what is my 95 E320 wagon worth? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

skinnison · #1 03-03-2010, 01:02 PM

This is my first posting, hopefully it goes well. Just left my mechanic with sad news. Leaky head gasket. Also pretty bad oil leak at crank shaft seal. I love this car, best I have ever owned but I think its days are numbered. Here are some details: 190,000 miles, body is in excellent shape, 6 month old MB exhaust, almost new hancook tires and additional set of studed snow tires, interior in great shape. It's a white 1995 E320 wagon with third seat. I assume it is destined to be a parts car which kills me, but I can't justify the head gasket, seals, and new wiring harness (you know the one in there will be toast after working on the motor). Here are my two questions:

ballpark figure for value for trade in?
recomendations for my next MB?

I loved everything about this car, its endurance, features, comfort, engeneering, etc... My next vehicle must be similar. How are the newer wagons?

Thank you!

TheDon · #2 03-03-2010, 01:09 PM

doing the wiring harness is a DIY effort.. the other two.. not so much if you dont have the time, skill, tools, etc.

but getting it sorted out would probably be a lot cheaper in the long run than getting a new car.

lorainfurniture · #3 03-03-2010, 01:14 PM

what kind of engine is in it?

skinnison · #4 03-03-2010, 01:22 PM

It is a straight six 3.2 L. I believe it is considered an M104 but I may be wrong.

lorainfurniture · #5 03-03-2010, 01:41 PM

I would fix it if I were you. You can have a reputable mechanic do crank seal and headgasket for less than 1500. im not sure how much a wiring harness is, but probably not a fortune..

Where are you located?

d.delano · #6 03-03-2010, 01:48 PM

190k, needs new wiring harness & head gasket, crank seal(I assume it's the front seal). If it were me I'd fix it. If you like the car so much, just fix it. Take the opportunity to renew the cylinder head while it's off(new valve guides & seals, seats recut, valves ground, lifters, etc) and you just might discover you've got a new car. Any MB with no rust or body damage is worth the cost of fixing.
On trade-in it will be worth almost nothing. Even a car that's well-sorted will return a pauper's pittance at the dealer. Then that dealer will band-aid it up somehow and sell it for three times the value he gave you for it. That's how used car profiteering works. If you want some dealer scumbag to profit at your expense then go for the trade-in, and suffer accordingly. Keep the car, fix the issues, and be happier for it. If there was any car worth the trouble of sorting out it is a Mercedes-Benz w124 E320 wagon. This car is NOT a throwaway. Can't believe you can't 'justify' fixing it.
Selling it for parts would be sad, and take forever.

skinnison · #7 03-03-2010, 01:55 PM

My mechanic said he would send it to a MB dealer to have the head gasket done which would cost around $3000. Last I checked the wiring harness was around $1000. I am somewhat mechanicaly inclined, I have done things like plugs, wires, brakes (rotors & pads) but I would be a little intimidated to do the head gasket and crank seal. What would a job like this cost through a good independent mechanic. I live in NH by the way.

Thank you for all your replies. I am glad that I have brought this discussion up!

d.delano · #8 03-03-2010, 02:18 PM

I'm assuming your mechanic is not an MB-specific independent. I can't stress enough the importance of taking your car to an MB-specific independent mechanic. And I mean a good one. If you don't have any in your area, then do the next best thing and go to an established indy that specializes in German cars, and has a good reputation for doing so. Do NOT go to the dealer, they do NOT always know what the hell they are doing. Also, dealer labor and parts will kill your wallet. Dead. The dealer only wants to make the money, and quite truthfully doesn't care about anything else, reputation included.
It's hard for me to believe that there are no good indy MB mechs in the Northeast. That's where all the rich folk live after all!
$3k for a head gasket, for my part, had better damn well include everything else on your list of fixits. Yes, that's overpriced, and offensively so. It's not a space shuttle.
Now- for the parts involved, you WILL want to use the dealer. You want dealer parts for those jobs. However- not all dealers will charge you $1k for a wiring harness. Just depends.
Maybe you join the MB club for $40 to get the discounts, take the parts to a good indy, and declare victory.
Of course if you get discouraged let me know and I'll take the car off your hands. I'd love me some w124 E320 wagon right about now. Fine car don't part with it or you'll likely have some major regret to deal with.

lorainfurniture · #9 03-03-2010, 02:25 PM

If you were closer, id buy it from you..

4k is a lot to put into a car. If you have a spare car, and want to tackle that project yourself, you can get away with less than half that.

Shop around, either find a reputable mech, or do it yourself.. Its actually fun/rewarding if you do it yourself, and are not in a rush to finish.

TylerH860 · #10 03-03-2010, 02:49 PM

Original Transmission too? With near 200k the front suspension is going to need to be freshened up in the near future, and the rear hydraulic suspension is probably on its way out too.

