Hello MB community. Back in a days MB had a slogan that said: "Best car in the world". Through my entire life I was so fascinated by this, and always dreamed to be a proud owner of one, and to be a memebr of this top-notch league. I love classic MB's and therefore after owning Honda and an old E30 I've decided to get an E-class. For me its a most beautiful piece of German engineering avalible to publicity. So I wanted to hear some suggestions for and advices for a buyer of 15-20 years old E-class. What to look for, what to ask seller about and what to be aware of. What typical problems does the car have. And also what specific models are known to be the best in terms of reliability (no diesel engines). I love in Boston, MA and I'm willing to travel around to NH RI and CT looking for my gem. If there anybody from this area what's a price range for a decent MB. Don't have e lot money but I'm a car lover and would love to hear from you MB owners.

 

E500??

On the 124 E320's common high dollar items are head gasket and wiring loom, to be done with MB parts. Then,

Transmission,
Front and rear suspension bushes, steering components.

There is other less expensive stuff like OVP Relays etc etc but a good clean car with LOW MILES and FULL MB SERVICE HISTORY should be OK. The most expensive Benz is the cheapest to buy.

If you like open air driving there is a good Cabriolet option, but really for where you are maybe a E500 would be best........??

Have a read on the forum.......

 

A 15-20 year old car from those areas you mentioned would be more prone to rust, unless you're seeking a garage queen that was not used in the winter. I would expect major repairs on any car that was approaching 20 years old.

The biggies are valve jobs, transmission rebuilds and a/c overhaul or conversion from R12. Also, suspensions need attention, seals dry out and crack and electrical wiring can get brittle. Replacement parts can cost a small fortune if you use OEM parts and you could spend a small fortune keeping the car roadworthy.

Are you looking for a 6 cylinder or V8? Sedan, coupe, cabrio or wagon?

 

I own a 1990 300e and ive been fixing up for a few years now. What ive noticed that has gone bad on this car and that i have seen on others is that around the 16-20 year mark whether the car is rusty or not you are going to have to change the springs, i had to do spring and strut swaps. After a while they get Brittle and crack. And the 300e the 3.0 when you go to take off has a good size lag. But they are the best cars in the world like you were saying, just normal issues.

 

Tnx for Advises guys.
Are you looking for a 6 cylinder or V8? Sedan, coupe, cabrio or wagon?[/quote]

I would like to own an Estate though, but here in New England people were buying those brand new, like doctors with few children or old couples for traveling ( that's good because the will probably have all fixes on the paper), but hard to find anything with less than 180k miles on it. I would love to own an E500 but thats.... I found a few and they were waaaaay above my budget... As a result I was thinking about 95 E320. Specifically about this one http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/cto/2283352325.html . I noticed few things - the wear on the steering wheel... It looks more used than 185k miles, Few dents on rear left door. Otherwise that's how I would like my car to look like with some classic monoblock AMG wheels hahah... But price seems hmmm too low I would say. I'm from Russia btw and that's what Russian criminals and mobsters used to drive in criminal 90's when Soviet collapsed. This and W140's. It is for sale in the neigborhood with a big Russian community. Low price, good exterior condition for New England, 185k... and $2999. A gem or wack lol?? And Somebody above said more expensive MB gives = less problems. What about w140's then. S320, S420 ones. Same questions. Which one is more reliable and cheaper to buy/fix (seems like a stupid question but...). And No coupes (saloon, WAGON lover). No cabrios (New England...)

 

And another thing. After reading the forum and reviewing the problems, I realized that people said some much about checking everything electronic way through the car's computer. So when MB start to first install those in W124 (not even asking about W140 because probably all of them have it yes/no?). So what I'm asking is how computirized are MB's of those years? I love to work on cars myself, but don't have a professional garage. Some semi-pro tools, backyard, and garages of my friends... So how complicated is maintenance on them if you are doing it yourself (not a mechanic but skilled enough and always can ask advice from a mechanic lol)? Offtopic again. I have a really big kind of ghetto looking service/body shop right in front of my house. It's called European masters (some Test Drive Unlimited stuff lol) and the front of it is like a showroom of MB's and BMW's in amazing condition both classic and almost virgin ones. However the back is like an emergency hospital room with those same MB's and BMW's being fixed. I went there without an MB and they refused to tell me their price ranges for so most often fixes. Why? So expensive for MB?

