torquemonster

I am considering selling my bone stock 1994 e320. id like more hp and tq, in other words i want something faster. My price is whatever i can sell the e320 for and maybe a little extra, so about 6-8g's. possibly i might have up to 12 grand to spend i just dont know yet.

Is A 1994-95 E420 much faster if so give me an idea, 0-60 time?? 1/4 mile time??? Is it worth selling an e320 to get a E420??

Oh and unlike the 94-95 e320 can you mod a E420 with cheap performance bolt on mods like ECU, chip, air intake all that good stuff or does it not do anygood like the e320??

say i do have 12 grand to spend, What should i get?? (id like to stay with w124) but i do like the c36 also. just list any car you think is a good car to get and i do want good performance.--thanks for any input!!

Smokiesman

Well if your looking for the ponies then shell out the extra coin and get yourself a 95 E420 . Save your bux on any HP mods cuz ya won't needem! That V8 is a kick in the pants and I may be wrong but don't think there a lot of HP mods available if so I bet they will fracture your wallet! The beauty of the beast is you can open a can of whup *** on someone and still get 25MPG!!

Smokie

AMG_Fred

the 3420 is good. and if you can get a c32 for that price, have fun with that! another good thing, one that im actually looking for right now if price is good is the acura cl type s. bad things to go is the auto tranny and was put under recall

Holson

I have an E420 and I had the chance to trade it in for a C43 for $5k more. I did not take them up on it just because the W202 didn't quite feel a good as a 124 inside.

But it sure was fast, stopped well, and looked more modern. Had better AC system too.

So it's up to you... I personally think the E420's not much faster than an E320. (I've driven a bunch of 320s) The 420 does however, sound much better, feel more relaxed in accelerating and all the other perks of a bigger engine.

The M119 V8 block is made out of aluminum and the M104's I6 block is made out of iron so the V8 doesn't weigh that much more.

If you want fast though, the AMG C36 and C43 are definitely faster and if you could get the W203 C32... that's a different story

Regarding performance mods, the one mod that would make the E420 accelerate faster is a 2.82:1 or 2.65:1 rear axle. The stock 2.24:1 makes it a relaxed long distance cruiser more than a hot rod.

Chips, etc. probably don't do much. Check out force-induced cars if you want huge gains using those mods. E.g. Subaru Legacy 2.5GT, Porsche 944 turbo, Mitsubishi Evo, Audi 2.7Ts, etc.

Good luck!

Smokiesman

Holson! you should be workin for DB takin shots of there cars. Those are some mighty fine pics friend. You can do a layout on my ride anytime!! Glad to see someone else likes the 2 tone!


Smokie

ashman

if you get an e420, definately upgrade the differential to a 2.82 many others I know have done it and said it was the best performance mod they could do to the car.

IT really made the car quicker.

Check out this guy I know who has a 94 e420 and what he has done to his car.

http://www.tom.actionfit.com/2_82_Differental_Swap.html

http://www.tom.actionfit.com

Alon

e320newbie

C43 AMG if u can find one talk about v8 kick, mustang gt's haha whata joke i passed him at 200kmph and he was matting the peddal haha he might as well been sitting still because he looked like he was, the 43 still pulled too man at 200 pulling STRONG!! crazy car drank some gas on her lil race too if u can call that a race :P

Jim's500E

Whoa...who said you can mod a M119? You can't do much of anything to the motor with bolt on junk....chips do nothing but move the hp around the rev range...larger airbox benefits are a myth. Race gas does nothing but ruin the cat. And I seriously doubt anyone is getting 25mpg with a M119 unless they are driving 35 mph all day long. You may see 20mpg on a trip with the cruise at 70....that's about it Short of boring it out to 6+ litres...you get nothing from the mods listed. The motor is pretty damn good right out of the box stock....for a 25+ year old design

I've dragged (officially at 2 drag strips) several 'modded' 500Es with chips and exhaust, etc; ZERO gain. Ours cars (mine stock) pulled and still pull a low 14.1 sec. 1/4 mile time. Short of a NOS bottle, the cars don't break into the 13s or sub 5sec 0-60.

