I would not buy either unless I could review the maintenance history of each and have a Pre-Purchase inspection done. For instance, how do you know whether these cars have used the correct MB anti-freeze? Oil changes? Transmission serviced regularly? There are predictable things that these cars need in a mileage range between say 90K and 150K. How do I know this?

I have a '92 300E (purchased at about 100K) with 225K, a '93 with 254K and had a '90 (purchased at 100K) with 175K when traded. The '92 and '93 are both factory Sportlines. All needed, A/C compressor, mufflers, '93 had wiring harness and evaporator done, '90 needed valve seals, all had belt tensioners replaced, radiators, all had head gaskets done, etc. etc. The '92 had $6,500 worth of receipts in the year prior to my purchasing it at 100K miles. The '93 has receipts for $36,000 of repairs, 1 owner and serviced at a Dealer.

I would rather pay more up front for a car that has had a lot of these items repaired/replaced.

I have found that while the '93 is faster, it is also less linear. The power comes on at high revs. The '93 is less smooth from a stop. I think this is due to the Hot Film system. '92 is a simpler engine. I prefer the M103 to the M104.

Just my 2 cents,

Steve

I would consider the main issue with the 104 to be the headgasket. The harness is a piece of cake compared to it.

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Jim

I prefer the M103. And I actually think the interior of my 89 is of higher quality than my 92.

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89 300te 222,222
92 300e 190,000

I currently own a 91 and before i bought it i had looked and compared 300E's for years before deciding on this car. I can personally sar for a car with a little over 200,000 mi. I have not had any problem other than a blown head gasket. besides, when it comes to repair work for a DIYer, the 91 300E is easy to work on.

on the ebay listing, the door sticker reads "chrysler corporation" and made in US. is that true ? were the 93 w124's taken over by chrylser and being built in the US ?

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Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.

I doubt that.
AFAIK, the first US built MB was the ML.
I forget the exact year of the Daimler / Chrysler merger, but it was long after 1993.
Probably someone added this sticker to be funny or something...

I like my 1991 300TE, but it's had its share of repairs... head gasket, radiator, monovalve, ignition tumbler, O2 sensor, fuel distributor (bought used one on Ebay, still not right, but only affects cold starting and fuel economy somewhat), voltage regulator, aux fans, both rear and center mufflers, and last but not least, the oil pressure sender.
I had read on this forum that oil pressure senders are a common problem in the M103, so I bought a new one and had my indy replace it.
Something unnerving about the guage showing zero oil pressure below 1500 rpm.

Not doing a lot of work myself I've probably sunken about $5K into my TE, in about 2 1/2 years.

The upside is that I love driving it, it just loves to fly along down the road

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

I too was curious about the chrysler sticker... It looks like a goof. Here is the vin from the sticker.

VIN: 1J4FT28SXPL641484
Year/Make/Model: 1993 JEEP CHEROKEE
Body Style: 4 Dr. Wagon/Sport Utility
Engine Type: 4.0L L6 HO MPI
Manufactured In: UNITED STATES

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1991 300E 3.0 - Stock 134k (My "new" baby)
2003 Jeep Liberty