 

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/2278409009.html should I rethink about coupes haha

 

Yes, you should. THAT car is far more difficult to find than a 4 dr.

 

Offtopic but you have a beautiful estate and coupe...

 

Another opinion. I have owned several W124s and they were a better built vehicle than the W210 that replaced it. I have owned those as well. My 1990 went 242,000 miles before being hit in the back while I was stopped and the car was totaled. Through, I believe, 1992 they started off in second gear for fuel economy reasons and that could be sluggish off the line. At 178,000 miles I did a valve job through the dealer as the motor was burning about a quart every 3500 miles. Typical for these cars. That was a 1500 dollar expense. I replaced the tranny at 235,000 miles as I lost first and reverse. I bought a refurbished tranny and had the dealer do the install. That was a 2800 dollar expense. Outside of that those were my major expenses. I purchased the car from Atlanta and found it came by way of Rockway, Maryland. I brought it back to Pittsburgh at 7 yrs old and it was totaled at 17 yrs old. No rust, no damage and no other repairs other than normal wear like tires , shocks, wiper blade, oil and filters. I did have the seats redyed once for 100$. It was extremely clean. There is fading in the plastic on MBs of significant age and my grey interior had some but that can be redyed for not too much. They are a great car. The W124s were built to a standard and then priced accordingly versus the W210 which was built to a price point. The difference in a 95 versus the new W210 96 was about 6k cheaper for the new model. Something has to give. Don't be afraid to buy from the south or southwest to find a really good preserved example. Stay out of the snow belt when buying used if you can. Buy as much as you can afford and you will save in repairs for the W124. Do not buy a cheap W124 and expect it to not cost. It all depends on what level of quality are you satisfied with. These cars are very easy to work on and maintain with an average amount of backyard knowledge and skill level. The W210 however has far more involvement with electronics and can be a bit more involved for DIYrs. Most maintenance items are easy to DIY. Best wishes. Join your local MBCofA and enlist their help in evaluating a potential purchase. They can be a great and inexpensive resource for you.

 

Thats what I heard about W210's as well. So I will look for 94/95 E320 for around 5-6K with decent mileage and detailed repair history proven by paperwork. I don't feel like buying Accord or Camry, and rather go with an older European car of my childhood's dream. As you said it's better to get one down South to find it rust free etc. Hopefully when I find some decent examples, I can as well find some people here from MB community who are located in that state so they can help with evaluating the car, because unfortunately I can not afford multiple trips like that. But just image how nice would it be to get my gem in Atlanta and drive it all the way to Boston lol. A little adventure hopefully full of pleasure and comfort provided by German engineering. Tnx for advices guys, and I'm not sure if this thread should be closed or not, because I think it might be pretty helpful for enthusiastic future MB owners who dream about w124 like I do. I might have some future questions as well. May be some one will have a nice one for sale who knows lol.

 

The wiring loom and all rubbers begin to brittle and rot. Transmission should not be overlooked. The 210 that replaced it is not benzy. Besides other minor to moderate issues, the build is durable. It is otherwise if poorly maintained (deferred maintenance).

The 124 series and 210 series and later are fundamentally two different design considerations. 210 was designed to be reliable and 124 wasn't. That explains the myriads of issues with the post 124 line-ups.

The best of the Benzes ever produced were the 123 Series. I can't speak for the gasoline-variants were just sheer pleasures being in it. These are cars you feel good driving them and feel good posing around them. My dad had two back in the days and not once did they ever break down.

 

There are things above I am not sure I agree with.....

 

I'm a dealer and often get w124 to resell at Souther auto auction in east Windsor and all of them have rust issues, if you don't want rust I suggest you buy from the south. Shipping from Cali will be to much but the south is abt $500. I just got a 320cabriolet from Texas and it is rust free, can't wait to put her on the road, anyway good luck with your find.