Just thought I would ask what people thought about these cars. I currently have a 1988 CE as a driver and it's a good car but a little upgrade would be great. I test drove a 1992 with 90K at dealer price the other day. It's a two owner car with all paperwork and clean master inquiry sheet. Originally ordered in Beverly Hills dealership and has full maintenance book. Drives like a new car. Very clean too. Cold AC. Burl trim with both center boxes.

There is a 1994 coupe E320 also Black on Black at same dealership. Will have to drive in this week if it's still there. has the newer headlamps and lower panels are body colored. Also a two owner local car. There are 25K less miles and price reflects this.

Both have extras like car phone kits and CD changers.

Anyone want to comment on the dependability and driveability as well as value and cost.

Thank you,
Jason

__________________
1988 300CE 120K RIP(Midnight Blue/Parchment)
1987 300E 202K (Arctic White/Palomino)


Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth. ~Song of The Open Road

Jason:
I have a 1990 300CE which is my daily driver with 233,000 miles (of which I have put 62,000 in the last 3 years), and I love the car. It rides and handles beautifully (I have Bilstien HD shocks and 17 inch wheels and tires). The interior leather has only two small cracks in the front seats and cracks in the wood finish. Pretty amazing for the age and miles.
I work on and restore my own cars. I have not had any unusual repairs, in my opinion. However, a couple of the repairs would have been big bucks if done by the dealer, or even an indipendent repair shop (ignition control unit and head gasket - that big Mercedes weakness).
I love the looks of this car inside and out. I am partial to coupes. I also have a 1976 Jaguar XJ12C (which has a V12 and is considerably modified - 5-speed manual, etc,etc.). I feel I have two of the most beautiful coupes ever made. Future aquisitions would include a BMW 335 CSI/M6.
The only shortcoming I feel the 300CE/E320 Coupe has is driveline performance - I am not entirely happy with the 4-speed auto (poor shifting and up/down shifting points, etc, and the car needs a 5-speed) and the engine is just too small for this car. I personally am not attracted enough by the newer coupes to rule out a Mercedes V8 transplant for my 300CE instead of a newer coupe.
In short, I think these cars are classics, from the stand point of beauty, and are as reliable and reasonable to maintain as the average Mercedes.

Jason, the 1992 300CE will be noticeably faster than your 1988 due to the 217HP vs. 177HP engine. The 1994 E320 coupe likely has a different gearing and engine combination which means lower engine RPM at a given speed than the 1992 300CE ... it will be quieter and more refined. The 1994 coupes are more rare, so that combined with the lower mileage, will add to the selling price. The 124 coupes have classic lines ... we have three (2 - 1991, 1 - 1992) in our family because we enjoy their look, driving position and performance. The 1994 headlights will be much brighter than the poor-performing 1992 units ... so it's not only the cosmetic appearance of the headlights and grill that differ. I prefer the classic, more pronounced grill and 2-tone appearance of the 1991 & 1992 300CE's, but that's my opinion ... everyone has their own taste. As Cary mentioned the ignition control modules and had gaskets are problematic on these cars. I just bought a new ignition control unit ($2,100 wholesale) for one of our 1991 300CE's and had the head gasket replaced under warranty on the 1992 300CE at 61,000 miles (that car now has 121,000 miles on it). The build quality of both cars is much better than any of the current MB offerings. They may not have the bells and whistles, but they are a true joy to drive. I much prefer the ride and road feel of the 300CE's over our 1998 E320.

__________________
Fred Hoelzle

I prefer the '94 and '95 version - better, newer car.

__________________
- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600