good call. any e24 bmw is better than any 103 motor or any 126 body. as much as i appreciate the 126/300se's, the e24s in any style and really good cars. i would take ANY 300se compared to a v8 126. but an e24 bmw, any time. we are cheating as it's hard to find a good 2 dr 126. the 420 and 560 sec's i've seen are tired and too big for my taste. love the e24s. good luck, chuck.

For brute power....the V8....for better MPG's and an engine thats easier to work on and will still get you around fine, the M103....we have one, and they aren't bad at all. We've already put over 3k on it in less than 3 months....its fun to drive. Its like a race car engine on the highway if you lettarip....it sounds awesome on its way to 5000+ rpm! (and 100+ mph!!)

If E24s are so great what happened to all of them? The number of them on the road is basically zero. I haven't seen a single one in months. Why are they not on the road?

A friend had an E24 coupé, which rotted away, as this page tends to confirm:

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=726

Pity -- attractive cars as they were.

The poster who brought up the E24 compared it with the W126.
Mercedes direct competition to the E24 was the C124.

In 1988 I was keen on buying aan E24 635CSI.
Trading up from a 318I
BMW dealer gave me the car on a friday night to drive and return on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday morning I drove the E24 to a Merc dealer and took a 300CE M103-12V out for a few hours.

Purchased the 300CE on the spot..it overall outperformed the E34.

Twenty one years later I still have my 300CE, now with a TT and load dyno'd at 300 torque at the rear wheels.

Still as new with 66K miles and can't recall the last E34 I've seen !!!

You switched from E24 to E34 on us, both of which were available in 1988.

My 560sec is a joy to own. Yes, it has a healthy appetite for gasoline, and as an aging car there are some expenses in ownership, but it is my daily driver. I didn't pay much for it, the mechanicals are solid (was owned by my independent Mercedes mechanic for many years - and he is well respected around these parts) and there is no rust. The paint is getting tired, and I may repaint it at some point, but I believe this car has another 100,000 miles in it before major overhaul. The two door looks great, and I get a lot of comments about my beautiful car! It is a car that took me some time to truly appreciate, and I would dearly miss it if gone.
If you can find one of these, it may be worth your while.
I have a W124 E320 which is a very good car, but i generally drive the coupe.