Hi, I am looking at two e300's. One is a '96 with 87,000 miles, the other is a '97 (five speed trans) with 152,000. Both have service records and are in excellent condition and are priced the same (9,200 to 9,800) The higher mileage on the '97 bugs me slightly but the maintenance is good and the typical issues have been fixed along the way. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Yeah, as "out there" as this may seem, if you can "look" physically at both cars, do so. Touch.Start.Drive.Smell. Etc./
One should impress you as the better car.

folks over here on the diesel threads are accustomed to 150,000 to 200,000 miles as normal for an early 90's car. Having the service records make it all easy to swallow.
Has the engine wiring harness been replaced on either car? In 94 and 95's they are prone to failure.
A 5-speed is always something special, whether or not the engine is a gasser or diesel!

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

Engine harness on the '96 car has been replaced but not on the '97 (to my knowledge) I really wish the '97 car had the lower mileage though

Get whichever car impresses you better; if I were to choose on specs alone I'd go with the '97. IIRC, unlike the W124s, these cars do not have issues with the harnesses. The five-speed is a plus, and mileage on these cars only translates to wear on the body and interior...the engine and trans should be good for awhile. I know I always say this, but....if you want something REALLY special, keep your eyes open for a clean '98 or '99 turbo model. There is a night-and-day difference between the N/A and the turbo 606.

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99 E300 TD -- sold
01 540i 6 spd