats)

I 'should' only have one (no real storage space and such for two)

Which is more mechanically sound? Which should I keep as my daily driver?

The E420 had the ETA replaced, and there has been a code we can not resolve, but it runs well. With the colder weather, gas mileage dropped from 17 to 10 MPG.

The E320 is carrying it's age well and gets 27 MPG.

With both cars the interior is fine with no holes. Neither has air conditioning.

I really like the E420; but should I expect to fix more things as it crosses 200K?

Thanks

Pretty hard for the forum to judge which is better shape. Keep the one you prefer driving.

Sixto
98 E320s sedan and wagon

I am biased - had better reliability with the W210 than any W124. They sorta figured out their shortcomings on the W124 when the 210 debuted.

W210s are better than w124s. I plan to sell mine. A lot more vacuum issues, more complex suspension, leaky steering box etc

The only thing a w124 has on a w210 is less prone to rust cause of the crappy paint they use. Aeshetically the w210 is better to look at.

Bill, the E320 with 100,000 fewer miles seems like the better choice to me, especially considering the fuel economy. Any car with over 200,000 miles will require more maintenance than one with only 100,000 miles. As you probably know, rust can be an issue with the 210 automobiles; but if yours has none that is another reason to choose it over the 124 automobile. Our 1998 E320 needed a new evaporator which cost thousands of dollars to fix. So keep that in mind if that applies to your 1999 E320 and you intend to repair the A/C.

having owning both. The W210 is an evolution of the W124 chassis, Its more roomier and better appointed inside and has better insulation too - downside is the plastic coated leather compared to uncoated leather in the W124 (if you have it)

The driving feel is very different due to the steering setup of the car, It has rack and pinion compared to wormgearbox.

W210 had terrible paint, so bad that if you dont keep it waxed and sealed it will flake off like paper sheets. The evil AC evaporator is the exact same job on the W124 and the W210 - both require complete tear down of the dashboard. (If you dont DIY then its $$$ on either car)

W210 are easier to diagnose though as it can talk to a diagnostic tool, the W124 wont, you will need to get creative and oldschool with it.

The M112 V6 engine is all about midrange torque, I found it very user freindly and the fantastic 722.6 transmission is light years ahead of the hydraulic direct drive 722.3 the old cars used.

I don’t know that I’ll ever find a 722.3/4 to be adequate after the 722.6. Purists say there’s nothing like an in-line 6. The M103 in my ‘91 300SE was turbine smooth but taxed to death by the 126. 3000rpm in slow lane gets tiring. The M112 is smooth enough for me and always relaxed in a 210. The M112 seems easier to service than the M104 and less likely to need major work. I haven’t heard of wiring or ETA problems. A couple of MB techs told me you don’t work on an M112, you pull another one from the boneyard.

Sixto
98 E320s sedan and wagon

If you get the w210 e320 make sure you get the V6. The m112 is a much better engine than the m104.

I had a couple tech's at my dealer say the m104 is the best engine built. I really disagree and say the m112 to be better, although m104 is easier to work on (inline) vs v6. It doesn't have the head gasket issues of a m104 and oil leaks. The head gasket never goes bad on a m112 unless you overheat it and no wiring issues. They had a crank balancer recall. Some still didn't get fixed. I did one two days ago on a CLK320.

The 722.6 is 10x smoother than a 4 speed and gives you lower rpm with the extra gear and obviously better MPG.

Hands down the w210 is a lot better than a w124. I still love mine though, but the w210 is the car for long trips.

In my opinion the m112 V6 is easier to service sitting in an engine bay designed to fit an inline 6. Try replacing the water pump on either engine for example. The only thing that's kind of a pain on the M112 is the rear most spark plugs. The V6 weighs 100lbs less than the inline 6 and that weight sits further back in the chassis. There's no head gasket issues, no VVT, no complicated intake manifold.

Would the code you cannot resolve happen to be 19?

I really liked the 94 E420 that I had (with ASR). Although, the only thing I really miss on occasion compared to my TDI, is the acceleration.

No room/space. Rent a garage and keep both ��