Choices choices choices, I am in the market, I am torn between the two, both good condition, and I have always liked the 5 series touring wagon, the ones I have in mind are a 92 525it and a 91 300e. both have miles in the 128 area. I am mercedeshop for life member so don't be biased!!

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**A few Hondas etc... etc... Not Worth Mentioning**
83 Euro W126 380 sel Money Pit (Sold)
91 W124 300e 2.6. (Sold) 3.0 Motor is Much better!!
93 BMW E34 Touring Wagon (Sold) Sweet Car!!
91 300e (Just 200k with Ease.)Best car ever ???(Sold)
90 420sel (Black with Tan Interior) Best car ever!!!!!!!

Do you mean a 300E sedan or 300TE wagon?

What do you need it for? What features are important you or do you definitely not want (e.g., can't get that year/model of MB without leather and without AT)?

Do you ever need to fit 7 people legally in the car?

Do you DIY? Do you need advise on which is easier to service yourself?

The 87 300TD is the best wagon ever sold in the US

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

If you want diesel (in the US), there is of course only one choice. But the E34 5-series definitely gives the W124 a run for its money. I think each is the best all-around car that its manufacturer has ever made.

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AlexTheSeal: hack mechanic, inadvertent drifting champ, builder of infernal devices, professional epistemologist

'87 300D Turbo, roadtrip mileage champ (for sale!)
'92 Isuzu Trooper, mudder extraordinaire (for sale!)
'82 Honda Silverwing, cockroach of motorcycles
And various boring daily drivers...

So basicaly between this particular beemer 525it (touring wagon) and Merc 300e the scale is balanced?? I am not that much of a DIY anymore, I'll change the air filter spark plugs etc, but not much else. As far as really looking for anything in particular feature-wise, they both have close to the same features, the bottom line is they are two cars that I have always liked.

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**A few Hondas etc... etc... Not Worth Mentioning**
83 Euro W126 380 sel Money Pit (Sold)
91 W124 300e 2.6. (Sold) 3.0 Motor is Much better!!
93 BMW E34 Touring Wagon (Sold) Sweet Car!!
91 300e (Just 200k with Ease.)Best car ever ???(Sold)
90 420sel (Black with Tan Interior) Best car ever!!!!!!!

one factor, with that mileage, you are near the end or beyond the typical expected life of a BMW auto trans (which would cost about as much to replace with a reman as you will pay for the car). That is one thing I've heard that MB has the advantage on BMW. Obviously, how the cars were drive, maintained, luck, etc. play a role in how long the trans in any car will last.

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2005 Mercedes C230k sport sedan, 6 speed
1987 Porsche 924S - 968-engined track car

I think that without going beyond basic DIY....say into a second tier.... water pumps, alternator, brakes, etc.... either of these cars could be very costly at that mileage. Parts at retail alone could kill you..

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

FWIW, the W124 wagon has so much more useable space in the cargo area than the BMW's.

If you can afford the M104-powered (DOHC inline-6) W124's, it would be a better comparison to the DOHC inline-6 of the BMW.

:-) neil

Big utility difference between the two. The Benz somehow manages to be twice as large on the inside without being any larger on the outside. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but only a bit. The cargo area behind the rear seat is literally twice as large on a 124 wagon as on an E34. I've drooled over various V8 powered BMW wagons, but they won't carry my bicycles worth a darn, so are off my list.

- JimY

Hey Neil, what kind of tires and wheels you got on that monster?

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dtf
1994 E320 Wagon (Died @ 308,669 miles)
1995 E300 Diesel (228,000)
1999 E300 Turbodiesel ( died @ 255,000)
2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 AC 4X4 (115,000 miles) rusted frame - sold to chop shop
2011 Audi A4 Avant (165,000 miles) Seized engine - donated to Salvation Army
BMW 330 xi 6 speed manual (175,034 miles)
2014 E350 4Matic Wagon 128,000 miles
2018 Dodge Ram 21,000 miles