josetann

We had an 02 E320 Wagon, then someone rear-ended it and totaled it. Now we're looking for another car (our back-up saturn wagon is leaking half a quart of oil into the coolant daily), and might be able to afford a 95 E320 wagon. I like buying the last model year of a series, and the 95 seems like a decently built car (so was our 02, but I haven't found a W210 in our price range).

Anyways, what should I be looking out for? I have searched, and have gathered I need to ask if the head gaskets have been replaced. What other stuff should I be paying attention to?

I've found a 95 E320 wagon for under $3,000, but they list several problems including front suspension, needs new starter, brakes, and needs body work. They also posted that they had the transmission completely rebuilt at 80K miles (I may be crazy, but unless it's driven hard shouldn't it last a while longer?). Has just a bit over 100K, current owner bought it at 50K. Sounds like it's been driven ok since the new owner bought it, but what about the first 50K miles?

Quick side question, has anyone had a quick-disconnect put on their driveshaft? I need to tow this behind an RV, either 4-down or on a tow dolly, and don't want to tow it backwards.

GEDaggett

There is a lot to consider when it comes to the purchase of a W124. With the repairs you listed you could easily spend $2000 Take that money and add it to the $3000 you would spend on the car and you could get a pristine 320 wagon that needs very little (see the link at the end of this post).

The things you need to look for are as follows but in no way all inclusive.

Wiring harness - These degrade and cost between $750 and $1200. You should really verify if the harness has been replaced.

Head gasket - Look for oil leaking on the passenger side front and back. Often people who know they have this leak will degrease the engine compartment in order to hide it. The best thing to do is get it up on a rack and look at the engine from the underside. If you can't do that then test drive the car and make sure you get the RPM up to 5000. When you do this the crank case pressure will rise and any major leaks should be evident. When you are done with the test drive leave the car running and open the hood. Look at the area for any oil that might have leaked. Then look for oil under the car on the ground. A Head gasket job can cost $500 if you do it yourself and up to $1600 if you pay for it to be done.

Throttle actuator - Any fluxuating or surging of the idle speed should be seriously looked at. This is often the wiring harness or the throttle actuator (throttle body) a used actuator is $200 on ebay and $800.00 new.

Transmission - Make sure there are no overly hard or sluggish shifting. Put the car in reverse and it should engage within a second or so with no linking.

Engine vibration - Could be motor mounts but if you have excessive shaking or rough idle you gotta look closer

Do a car fax vehicle history report or have one of the guys here do it for you. It cost $35.00 for unlimited use for one month and it will insure a non slavage and mileage of the car.

If you can get a car with the service history you are better off. Most Benz dealerships will do a pre-purchase inspection for the cost of an hours labor $100 - $150. This is very valuable as they will know exactly what to look for and will sign off on the vehicle condition.

These are great cars if you get the right one. Take your time as best you can when looking.

As far as this being a camper tow being I would suggest replacing the head gasket on the saturn and use it. The w124 e-class weighs 4000lbs and is not the easiest to tow. The saturn ( i used to drive one) weighs half of the benz and you would be better off on you MPG towing that thing around and you don't have to worry about wrecking the paint on your benz with road debris.

Hope this helps





http://www.cars.com/go/search/search...2&aff=national

Real1shepherd

I agree totally with GED...take the cost of repairs (and the wagon you mention will be serious money) add that to the $3000 you're willing to buy the car for and buy a pristine model of the same yr or like mine, a '92 which would not have the disintegrating wire harness issues.

You'll find that in a lot of these cars, the owners just give up the ghost (for whatever the reason-usually $ related) and so the repairs are numerous and costly to put them back in shape. Look for the owner that has kept up with them and a car therefore in FAR better shape than the one you describe.

Kevin

josetann

Thank you! I'd read about the wiring harness issue, didn't realize it was something that basically needed to be replaced on a schedule.

As for our current car, I had posted on the saturnfans site and everyone who replied believed it was a cracked head (it's a sohc, the dohc doesn't have that problem). Plus we need a bigger car. We really miss the room our W210 wagon had. If we were towing just for short trips then we might keep the saturn just for that, but currently we're going on three month outings (wife has started travel nursing, standard contract is 13 weeks). At least I didn't pay to have the quick disconnect put on our other car before it was wrecked.

josetann

Ok, which years aren't affected by the disintegrating wire harness? Or is it a difference between the 320 and 300? Is there no way to purchase a non-disintegrating wire harness?

GEDaggett

The only way to tell if the head is cracked is to take it off and have it checked. No one can tell with those symptoms alone f it is the head, the gasket or both.

danholm

I would suggest the 93-95 model years as they have the M104 motor. Twin cam in line 3.2 liter. I've had both the M103 motor (88-92 300TE) and M104 93 300TE 94-95 E320). I much prefer the torque and power of the M104.

My current 95 has been fantastic! 170K miles. Harness at 72K. Nothing really major since. Uses or leaks no oil. Maintenance is always up to date. I do stuff before it breaks. I think that makes a big difference, cause one doesn't have to do a bunch all at once if you let things go.

Just me, but I don't trust CarFax. I ran mine, and it was way off. Didn't even mention a $10K repair for an altercation with a deer. Only one out of a dozen dealer visits were reported.

If your looking at units with a lot of miles, the rear suspension is expensive. The hatch shocks will fail and keep the hatch from staying up. A lot of time to install new hatch dampers.

Great cars, these 124's

GEDaggett

There is a way to tell if the harness has been replaced. Somewhere either here or on Benzworld I saw a thread that had the part numbers listed for the original and the replacement. Basically any harness made after 95 is OK everything before it is a problem.

GEDaggett

Agreed the m104 is a beast of an engine.

termite

peculiar to the wagons is that the quarter glass [the windows in the quarter panels] frequently leak. look for a stain on the carpet in the rear or evidence of water in either rear compartment. will cause the woofer amp to die if the leak is on the right side. fix is to remove the glass and install a factory new seal...

ps2cho

I have this problem on my wagon so I can attest to it...Luckily I don't have an amp there and it rarely rains in CA so I'll let it be