Originally Posted by babymog

I'd take the E320 "hands down" if the transmission were straight. The non-functioning transmission is a bit of a wild card though.

The E320 has about 150hp more than the SD, will hit 60 before the SD gets its boost on. The fuel mileage is pretty close but the E320 burns (currently more expensive) premium.

The 126 vs 124 thing is up to you, kind of like 123 vs 12x, it's all about taste. I like all three bodies to look at, but the 124 is clearly the driver's car of the three, will outrun/outcorner and even rides as nice on proper tires and shocks/struts. The 124 is not as heavy a car as the SD, but the active and passive safety refinements from the 126 to the 124 are many (yes I'm an Engineer, yes I did design/engineering work on the 124 as well as much testing and prototyping). My non-ASR cars will spin both wheels to smoking on dry pavement for a good 200', plenty of power on tap (my Daughter's '94 has generic tires, I love to play with it. Hey, I buy her car and tires, ...).

Now I'm a dieselhead, so this is a tough one, but I currently have in the fleet 3 124-body E320s. The '94 was the BEST 124 made, best body/interior/trim/seats/lights/equipment, '95 close except for a few "thrifted" items like the headlamp wiper/washers and 2-tone paint, ... but not available in a turbodiesel. I wouldn't cross the street for a free W210 E320 of either engine, the only reason to buy a 210 IMO is for the 606 turbo, not the chassis, but that's another story.

So I'd snap up that swap in a heartbeat if the transmission were a simple fix.

As far as the transmission: If the shifts are solid, no slipping in any gears, shift points are usually an external issue (vacuum, shiftdown/bowden cable, or downshift button/switch) not an internal one. The 722.4xx is a good transmission if treated well IMO, just that so many of them are neglected by the time the car is 15-25years old. Get that straightened out and you'll wish it were a diesel, but love driving it just the same.

Oh, is it an ASR car? I love the ASR, with the torque of that setup, it saves a lot of wheelspin. It does come with a price though, extra complexity and failure possibilities such as the electronic throttle. If the engine wire harness hasn't been replaced (white tag should be visible between the battery and inner-firewall with a fab-date on it) you're possibly in some expensive trouble on a Mercedes built in the early '90s (any body).

A matter of priorities and emotions, left-brain vs right-brain thing IMO.