New to 400e
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Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 55
Likes: 1
95 c36
New to 400e
so I sold my c36 AMG and now I’m looking at another fun car, I’ve been looking at the 400e, can you guys give me some input, is it a fun car to drive and perform wise is it fast?
all I wanna do to it is lower it, get some bigger sway bars(500e) and 17s monoblocks.
all I wanna do to it is lower it, get some bigger sway bars(500e) and 17s monoblocks.
Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 203
Likes: 21
From: North East
04 E500, 00 SL500, 99 SL500, 94 E420, 92 500E, 92 500E, 92 300CE, 06 Lexus GX470
Eco Junk Wiring
My wife has a 99 SL500, a 04 E500, and she prefers the way the 94 E420 drives over the others.
I have a couple of 500E's which are better of course, a SL500 and a 300CE, and still driving the E420 is such a pleasure, get it dialed in and you won't go wrong.
Before you get too far down the make it look nice road, take a good look at the wire harnesses to see if they have been replaced.
If you haven't purchased a 400E420 yet, make sure to check the wire harnesses, if bad I'd still buy, but the price goes down $1500 to $2000
That means the Upper harness, (which is still available, and and easy DIY), and the lower engine harness, (Starter to Alternator, etc., and it's not available).
There are a few places that will rebuild the lower harness, a pain in the but, but once it's done, you can forget about it.
Also look at the date on your ETA, if it's a new replacement, then the wires inside are OK, if not, that needs rebuild or replacement as well.
On to the make it look nice stuff... One of the biggest improvements is getting a set of Euro headlights, really better looking and more than that, they are much brighter that the USA versions. (specific to 92's and 93's)
With the headlights you'll need 6 pin wire plugs, (USA headlight harness has 4 pin plugs), lots of info available, many have made this conversion.
Good Luck...
Last edited by ohollenbeck; Oct 22, 2018 at 12:29 AM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 55
Likes: 1
95 c36
I have a 94 E420, wife drives it more that me, and it's a favorite of us both, a really fun car to drive. Really worth the effort if you can find a good one.
My wife has a 99 SL500, a 04 E500, and she prefers the way the 94 E420 drives over the others.
I have a couple of 500E's which are better of course, a SL500 and a 300CE, and still driving the E420 is such a pleasure, get it dialed in and you won't go wrong.
Before you get too far down the make it look nice road, take a good look at the wire harnesses to see if they have been replaced.
If you haven't purchased a 400E420 yet, make sure to check the wire harnesses, if bad I'd still buy, but the price goes down $1500 to $2000
That means the Upper harness, (which is still available, and and easy DIY), and the lower engine harness, (Starter to Alternator, etc., and it's not available).
There are a few places that will rebuild the lower harness, a pain in the but, but once it's done, you can forget about it.
Also look at the date on your ETA, if it's a new replacement, then the wires inside are OK, if not, that needs rebuild or replacement as well.
On to the make it look nice stuff... One of the biggest improvements is getting a set of Euro headlights, really better looking and more than that, they are much brighter that the USA versions. (specific to 92's and 93's)
With the headlights you'll need 6 pin wire plugs, (USA headlight harness has 4 pin plugs), lots of info available, many have made this conversion.
Good Luck...
My wife has a 99 SL500, a 04 E500, and she prefers the way the 94 E420 drives over the others.
I have a couple of 500E's which are better of course, a SL500 and a 300CE, and still driving the E420 is such a pleasure, get it dialed in and you won't go wrong.
Before you get too far down the make it look nice road, take a good look at the wire harnesses to see if they have been replaced.
If you haven't purchased a 400E420 yet, make sure to check the wire harnesses, if bad I'd still buy, but the price goes down $1500 to $2000
That means the Upper harness, (which is still available, and and easy DIY), and the lower engine harness, (Starter to Alternator, etc., and it's not available).
There are a few places that will rebuild the lower harness, a pain in the but, but once it's done, you can forget about it.
Also look at the date on your ETA, if it's a new replacement, then the wires inside are OK, if not, that needs rebuild or replacement as well.
On to the make it look nice stuff... One of the biggest improvements is getting a set of Euro headlights, really better looking and more than that, they are much brighter that the USA versions. (specific to 92's and 93's)
With the headlights you'll need 6 pin wire plugs, (USA headlight harness has 4 pin plugs), lots of info available, many have made this conversion.
Good Luck...
Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 203
Likes: 21
From: North East
04 E500, 00 SL500, 99 SL500, 94 E420, 92 500E, 92 500E, 92 300CE, 06 Lexus GX470
If your looking more for streetlight to streetlight performance, 400e's may not be your cup of tea.
A couple of great buy choices in the acceleration arena are the w210 e55's, and the c208 clk55's, rockets ships on a budget, nice ones should be in the $10K area, super fast and reliable, and a step or 2 about the 400e's in street performance.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 130
From: NY
2010 C63 2019 GLA45
The E420 was tested by the magazines in its day as 0-60 in the mid 6 seconds.
Mine tested at 6.8 at around 140 000 miles.
An amazingly well built car. Except the business with the wiring harnesses.
There was also something else that had to do with the mass air sensor.
If you get one that has the electronically controlled rear diff ( mine had it), it does well in the winter too, with the right tires.
I loved the sound of the 4.2 V8 in idle. A continuous electric motor style sound.
Once you're at speed, say 60 MPH, yes you can keep up with many and it does feel fast.
Too bad I didn't have mine since newer, I have read that when new these were whisper quiet inside, with no wind noise.
Mine tested at 6.8 at around 140 000 miles.
An amazingly well built car. Except the business with the wiring harnesses.
There was also something else that had to do with the mass air sensor.
If you get one that has the electronically controlled rear diff ( mine had it), it does well in the winter too, with the right tires.
I loved the sound of the 4.2 V8 in idle. A continuous electric motor style sound.
Once you're at speed, say 60 MPH, yes you can keep up with many and it does feel fast.
Too bad I didn't have mine since newer, I have read that when new these were whisper quiet inside, with no wind noise.
