As the title says, I may be purchasing a Smoke Silver '95 E320. I spoke to the gentleman today who is the original owner from new. Car has around 109 going on 110K miles, don't know the maintenance history as of yet. Shocks were replaced last year, that's all I know so far. As I don't know what the market is for these cars, I'd like to know what would be considered reasonable for it? Assume the body and interior are in great shape and is mechanically sound. I base that on the description of a 3rd party who is a mutual friend of ours.

__________________
Never be ashamed to ask for help.

1985 300D
1987 300SDL
1970 Jaguar E-Type OTS
2002 Dodge Intrepid (Traded In)
2011 Ford Crown Victoria

I would base your bid on service records.. Wiring harness is probably done. Head gasket possibly, and evaporator probably not.

first two wouldn't bother me.. if the a/c doesn't cold... run away.

all other things being equal. I bought a 94 e320 with 128k 5 years ago for 3200. Sold it last year with 182k for 2600. I thought I underpaid a bit..but I think I sold it about for the right price.

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

Lee's advice is sound. If/if he's the original owner and it's been his daily driver at 5K miles a year, chances are most of the things that can go wrong have already. The problems Lee mentions aren't car specific. They ALL have them. Add to his advice a check on the transmission. Ask if it's ever been serviced. Check the fluid for freshness, and, if possible, ask to start the car cold in the morning (first start). That's when the slip from R to D is most noticeable. There's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes, and this one's pretty cheap. Just sayin'...

that said i think the 94 and 95 e 320's are the best 124's .. the 104 beats the 103 engine hands down... plus you get the nice facelift.

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1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

Is this a sedan or wagon you are looking at?

Another way to check the tranny is to back up a hill and see if it hesitates. Reverse is prone to go on these.

Maintenance records are very important. The head gasket will need to be done if it already hasn't been. You will see oil coming down the side of the block near the waterpump, or you will find oil in the coolant. I got about 180K miles out of mine before doing the head gasket. Mine only showed signs in the coolant.

Try all the window switches to make sure that they go up all the way. Also check that the antenna mast works and speakers work. Not that these are deal breakers but they could offer you some bargaining room.

I am not sure where you are located, but if the car is spotless, and he has records for the wiring harness and the head gasket, and the tranny is good, he might get something like $8K-9K for it. I think one just sold with 80K miles in perfect shape for over $10K.

On a side note, the wiring harness is not a definite failure item. Although almost definite. I say this because mine is original and has had no issues. I am loosing cruze control, or at least it is wavering. My mechanic told me it was something else I have opted not to repair.

Good luck! Hope you get a good deal. This is one of the best cars out there!

If it looks reasonable, drives OK, and doesn't need any major repairs I was thinking $3K, perhaps $3.5K. Compare it to this car: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-cars-sale/339656-fs-1993-w124-300e-2-8-phoenix-az-area.html assuming it will sell for a few hundred less than that asking price.

I'd like to see some more info based on what the previous poster has stated wrt value. His numbers are almost exactly what I paid for my 1993 300E 2.8 with 80K miles - when I bought it in 2003. You can buy the best 210 E320 out there or even a 211 car for that kind of money. I wouldn't pay that for a daily driver 124 sedan or wagon.

Here is one: http://motors.completed.shop.ebay.com/Cars-Trucks-/6001/i.html?MotorsShowItems&_nkw=mercedes+1995+e320+wagon&_dmpt=US_Cars_Trucks&LH_Complete=1&guest=1

Not sure if the link will work, but this one just sold for $6,900 and had 178K miles on it.

I couldn't find the one I was referring to, but it was sold about a month or two ago for about $10K, maybe it was $9,500.

The wagons are desirable and are great for daily use. I have been driving mine for 10 years and it has broken down one time, (when I hit a pot hole and broke my axle).

Maintenance records are everything!

I didn't see the 178K car, but I did see this one link 60K miles, 2 owners, sunbelt car, $8500. That seems to align well with asking prices I see for very low miles sedans on autotrader. Of course on ebay you can't be sure there wasn't shill bidding or that the transaction actually took place following the auction close.

Edit: OK, I see the wagon you are referring to. link Ebay shows the price in red, which means it did not sell. $6900 is the asking price. When looking at completed auctions, the price is shown in green if it sells, red if it does not.