The E420 is a fine and fast enough car as is. The only drawback on the E420 is that the motors electronics are poor (like the 500Es), especially at this age. In this respect the E320 is the better car and a whole lot cheaper to fix and maintain.

C36...OK car, sorta rare....kinda slow...C32...great motor, fast but build quality doesn't come close to any W124. W210 and 211 E55s are straight line faster but reliablity and quality are non-existent. They don't handle as well as the W124 V8s either as I have not lost an auto-x or time trail to any new V8 MB. Sure, driver skill means a ton as their numbers are certainly better than a 500E, on paper at least. The BEST V8 MB if been in to date is a SLK55....chick car, yes, but the motor in there is a monster; the car is like a go-cart on roids. WOW.

Lotsa food for thought...hope I haven't burst anyone's bubble with my opinions...but I've been living with a M119 for many, many years ; heard and seen it all from all types too. If anyone cares to watch a 500E on track....Nov 4 I will be at Lime Rock Park in NW Connecticut all day. Bring a helmet and an adult diaper and I'll prove to ya' the M119 is just fine as is !!! I challenge ANYONE with another V8 MB sedan to come and show me I'm wrong.

Smokiesman

Jim ! I agree with most of what you said but for the milage fig. My E420 gets and I drive here in the mtns. and don't baby the gas pedal and I get consistantly 25 MPG and worst was 22 . Just my 2 cents !

Smokie

StapleGun

Agreed! My father had a E420 and would get consistently get 24/25 mpg on the highway w/out babying her too!

I get 23/24 mpg with my C43 pretty consistently...so there's another option for you.

Legoinsaniac

I get 23/24 mpg with my 400E, in the flat lands of Ohio

Holson

I don't get more than 23 at best on the freeway.

Right now I'm averaging 16/17mpg between fill-ups. My commute consists of 6-mile (one-way) stop and go traffic only though.

Not exactly economical hehe... but it did beat my sick Toyota Celica, which was getting 13/14mpg from its 2.2l I-4 (SLOWWW, noisy, and sounds terrible)

Smokiesman,

Thanks for the compliments, I grab my brother's camera and try taking cool pictures myself but he's still better at it!

Jim's500E

Hey, that's very cool that your versions of the M119 DOES get decent gas mileage...my version gets around 12 in town and once I got 20 mpg on the highway on a 400 mile run at about 75. Usually its around 16-18. I obviously spoke too soon and I apologize for any goose-steppin'....my lead boots are heavy to say the least.

Like one of you said...the E420 is more of a cruiser...while the 500E fuel mapping is most certainly geared toward the performance side of things....hence it gulps the fuel instead of sipping it.

....but if the E420 V8 gets almost a good mileage as a E320 then why not get one? ...or even a C43.

And Holson...who you kidding? your car looks like its hardly ever driven !!

oliverb

Smaller displacement of the 4.0/4.2 liter engine, different final drive ratio and not tuned for performance as much as the 500 makes the difference. For 1993 the 4.0 was boosted from 10:1 to 11:1 compression ratio and knock sensor added to the engine management system. HP was boosted from 268 to 275, mpg improved slightly allowing the gas-guzzler tax to be lifted (Stu Ritter: Mercedes Benz Owner's Bible). Sounds like the "94-'95 series E320 had similar improvements in mpg. I have been advised that for best economy go for the older 2.6 versions of the 300E or the '94-'95 E320.
OliverB

Smokiesman

Ok Torque ! Now you have heard the pros and cons ,what are ya waitin fer we want pics of that E420 pardner!

Smokie

torquemonster

i think im goin to get a C36 AMG instead of E420 but if that doesnt work out then ill go with the e 420

Smokiesman

This be lookin kinda bad!

Smokie

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Relia...QQcmdZViewItem