Just picked up my new ride - 1996 E320
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=007&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=170182972945&rd=1

Not necessarily a very good deal but fair for the money. Hope it won't let me down, at least for another 50K miles :). Time will tell.

My previous ride 1989 300CE was one of the few, the 1996 E320 W210 is only one of many, too many.

Dealer seems to be O.K., delivered the car cleaned-up with new state inspection tag and oil change!

Looks beautiful. Best of luck!

Nice car, congrats! Looks very clean and I like the fact that the oil changes were done frequently and consistently. Good records.

My only gripe about that car/era is those exact rims! They're probably the only rims Mercedes has made that I really don't like. ;) But hey, to each his own.

Some small advice - get acquainted with the bulb types for this car, you'll replace a lot of them (city/driving light, rear brake light, etc.)! :D

If you use an iPod, there is an excellent product for your model of radio (I have the same one).

http://indashpc.org/new/ipod_adapters/grom-ipod-mb.html

Enjoy the ride!

Thanks folks!

M.B.Doc mentioned that the first year of any model can be troublesome, hope it is not the case here.

Had not been for the tight budget (and my ignorance of the above) I'd had chosen a newer one, maybe 1998-2000.

Still waiting to hear from the insurance about my wrecked 300CE. It has been almost 3 weeks since then.

btw: kudo to the photographer of the pictures on eBay. In reality it is not soooo beautiful :).

My car looks exactly the same (smoke silver with mushroom interior). But I have the 97 with the 722.6. It has 170,000 miles and no major problems to date, drives like a dream. You will be happy - these are durable cars!

Yeah, the color is listed as smoke silver, but somehow it is a bit golden to my eyes.

Looks great. May you enjoy many happy miles with it.

TexasHoldEm,

You did really well! A beautiful car @ a very good price, IMO.
I hope you have many years and miles with your new purchase!:)

Looks great! I'm sure it'll give you years of good service.

I just love the M104 engine. In fact, I prefer it to the current M112 V6.

I wouldn't be too concerned that it is the first year of the chassis.

The engine and transmission combo had been in continuous use in the W124 chassis since 1993, and you'd hope by 1996 there wouldn't be any bugs to work out.

And what's more, that four speed transmission is quite reliable, and very cheap to rebuild compared to the 5 speed that replaced it in 1997.

Just drove 40 miles from dealer to the office and 20 miles home. The ride is smooth, but somehow not great at acceleration. Maybe I still have to get used to it. It is not an E430 :).

Another thing is I have to use a bit of force on the gas pedal, that means I cannot just tip on it but need to apply more pressure than I used to on my wife's Acura or even on my old 300CE. Is it normal?

later on: stereo system with CD changer very nice, car runs very balanced and quiet. The leather of the seats is somehow tough not supple like in W124.

Anyone has also the stock car phone? I guess it is out-of-date in the era of cell phone? just curious about how it is supposed to work, and which providers still have coverage for it?

Great car we purchased the twin to this one 2 years ago with 60k miles for $12,000.00

The gas pedal has quite a resistance and makes the right leg tired on long drive because I have to permanently maintain an amount of pressure on it. It is normal with this car or something needs fixing?

Thanks!

Tex - My mother-in-law has a 1997 E320 and I seem to recall that I have to apply more force on the pedal than on my E430 (not just engine-related I think). Steering is also noticeably stiffer on her model than mine, a feature I like actually.

Yes, the leather is tougher than on the W124s. The seating doesn't seem quite as comfortable on longer trips as well. It does however, stand up incredibly well over time. My 10-yr old leather seats look like new, whereas the seats in my W124 developed a lot of cracks in the finish early on and began to look quite worn early on as well. So it is a trade-off of sorts I guess.

I think the cell phone is essentially a relic at this point (analog), don't think it can easily be activated?

The M104 is a great engine! An oil change is a breeze. You'll need a 14-fluted oil wrench, 76mm diameter. Takes no time at all.

Thanks Zeus,

so leg massage after a long trip is in order :D.

I also think that even if technically possible to activate the car phone it would be more expensive than a normal cell phone.

Just wonder how much the original owner paid for it. In 1996 must have been over 2K.

I'm considering remove it altogether for more storage :).

Np, you are welcome. I would probably remove the cell phone, it's analog and even if you found a carrier, the prices would likely be exorbitant compared to a regular digital phone. It even looks cheesy, with the long cord and all...so very Roger Moore era Bond, if you know what I mean. :D

You're right though- can't imagine it being a cheap option back in the day. :eek:

210 seats may hold up well this driver's seat is an obvious replacement. The factory doesn't do pleats like that. I'm guessing you could take that into a good shop and get it fixed up for a reasonable labor charge / no materials charge.

The Mitsubishi Phone in my 380SE cost $3,000.00 in 1984. Worth Zip today. So I removed it but haven't removed the controller from under the rear deck yet. It's on the list though.

In a '96 it'll be an analog phone. There's no way to activate it. In just a few weeks the carriers are permitted to turn off the analog cell phone networks. Other than in very rural areas, most plan to aggressively turn down their analog networks.

Look on the bright side. It'll make a great doorstop. :D

- JimY

1996 E320
 

I hope you are enjoying the new E320!!! It's an awesome car- We have 2 in the family, and other than the rust (which in TX you dont have to deal with) the cars just run, and run, and run..... I love the 210 body styling (pre-00) and with the M104 engine, you know what you are getting! The M104 engine vs the M112 have a different air-induction system/ electronic throttle, thus that is why the gas pedal on a 1996/1997 feel heavy. I have a 2002 myself, and it is light an feathery- almost feels like it's not connected (in reality, it is just connected to a contact plate that knows the angle of the pedal!) the 1996/1997 210's still had a linkage, even the E420.

Enjoy the new toy! It will last for years and DEFINATELY 200,000+ miles...:)

http://photos.ebizautos.com/6149/2443762_21.jpg

The little cubbyhole on the left, behind the wheel arch- is that standard?

I just have a hole. Would be nice if I could order that.

As for your pedal, check the little throttle pot in the engine bay - it should have a spring, it may have an incorrectly sized spring on it.

That looks sort of like an enclosure for a CD changer. Is that what it is?

Thanks! Yes, the car runs fine despite its 130K miles and in the meantime I'm getting used to the gas pedal. I have no rust problem, took even a (amateur) look under the spring perch, where many people complained about rust there, but found nothing. Wire harness also looks good.

You don't like post-2000 body face-lifting? :)

Yes, it is the CD-changer in a velour (sp?) case.

I just turned 293,000 miles on my M104 and 722.4 transmission in my '94. Change the oil and do the tranny service at 30,000 intervals and you'll get to 300,000 miles easy.

Wow! That's impressive! I am doing in average 12K miles per year. If my ride holds up like yours I'll be good for another 15 years. I hope so. :)

SWWWEEEETTTTTTT! Enjoy it.