1994 E420 Buying
 

An acquaintance of mine wants to buy his dads e420 for 3000.00. It is practically mint on outside and is mint on inside. Car starts on first turn and is quiet. There is no delay or jerk in drive or rear when shifting. Acts Like brand new. Everything works perfectly that I could test. I told him its a steal for 3k compared to what I've put into mine and still have to pray after I get it started. Its got 165k. His Dad is original owner....nice! Thoughts out there? Feels as new as Ive come across....

sptt, seems like a great deal at first glance. If your friend's father maintained the E420 by-the-book, or had a qualified tech do the same, and has complete service records then it would be a fine price. However, if this automobile looks good and has spotty maintanance then it could be very costly to rejuvenate. In general V8's are more expensive to maintain than I6's, particularly for non-DIY'ers.

If his dad is the original owner, then he should know if it has been maintained well, or not.

$3K seems like its more than a fair price.

Buy it. Especially if transmission is shifting as smooth as you say, and both inside and outside are mint. Good buying price, in my humble opinion.

I have '95 E420 ('94 and '95 are the same model) and I absolutely LOVE the car. I've owned the car for @ 6 years.

Major issue to check is if engine wiring harness has been replaced. Of course, your friend's father should know. If not, good possibility it'll have to be replaced at some point in time if your friend keeps the car.

I have 4 cars...all newer and with less mileage than the E420. Yet, the car I pick every morning to drive to work? You guessed it - the MB.

Thanks for the feedback! Just based on my transmission and condition of my car compared to that one, his seems mint! And, yes, his dad only had it serviced at the dealership and is orginal owner (Im jealous now). It shows that well maintained and cared for makes a significant difference down the road with a quality vehicle like this.

I agree with some of the statements in the previous posts. Regardless of how well the car was maintained, it will need the engine wire harness (if it has not been replaced). And most likely it will need the ETA harness redone. Once you start having ASR problems (if it is an ASR), you know you are there.

Regards and best of luck.

if an old man out to screw his son, then what can we do?
sounds like a good deal.
these car can be expensive to fix, thats why 1st owner kept them so long and decide to get a newer one.

I would buy the car in a heartbeat, given the information provided; But like I said, the harnesses will need to be done at some point. This issue has been well documented with those cars.

"if an old man out to screw his son, then what can we do?"
I doubt that is the case, and I do not think anyone is suggesting it.