1992 400E (150K) or 2001 430E (158K) Same Price
 

This is a very basic question. I currently own a 1992 400E (150K miles) which needs about $4000 worth of work to get back to running.

I have the opportunity to purchase a currently running (and in good condition) 2001 430E AWD (158K miles) for $5000 (including transferring ownership of the 400E).

My 300E is history after 253,000 miles of great service to me and my family the front axle went out and I can not justify fixing that when I have these other two cars to deal with.

If not only because I have personally experienced the reliability and solid state of the 1992 300E, is there any reason putting the money into the 400E is better than purchasing the newer 430E with about the same amount of mileage?

Thanks for any feedback.

The transmission in the e430 is supposed to be sealed for life but we all know that should not be the case. But changing the tranny fluid at these miles is like playing Russian Roulette. I see that as a negative reason for getting this E430.

Oh...Sorry, I forgot, all these MB cars made starting with 1996 are susceptible to have Perch Spring failure on the front due to inner rusting/corrosion and; those bodies really get rusty with age. Neither of these things are true with the 124 model.

Thanks for your feedback. You know, I found an older (2000) E430 4Matic but with way lower mileage (for a Benz) 118,000. I drove it and it was night and day from the 2001, meaning the 2000 was rock solid (I drove it this morning in the snow, crud and slush all over the place backroads, highway, etc. Felt like the first time I drove my 300E 4Matic when it had about the same amount of mileage.

I am looking into the transmission fluid change and issue to see if / what was ever done. Other than that, like I said, the 2000 was extremely better feeling than the 2001. Thanks, again for your feedback.

If you are lucky the fluid has never been messed with and I would recommend leaving the transmission alone.

Thanks
 

Thanks, Gilly. That is helpful, too.

Changing fluid is cheap insurance for your trans. use the fuchs syntheic

Thanks. My other question was if the 2000 was the sealed trans and whether if this one would be ok to mess with if it had never been changed at 120000 miles. Thanks for your reply.

If youre asking the question, it's probably time to move on from your 20 year old car with 30 year old technology. That being said, jumping into a 12 year old car with that many miles on it is not exactly going to save you in maint and repair costs in the near term.

Thanks. In the interim since my first post I found a 2000 430E AWD with 119000 miles on it and settled on that one.

Some advocate leaving the fluid alone, others do not.

I go off this basis -- in South Africa they have Taxi's with 722.6's in them with 500k miles on them, who have changed the fluid every 60k according to schedule. And that is not just one example, there are many. There is a huge thread about this over on mbworld....

I would bet money there are zero original fluid 722.6's who have made it to 500k.

I changed the fluid on our 2002 CLK320 at 105k original fluid according to fluid analysis estimations, and have had zero issues and feel way more comfortable than wondering.
If you do change the fluid, USE THE CORRECT one. Do not substitute.

Thanks
 

Thank you for that response. It is very helpful. I still do not know what has been done to the transmission in this car, but will have my independent mechanic look at it and change if necessary.

Beautiful car, by the way!

I would not go so far as to say you will HARM the transmission by changing the fluid, I am just saying it is not neccesary or beneficial. For some sort of peace of mind maybe. My stance is that if the transmission is going to fail, it will fail whether the fluid is changed or not. Unless you are somehow capable of "cloning" a particular transmission, there is really no way to either prove or disprove what I am saying. I personally knew of a car (E300D) which made it past 350k without the transmission ever having any work done; repairs or maintenance. The owner put this amount of miles on within a few years and always had the car serviced per MB, including oil changes whenever called for by FSS.
Of course if you take it to a garage they will recommend a service; it's how they stay in business. Even many dealers recommend doing some sort of service. MB to this day still says the 722.6 has no fluid change interval.
That said, I woud be curious to see what kind of gunk is in the pan at probably 200K, seems reasonable to me.

Thanks, Gilly
 

Gilly, Thanks for that.

I now have the car, the 2000 E430 with 119K. Wow, it really is smooth; very smooth.

Similar to your friend, nothing was done for probably 100,000 miles (post the first 100,000) on my 300E and it still today (with 253,000) shifts as smooth and flawlessly as it ever has. It always had the issue that i would let it run for 5 minutes or until it was idling at 750 before taking off because when it was cold and the fluid was not flowing, it would shift from first to second very harshly. But that 5 minute period where the rpms dropped from about 1100 to 750 / 650 at idle was the answer every time.

I will have my guy look at the transmission fluid. I have no problem changing it if it's recommended. I have incomplete records, but if my gut is right, and my memory of the 300E when I first drove it is correct, this car is as solid or more solid than that right now based upon the shifting, idling, feel and sound, generally.