I agree that wagons bring more than sedans, coupes and convertibles quite a bit more.

I am liking the numbers I tossed out earlier wrt a typical 124 sedan. Unless the condition is truly exceptional I don't see going higher in price. And unless it is owned by a real enthusiast that lavished far too much money and attention on it, it won't be in what I consider to be exceptional condition.

My $.02, but not worth that much...

I think $3k or $3.5K is too low. That's more typical for one with much higher mileage. 110k miles is low. If it's in good shape and has the big items covered harness replaced, gasket replaced or not leaking, transmission being rebuilt or sound), it should go for $5K or more, IMHO. Any less and it's a deal. I'd think it would not be out of place to buy it for as much as $6500 or so, if the condition and records are exceptional.

I don't think it can be compared to these cars with 170K miles on them. The cars last a long time, but 60K miles less is a big, big difference. At 15k miles a year that's 4 years of life difference.

The other thing to consider is your expectations. In some sense, a 150k mile car with harness, gasket and transmission all previously addressed could give you a lower cost to buy and maintain than one with 110k miles with the problems still to come. The question is how much you value those lower miles.

Incidentally, I just bought a 1994 S124 wagon, Anthracite/Grey, with 89k miles on it owned most of its life by the GM of a MB dealership. It's on its way to me. Photos look like the car was locked in a showroom for 19 years. Doesn't even look like it has the mileage on it that it does. Pretty excited about getting it. But, I also know I may be the owner to have to replace the head gasket and transmission on another 30k or 40k miles. However, we don't put much mileage on our cars. We could drive this for several years. We're taking the chance because they are very hard to come by with this mileage and condition.

Compared to a new car, it's nothing. I can have the transmission rebuilt and the head gasket done for the equivalent of 18 months of depreciation on my wife's 530xiT.

In our case, we wanted an S124 and just wanted the nicest one we could find but didn't want to pop for the $29k MB is asking for their 'classic' with 30k miles on it, and I don't like white. There is also a wagon with 87k on it in Florida for $13k. A bit high in my opinion. It's also white.

I'm also considering a 1995 E300D that has 92k on it and they are asking $7000 or so. I should grab it.

I think Smoke Silver is a great color, btw.

__________________
Thanks,

Joey

'88 560SL Pearl Black/Java 152K
'94 E320 Anthracite/Grey 89K


Previously:
'94 E420 Black/Bamboo
'90 300E
'71 280SEL 4.5

Thanks for all your responses! It's greatly appreciated. I'm currently waiting for the owner to come up to New Hampshire to show it to me. Having enough experience with my own car, rust free never truly means rust free, but the owner never drove it in the winter, hence the lower mileage. Beyond that, I don't know a whole lot more about it in terms of the service records. Once I have pictures and a better idea about what's been done to it, I will pass it along.

__________________
Never be ashamed to ask for help.

1985 300D
1987 300SDL
1970 Jaguar E-Type OTS
2002 Dodge Intrepid (Traded In)
2011 Ford Crown Victoria

For the record, though, the wiring harness problem does scare me, since our SDL is currently a project car because of the wiring harness...

__________________
Never be ashamed to ask for help.

1985 300D
1987 300SDL
1970 Jaguar E-Type OTS
2002 Dodge Intrepid (Traded In)
2011 Ford Crown Victoria

My wife and I changed the harness on our '94 E420 ourselves. A six-pack (maybe a 12 pack), a couple of hand tools and we were done in less than two hours.

__________________
Thanks,

Joey

'88 560SL Pearl Black/Java 152K
'94 E320 Anthracite/Grey 89K


Previously:
'94 E420 Black/Bamboo
'90 300E
'71 280SEL 4.5

These cars dont typically rust. The underneath is coated, the bottom panels are not metal, and the paint job is amazing on them. The only part of my car that has rust is the part that was replaced when I had an accident. I don't take particularly good care car washing wise either.

You said they are coming up to NH? Hello neighbor! I live in Barrington.

Thats awesome!

It actually helped a lot to have someone with smaller hands help get into the hard to access places.

__________________
Thanks,

Joey

'88 560SL Pearl Black/Java 152K
'94 E320 Anthracite/Grey 89K


Previously:
'94 E420 Black/Bamboo
'90 300E
'71 280SEL 4.5