I am looking into a used '92 400E with 175,000 miles, as a temporary car (I plan on having it for 2-4 years before upgrading to something like a new E63). It has heated seats, but i don't know what other options it has (I will call later today, or tomorrow, to find out, once I know what else to ask). The car is almost a 5 hour drive from me, so I don't want to go look at it until I am relative sure that I want to buy it. Unfortunately, there is not much of a maintenance record. The seller does not know if the wiring harness has been replaced (speaking of which, do the replacements have better insulation, to not need further replacements?). Is there any visual way to tell if it has been replaced?

The blower motor does not work (probably not too major... could even be just the fusible link). Can I somehow check the a/c operation in cold temps, without the blower working? Supposedly it has one "rot spot" but the undercarriage is supposedly very good.

In the past, my parents had a 300TE 4matic wagon, which had all of the hydrolic lines rust out (that, plus an electrical issue draining the battery in 2 days and the 4matic not working (probably the seal between the trans and 4matic unit) pushed them over the edge, and they sold it). Is this a common problem, and should I expect it on a car from New York?

It has been garage kept and "lady owned".

It's advertised for $2500; how fair is this, considering no maintenance records? The tires are "good" and the brakes (no idea if it's just pads, or more) are almost new.

If I get the vin number, can I call Mercedes to get any records performed at their dealers?

Please tell me first: things I can ask over the phone, and second: things I can look for when I see it.

As I said, I did a lot of work on a 300TE, so I have some experience with these cars (although only the 300, not 400). I know maintenance on this kind of car is fairly expensive, but can someone give me an estimate of how expensive? My parents were lucky with the 300TE--until the hydryolics and 4matic went, they had very few problems, with over 200k. Also, my parents' 300TE burned oil, about 1 quart/600-800 miles: is this normal? Is there any way to check for oil consumption?

Other than the wiring harness, what other costly repairs should I be aware of, and if possible, how can i check to see if they have been done?

I have the w124 service manual (cds), from the 300TE, so that should apply to this too.

Thanks for your help!

 

The blower motor being out probably means no go.

Thats a take the whole dashboard out job.

 

The 400E is different from a 300TE? The blower motor on that is a pain, but can easily be done in less than a day, from under the hood. (I did all that on the 300TE due to intermittent failures... before checking the fusible link. It was just the fuse... trip to the dealer and a 2 minute fix.)

If it's really so bad, I'll have the seller check the fusible link... (I was going to use the blower to try to get the price down, but that won't work if he knows it's just the fuse).

Assuming the blower motor is really bad, how much of a price deduction is fair, for that? (Starting at 2500.)

 

Congrats on your possible 4ooE purchase. I just bought my '93 in November with about 160k miles and the only thing wrong with it was a bent steering damper ($100 fix) and it will need flex discs at some point. It's a clean title, CA car that is in excellent condition. The previous owner didn't know what was wrong with it and I got him down to $1500, lol.

I suggest asking if he has had the flex discs on the driveshaft replaced. With 170k, they are probably about due....if you test drive it, give it gas through first gear and if you feel vibration throughout the body, they will probably need replacing.