92/93 300E or 94/95 E320
 

Hello all time to get another MB. I have owned an 88 300E and an 87 560SEL. I do love the W126 body, but feel its a bit too big for what I need. I loved my 88 300E, handling, performance and looks. I am thinking of getting another W124 body and was wondering what I should get. I have noticed the 94/95 models going for above $10k and 92/93 for under. I am thinking of getting a car for under $10k, prefer to be in the $7k-$8k range due to budget. What do you guys think. I have found several 94/95 E320 and E420 on Ebay for around $8k and 92/93 300E and 400E for about $8k as well. What should I concentrate on the newer model that are cheaper or older model. I never had a problem with my 300E before but did have some problems with the 560SEL due to lack of maintenance, therefore I would like to get the best car for my money.


Thanks in advance

I would focus on the car with the best maintenance history.

Then, I would decide if I wanted a 6-cylinder or a V8.

If you want a V8, then you should know that 1992-1993 400E's have the same 4.2 liter V8 as 1994-1995 E420's.

If you want a 6-cylinder, then you need to separate the cars by engines.

1992 300E's have the 3.0 liter M103 engine.

1993 300E's have the same 3.2 liter M104 engine as 1994-1995 E320's. Mercedes changed the engine in 1993, but didn't change the badge.

This is why 1993 300E's are such a good used car bargain.

You can then update the headlights to real Euro headlights, and replace the grill with an S600 / Avantgarde grill, and you're good to go.

First I would like to thank you for your opinion. Now this is what I think I want.

Definitely a 6 because it will be my daily driver and I really don’t see any reason for an 8. I really like the characteristics of the straight 6. I always felt that my 300E was a better daily driver than my 560SEL.

I would definitely prefer a 94-95, however if I come across a 93 I would also consider it.

When buying my other MBs I realize how important service records are and will definitely concentrate on that as well. I was hoping to get a car with records and not too many miles. What is a realistic price for this type of car

You are looking at cars that are at least 10 years old, and will more than likely have more than 100,000 miles on them.

Even with more than 100,000 miles, if it was in excellent shape and had records, I would expect to pay between $8,000 to $10,000.

300E
 

There's a guy in the San Diego area who has an incredible '90 300E with about 30,000 miles on it. I put it through a pre-purchase inspection and it came out incredibly well. I didn't purchase it because I bought a '94 E420.

The 300E is white with blue interior and it's not cheap, but it's a fantastic car. I think he's asking $11K more or less. That's a premium over "blue book", but there simply aren't 14 year old cars out there with 30K miles on them.

You can do the math on this. Yes, it's a premium but if you drive 15K a year even in 5 years it's 19 years old and has about 105K on it. Cost of acquisition is a bit high, cost of ownership is low. Tough choice.

If you're interested, contact me off line and I'll supply name, phone, email, etc for seller.

KyGuy,

Do you mind if I ask you how much you paid for your E320, I am currently looking at a 95 E320 for about $9k, with about 85k miles

Argyleco-

It's an E420. I paid a touch under $16K for it but that included some work-new MB A/C compressor and re-building of the PS pump (that was about $1500 parts and labor). Tires were 2,000 miles old and brakes were done about 2,500 miles ago.

My parents bought a 95 E320 Wagon last September with just 6,900 miles. It now has around 9,500 miles. It was serviced and checked out and will be taken to an independent MB dealer from now on.

I like the 94-95 W124s compared to previous ones but they are all great cars.

Hi All
In August I got real lucky, while driving around in my neiborhood
An older gentleman was pulling his car out of the garage with a for sale sign in the back window.The car was a 94e320 sedan black with grey interior only 48k. He was the orginal owner an had all service records from the same dealership that services my 85-380SL and my 95E320 Cabriolet. He wsa asking $13500.00 for the car. He was unable to drive due to an illness I bought the car for $11500 and have not had any problems. It is now my daily driver and is due for the 60k service.The 94-95 E320 is a great and reliabel car that will offer its owner years of fun driving.
Happy driving.

Joe Moon
85-380SL-88k
94-E320Sedan-62k
95-E320Cabriolet-63k