ya like title said, i am very close to purchasing my very first car and i am very excited. i did plan on getting a E36 bmw but honestly i rather have a auto. Plus the mercedes just looks soo pimped out with big rims, i always drool all over my self everytime i see one on the road. so i figured ima go for it, you know how me do, real big.
been looking at 1994 or 95 E320 on autotrader and there is a ton of them around, i just have a few question for you guys, any help is extremly apreciated, I plan on getting one with around 80K miles but definately under 100k. (my dad wont let me get anything with more than that much miles on it.)
1. is there a code that i can refer to the 1994 - 1995 made E320 with? typing the 1994 - 1995 everytime i wanna make a point is a hassle.
2. How long do the engine on her usualy run till? my mom's ford crapped out completely at 140k miles, i was wondering what # i am expecting.
3. How is the mainteince like on mercedes? i always had the expresion that mercedes cost a arm and a leg to upkeep, what is the real deal? what parts do i usualy replace? how much do the mercedes parts cost? how much money will i be paying each year for maintnience.
4. Last 1, Instead of a 1994 - 1995 E320, is there anything else that YOU would recomend me getting as my first car?
THANXX!

 

Nice choice the last two years of the W124. My first car was a Benz also and i still have it 5 years later. Yes parts are expensive but then again a BMW would be also u should not worry about getting one under 100k the E320 should easily go 200k+. The code is W124 but that spans from 1985-1995 and all engines so the only wat to refer to it is the 94-95 E320 cause in 94-95 they just changed the body panels and it looks better but the suspension is just as good as the older W124s. U made a wise choice stick with it. There are pently of good first cars but if u like the 94-95 E320 go with it. But if ur lookin at other Benzes the W202 which is a 94-00 C-class about the same price range also. Other models would be a W126 (81-91 S-class) or W140 (92-99 S-class) more options and can be more expensive to repair because of that I have 2 W126's and i love them both ones an 86 300SDL and the other is an 89 560SEL. I had also considered a BMW E36 and there is nothing bad i can say about them just mainly never got one cause of space.

 

thanks for the information, - very helpful. will keep you guys all updated when im hunting and when i get her = )

 

as i was surfing through the threads i found 1 thing that made quite some concern.
this was made by some1 with 2 post so im not sure how reliable it really is. can any1 confirm this for me? if this is true i am definately going with a pre 1994 300E. So far i have heard a lot of good things about the 300E, a lot more than the E320, the only difference i can see between the two is really the grill in the front and the mercedes sign. i do like the look of a E320 a lot more, but if the 300E is cheap, more liable, less maintience and last longer, i might have to rethink this.
Any information is <3ed.

 

I had also read this post b4 however its the only negative thing i had heard about those years at least for the W124 however he is correct about those years and the harness but any car that the harness goes bad on will cause problems with the ECU its not just the model ur looking at. In my opinon check the wires of cars u are looking at and then call a dealer or other parts supplier and find out the cost of a new harness fix the problem b4 it hurts the ECU his $700 price seems high so check around. This can happen to any car i have heard of it happening in other models as well but mainly 90-95 R129 and W140s.


Plus u have to realize that every make and model of almost every car will have some minor gremlin that will cause a problem be it minor or major.

U did however ask for a recommendation b4 so i can give u one if u would not mind driving a Diesel the 1986-87 300sdl a guy on here has one an 86 forsale no u cant have mine it has 62,000miles and he is in Chicago and he wants $13,500 i think. If i had the space and moeny i would go buy it cause they are great cars mine has 296k.

 

siccmade,

The problem occurs with Series 124 fitted with type 104 (6 cylinder) engines using HMF injection/ignition control systems. This is because most of the engine harness is buried inside the top of the engine and gets very hot. After 10 years the cable insulation tends to crumble and you can get short circuits/high resistance contacts.
Hence with any M-B of this age, fitted with HMF, you need to budget for a new engine cable harness (wiring harness).

See discussion on the forum “Where are my spark plugs” for the full story.

Allan L

'94 E320 Coupe
'04 Honda (to make sure I get there)