I am new to this site and have joined to hear experiences from its members. I am currently looking at getting a 1994 or 1995 e420 and need some info. It seems like every e420 I look at, the seats are much more cracked and broken down compared to the 400e from 1992 to 1993 model years. Did MB change the leather quality/type? Also, what options were available on a 1995 e420? Id like to get one with ASR. What type of things should I watch out for with these cars? Do you believe that the 1994-1995 E420 is less problematic and a better car than the 1992-1993 400e? Any thoughts or info is appreciated. Thanks

 

well all the 400e's and e420's have a bad wiring harness so make sure that is taken care of. They usually go out around 80k miles i think... also make sure the rest has been taken care of. If the car has been treated well, then its good for.

 

W124! If its a nice clean well maintained car , jump on it baby !! You will love it!! I still can't get the grin off my face when i'm drivin BigBlue!! She's a winner!

Smokie

 

ASR sucks...find one that doesn't have it....or has a defeat switch installed.

I don't think leather was changed...rather some owners took better care of their leather than others.

Between 100-150K the car will need a ton of work, most of it is DIY and parts aren't too bad but it adds up fast; just caps, rotors, plugs and wires will run you close to $500 .... read up on them thru these forums and become as educated as possible from others experiences. I learn alot from forums like this and would probably be much more clueless without them with regard to my 500E.

Taken care of..they easily last 250-300K with regular maint. Solid stuff, they don't make cars like this anymore.

 

$500 buks You must be havin the dealer put on the gold plated ones. I did the same job minus the wires and had less than $200 in the whole job! You will love the E420 ! Great car!

Smokie

 

buy it... 94-95 benz is the last of the "old school" body style. The classic look. They will run forever

 

" Do you believe that the 1994-1995 E420 is less problematic and a better car than the 1992-1993 400e? Any thoughts or info is appreciated. Thanks "

I believe, these two cars are the same mechaniclly. They both have the same, 4.2L engine. Don't let the badge fool ya.

 

another thread on m-119 issues

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...=400e+problems

 

My 1995 E320 leather seats seem to have quite a bit of cracking. I have owned it for 8 years and I guess I should have done more to lubricate the leather. I take very good care of the car, but the seats cracked anyway. My friend just purchased a 1996 300D. It is the W210 instead of a W124. His car’s seats are like brand new! They do not have a single crack or any kind of wear at all. They are MBTex seats, which seems to be much better than leather. Who would have thought that vinyl would actually be much better than leather.

In general, after seeing how well his 1996 W210 has held up, I would be tempted to recommend the W210 over the W124. It seems a bit more modern, even though I still love my old-school W124. There is only 1-year difference in our cars and we have the same mileage, but his car seems like new. It is very hard to believe that anyone could have babied a car more than I have, so I think it must be the W210 that is just well made. He does have a couple of door dings, but other than that it looks brand new. My car is almost perfect, except for those increasingly cracked leather seats and deteriorating steering wheel. My car is dealer maintained and waxed constantly, but that W210 still looks to be in better shape than my pristine babied W124.

 

My 95 124's seats are fine actually. In fact, I think they're still in really good shape. I'm still amazed.

http://users.rcn.com/holsonyap/FallW124/Fall05b_0.jpg

The only annoying thing I had to fix on my E420 was the Evaporator. (very expensive).

Honestly though, if I didn't love the 124's shape so much, I'd rather have a W210 or a Subaru Legacy GT or something.

The best bit of the E420 has to be the M119 motor though. it is so smooth, sounds really good, quiet, and has that pleasant old school multi-valve powerband.

 

My seats do not look terrible, but they are definitely getting cracked. In fact, I have always liked the look of aged worn leather. I was just very impressed with the incredible durability of the MBTex. As I sad, my friends W210 looks like it is brand new.

Not bad, but not brand new or as nice as Holson's

 

Like I said... just plain old OEM wires could cost you up to $400...aftermarket ones you may find cheaper, but not by much. Good thing is that you really only need to change them once every 100,000 miles. $500 for 2 Bosch dist.caps, 2 Bosch dist. rotors, 16 Bosch plugs and 10 OE wires is right on the money....if not cheap.

Yes, buying the W124 E420 would be a smart move as its arguable that the chassis was one of the best built of any modern car. The M119, while troublesome when neglected, is a super motor to have in there.