300TE 4MATIC Worth Buying?
 

Tomorrow morning I am going to go look at 300TE 4MATIC that's for sale. Not sure what year the car is or specs - I'll get all the info tomorrow.
I'm thinking about buying it as a winter car. I have some questions:

1. What are the trouble spots?
2. What years are the good years?
3. What should I be looking for outside of the usual?
4. Are there any 4MATIC specific issues to beware of?

Thank You

Turned out to be a 1994 e320 wagon. Not a 4MATIC. It's alright. I'll continue looking. So are there any happy or frustrated members with 4MATICs?

The 4-matic system used in W124's was a disaster. Very problematic and very expensive to maintain.

There is a lot in the archives if you are good using the search function.

Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for an AWD/4WD that I could use as for the winter?

Mb re-introduced the 4Matic in '98 with the new v6 and the 5 speed transmission. Not a lot of negative comments about it. Lots of fans of the v6 too.

I'm a big fan of Subaru's. All of their cars are AWD. They have a system that is proven over time, is simple and durable.

What about a Subaru SVX?

4Matic + high milage = oil all over the drive . . . . Don't touch !

Thanks for the response. I was thinking since I already own a W124 that a 4MATIC might be easy to deal with since I'm learning so much from this forum. I just don't want the heavy repairs $$$. So many people are recommending that I buy an Audi A4, but no way. No Audis for me. I've seen 6 Audi mechanics at the dealer one day standing around a car with 3 computers pluged in scratching their heads and still couldn't figure out what the problem was. Reminded me of the Audi 5000 that came fully equiped with 5000 problems. I want reliability.

I guess it is like comparing apples with oranges. My good friend here in Dubai just bought an Audi S8 quattro, 1998, 120,000 kms. A real beauty of a car but he this week took it to the shop with what he thought was an injector blocked and ended up with a bill for $5000 for a fuel computer. In the same street, a guy buys a 124, 4Matic and dumps as much oil as the Amoco Cadiz on his drive after several transmission failures. I am not really qualified to comment, just a few personal observations, but for me, my money is with a pre '95 Benz, any model !

Andy Day

Toyota Land Cruiser is a dependable go any where vehicle. A well taken care of unit will easily go beyond 500,000 miles.

What model years are you referring to? In Canada we don't have Land Cruisers unless they were imported from the US. For the Canadian market, Toyota chose to offer the Land Cruiser in Lexus trim only.

Subaru Outback is a great car..very reliable and with a good ride.
Also great resale value.
I think a 2year old plus Subaru would be great buy.