Hi folks,

I just bought a '90 420SEL last month and have a few thoughts and comments.

It's Burgandy/Wine colored, with a tan interior, and it has 148k showing. I paid $2500 for it......

The good:

The paint is in great shape except for some clear coat issues on the roof, it looks like somebody went crazy with a random orbital buffer.

The interior is perfect, except for a small hole in the drivers seat and stained carpets.

Everything works, including the O.E. radio, A/C, cruise control, sunroof, windows, locks, power seats......

Swaybar and related parts are rust free

No rust, and a few very minor door dings.

The bad:

It needs guide rod joints, and rear shocks.

The OVP relay failed two days after I bought it.

E.H.A is weeping ever so slightly, though the fuel distributer is still sealed. Is there a way to remove the plug without doing damage to anything? Frankly, this is the first MB I've come across that is stil sealed.

It looks like the front seal of the trans has a small leak(haven't had to add any in 100 miles), I can live with it for now.

The idle is a bit high(800 rpm in neutral), I cleaned the air slide and relaced the two rubber air slide hoses with no improvement. For now, I put a brass fitting in the hose, the idle is about 600-700 rpm now in neutral.

The $$$ rear muffler has a leak.

The antenna grommet is coming apart, big suprise there.

Other than that, it runs cool, shifts good, and gets around 20mpg on the road.

I'm not driving it until I get a new EHA, but my fear is that the new EHA will totally throw off the way the car runs.

Any thoughts are most appreciated, thanks!