skiier3_9

Hello, I currently own an 86 190e and am looking to upgrade to a 94 or 95 e320. Can anyone tell me any major and/or minor differences between these two model years. Also, any major maintenance issues to watch out for, I know that the head gasket and wiring harness are the two big issues with the m104 3.2L I6.

How does this example look?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...rd=1#mainImage

Thanks in advance for your help!

Brian Felts

I just purchased a E 320 with 92,000 miles and it was in excellent condition. I have had no head gasket problems and the harness is showing no cracking. Do a carfax and ask about rust. I gave $7400 for mine. I would buy it again!


Brian Felts

ashman

it looks clean, but I personally am not a fan of that color.

I don't think there were any differences bewteen 94 and 95. But I am not sure, if there are any they are probably minor.

Ashman

Brian McL

But your right...the head gasket WILL need replacing pretty soon with that mileage as will as the harness.....it's a given. One other annoying little feature are the ball joints. On those 2 years (1994/1995) the are an integral part of the lower control and can't be replaced....gotta replace the whole control arm..OUCH! Not cheap..no aftermarket and forget used parts. Other than that look for rust around the sunroof, at the corners. This is a big problem .... it is almost impossible to get rid of 'cause it's in the roof. Just because of the ball joint issue alone I would look at a '93 with the M104. Change the lights to the 94/95 look and the hood if you like...but you'll be surprised how nice the light swap alone looks. Just a great car, the W124...the last of the GREAT Benz's. But find a darker color...looks so good on that body. I mean black or dark grey (Diamong black.. code 199...a beautiful color)

ksing44

I LOVE MY 1995 E320 Special Edition. So far, I have not had to replace the wiring harness, the head gasket, the ball joints, or the evaporator. When the time comes, I will just fix whatever is broken. The 1995 E320 W124 is an awesome vehicle. I can’t imagine that you would be disappointed.

I think 1995 and 1994 W124s were identical.

Not that it should stop you from purchasing the car, but that teal E320 is not a Special Edition. The wheels are from a standard model. The 6-spoke wheels and stainless thresholds at all four doors are key identifiers of a true Special edition. I think they may have all had the handsfree phone and the CD player in the trunk, but mine does not have heated seats or headlight wipers, so in general I guess they don’t have every option available.

A panoramic view of my 1995 E320.

skiier3_9

thanks guys, i think that i will keep looking for a darker colored one, as suggested, grey or black looks great on these cars. One more question...how often does the Check Engine Light come on? What i mean is, on the newer benz's (ex. on our 00 S500 or 00 ML320 - each with around 60k miles) it seems that the CEL comes on about every other month in one of the cars (ok maybe not that often). Then it ends up costing to have the code read and the maintanence done. I'm not asking for a maintenance free car, I just want to drive something that doesn't have the CEL on all the time.

Brian McL

...the DTC (diagnostic trouble codes) which gives you the Check Engine light can be re-set on the 94/95 E320. You just count the LED pulses on the terminal (in the engine bay) and refer to a trouble code chart. Then re-set the system and POOF...the light goes out. There are some annoying "common" lights that trip the system and are really unimportant like "downshift relay value"....(or something like that )...8 out of 10 times the light comes with this code. After you reset it may not re-appear for weeks. I've even had the 02 sensor throw a code....re-set it...and it never re-appeared. Great system...no need to vist the dealer every time it comes on. You get to know your car and it's personality.....right now I'm having a real problem getting to "know" my W210.....acting more like a rebellious adolescent than a refined elder statesman.........it's is so different than the W124 (which I really miss....REALLY)

skiier3_9

Thanks Brian, so the Check engine light system is similar to that on the w201 (190e) with the system of LEDs. Thanks again!

Brian McL

...get a W124 E320 black ( or dark grey) on black. Check the service history and look for rust. You won't spend much to get into it and with what you save you can really make it look awesome. Even better is to look for a sedan with the Sportline package. Nice car!!!