My suggestion is to put it on Craigslist for $1500 disclosing the issues (without the price estimates) If the car is simply leaking oil from the head gasket and still drivable someone will jump on it. If its mixing with coolant it may be more challenging. There will always be an ambitious DIYer to buy cars at that price. Be ready to settle for a grand.

As for a replacement, I wouldn't change a thing. Just get a nicer, lower mileage one with everything done.

Before buying my current wagon last October, I came dangerously close to buying this one. He's a very nice seller, and was willing to sell it to me for $5750. At the time he was advertising it for $7000, so he may be even more receptive now. Its probably the nicest W124 wagon for sale in the country right now. I sold my first 1995 E320 wagon and bought a 2004 E500 wagon. After 6 months the higher cost and the 6 billion things that could go wrong just didn't seem worth it. I sold it and found a very nice 1995 wagon which I really enjoy.

Here's the link.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=269988571&dealer_id=64709879&car_year=1994&rdm=1267645501801&lastStartYear=1981&num_records=25&model=&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1994&engine=&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&certified=&body_code=128&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&make=MB&color=&keywords_display=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&body_style=WAGON&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&position=top&max_mileage=&style_flag=2&sort_type=mileageASC&address=67206&advanced=&end_year=1995&transmission=&doors=&max_price=&cardist=1006&standard=false

Skid Row Joe · #11 03-03-2010, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylerH860

Original Transmission too? With near 200k the front suspension is going to need to be freshened up in the near future, and the rear hydraulic suspension is probably on its way out too.

My suggestion is to put it on Craigslist for $1500 disclosing the issues (without the price estimates) If the car is simply leaking oil from the head gasket and still drivable someone will jump on it. If its mixing with coolant it may be more challenging. There will always be an ambitious DIYer to buy cars at that price. Be ready to settle for a grand.

As for a replacement, I wouldn't change a thing. Just get a nicer, lower mileage one with everything done.

Before buying my current wagon last October, I came dangerously close to buying this one. He's a very nice seller, and was willing to sell it to me for $5750. At the time he was advertising it for $7000, so he may be even more receptive now. Its probably the nicest W124 wagon for sale in the country right now. I sold my first 1995 E320 wagon and bought a 2004 E500 wagon. After 6 months the higher cost and the 6 billion things that could go wrong just didn't seem worth it. I sold it and found a very nice 1995 wagon which I really enjoy.

Here's the link.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=269988571&dealer_id=64709879&car_year=1994&rdm=1267645501801&lastStartYear=1981&num_records=25&model=&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1994&engine=&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&certified=&body_code=128&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=y&make=MB&color=&keywords_display=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&body_style=WAGON&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&position=top&max_mileage=&style_flag=2&sort_type=mileageASC&address=67206&advanced=&end_year=1995&transmission=&doors=&max_price=&cardist=1006&standard=false

I would do this........^^^

TylerH860 · #12 03-03-2010, 03:06 PM

Here is another suggestion if you're really attached to the car. Who knows how long the head gasket will last on this one, though.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=271136

That would cut your repair bill in half.

Also, I had the head gasket replaced on my first E320 wagon with an independent Mercedes-only specialist for $1200. For my second wagon, I was able to find a used wiring harness that was replaced recently before the car was wrecked for $250.

d.delano · #13 03-03-2010, 03:12 PM

The cheapest way out is still to fix what you have. But- you have to plan it carefully for it to stay the cheapest way out. If it needs, or will need in the future, suspension and transmission repairs as well, then perhaps yes you should let it go. Adding those repairs to the list would put it beyond economic feasibility for me.
Sounds like even though you love the car and it has been a good one, you just might be bored with it and want a different car. Can't fault anyone for that. Good luck

Ferdman · #14 03-03-2010, 03:57 PM

skinnison, your 1995 E320 wagon in its present condition may be worth $1,500 to someone who likes the color combination and can repair it himself. If you have been satisfied with this wagon and perform routine maintenance by-the-book I would get three independent MB-trained techs to evaluate the condition of your E320 wagon and provide quotes to replace the head gasket, recondition the head, replace the crankshaft seal, and perform any other pending repairs. Compare that price with what it will cost you to replace your wagon with another that may have its own imminent repair issues. In my opinion the post-1995 MB wagons aren't nearly as well made and durable as the 1995 MB wagons. Think long and hard before you decide to unload a fine automobile.

Chris W. · #15 03-03-2010, 05:44 PM

I think Delano and others speak the truth. Look at it this way. What is the monthly note on a new vehicle. If you're shopping for something of MB quality you'll easily spend $500 per month or more.

You should easily be able to get the head R&R'd for less than $3K, but let's say it was $3K including the work on the seal. That is only 6 months payment on a new sled.

If the trans is working well now, change the fluid and carry on. Chances are it will last at least until 300K. I have 308K on the trans of my '95 E300D, works just fine.

If you like the car, as others say, find a good indy shop and fix it, IMHO.

Rgds,
Chris W.