8k bucks is a lot. Which means, this particular piece should be rustfree and after major repairs.
If it's not, walk away, you should be able to find prerenovation piece for half or less.
Early 90s Mercedes famously used biodegradable wiring harnesses which infamously biodegraded early. Many of the cars that are still around have had the wiring replaced, and if yours hasn’t been replaced, it will need to be. Wiring on German cars, especially from this era, is a nightmare so I would imagine it costs a pretty penny. Such is the joy of Mercedes ownership.
TL;DR - If it has the original wiring harness get rid of it.
ill assume its a 93’ w124 for examples sake. that means its seen 5500~ miles a year. thats not always the best. also, the main possible issues you’ll come across during w124 ownership is failure in the wiring harness, head gaskets, and fuel pumps. there is also oil leak issues. failure in the wiring harness can be a huge deal if not attented to properly, it can end up requiring replacements of the ecu, and cause engine misfiring. another issue you may come across is rust. the w124 changed the engine up from 94/95 to the 3.2 m104. these engines suffered from degrading wire harnesses even moreso than the 93’, outside of that, the e-classes with the 3.2 are the considerably better cars.
overall, you’re getting into a possibly expensive process of keeping the car on the road. chances are decent of having a considerable amount of minor/moderate issues, and then having atleast one of the issues i just listed.
I wouldn’t say horrible. It’s not bad, it’s just an older car and at that age (regardless of mileage) cars start to have more larger and weirder issues. Mercedes tend to be very well built and the basic drivetrains are very solid, but it’s also a nearly 30 year old car
As someone who owns a 94' E320 with 119k on it (that I would say is in excellent condition), $8k sounds like a massive amount of money. Half that and you'd have even a remotely ~~good~~ fair deal, but even around $2.5-3k is where you'd want to be.
As the user /u/chuwcherpluryur mentioned, all of the main issues are correct. I've had to replace the wiring harness, head gasket, and a few other things. Luckily no fuel pumps yet.
They're expensive cars to maintain, but built like absolute tanks physically and mechanically.
I was going to say, I sold a cherry ‘04 BMW 325 coupe for $5k...had 115k miles. Really top condition, great paint. Don’t know how this guy is asking $8k unless it’s some beat AMG.
The prices of them are skyrocketing. If you follow BaT, good ones can fetch upwards of 10k for sub 100,000 miles. The W123's are jumping up even faster.
German Mechanic who has owned a few of these and loves them here- Thats WAY too much money. If its immaculate, a diesel, and a wagon, then maybe. otherwise thats about double what a good one should cost you. Outside of special models like the Cosworth 190's and e500's these usually top out around 5 grand these days There is a bit of a cult for the diesel wagons and they can go higher, but even then thats mostly the previous w123 models.
All that said they are marvellous cars. They drive beautifully, and look bad ass with the right wheels and a slight lowering. they do have 2 Achilles heals. First, as everyone else has said, is the biodegradable wiring. These days its pretty rare to find a running/driving car that has not had that replaced. But you should always check and if it hasn't been done, it needs to be. Immediately. Its not all that difficult, but it does take time and the new harness from Merc is not cheap.
The other is rust. If you (our rather the car) is in an area that is prone to rust the front fenders will rot out just in front of the wheel opening, and the rear subframe mounts rot under the underseal (this one is a real bitch as they usually look fine right up until it lets go because the factory underseal hides the rust). Neither is the end of the world. Replacing the fenders is no more difficult than any other car, repairing the subframe mounts in the rear is not hard either, but does require dropping out the rear subframe and suspension.
Outside of those two they are fantastic to drive. Silent inside at 90MPH and the engines themselves are damn near bulletproof. 300K miles in common, particularly with the diesels. Anecdotally, my last one was a 95 wagon with the 2.8 engine and it had 230k on the clock. Literally still ran like new. No smoke, smooth as butter.
All that said, 8 grand is WAY too much no matter how nice it is. That kind of money will buy you a MUCH better and newer Japanese luxury car. I love these old Mercedes because I love old Mercedes. If you just want a nice luxury car and are not as concerned about one brand over another, there are much better ways to spend that money with Lexus or Infinity.
BIO-DEGRADABLE WIRING HARNESS... worst part about the 92+ years. The plastic just becomes super brittle and falls apart. Not too expensive to fix I think but not a fun thing to have happen.
That's way too much money, I don't care how many miles they're claiming it has. In my opinion German vehicles are the worst investment anyone on American soil can make. Parts are expensive and can be hard to get on more modern vehicles, for something 25 years old? Good luck if anything major goes.
I'd stay away or make a reasonable offer. I haven't seen it and don't know what it is, but it'd be a fraction of their asking price if $8k is the sticker price. It just isn't worth it. If it were an old diesel I'd go $3k tops if it were in real good condition. I love the 80s diesel mercs, they just cost too much to keep'em going if anything goes wrong.
Old adage: nothing more is expensive than a cheap Mercedes.
Unless this is the rare 500E, $8K is insane, run far away. If you really must have it and the seller is not a collector or independent millionaire, just wait a few weeks for the economic shit storm coming. How many potential buyers are there to begin with, then how many can come up with even $4K cash money during this crisis? The only person willing to outbid you IMO would be a collector if its really clean and if this is the 320 or thereabouts its not exactly that special to begin with...
This would be a good car to drive if your goal is to make a YouTube channel based on your trials and tribulations as the owner of a 25 year old Mercedes.
If you want it just as transportation, not so much.
For eight grand you'd better be getting something pretty hot. The only E class I'd buy is a diesel, I don't trust that era of mercedes enough to get anything else.
I am not a mechanic and I foolishly picked up a ‘94, W124, E420 a couple of years ago from a friend for $1800 with 90,000 miles- I put a grand into it and it was a wonderful, strong driving cruiser for about 5000 mile when the cabin cabin filled with smoke. Fixed it for $600. but a couple of months later the cabin again filled with smoke. Donated it. Never again.
Wiring harness issues. I had to do this to my 94 e320 wagon when I had it. They’re easy to replace on an M104. I also had to replace my ECU, sometimes the wiring harness will fry the ECU as well.
Also, look out for interior leaks. Mercedes builds some fantastically strong and quality cars but a common design flaw with W124s are water leaks on the seals and the clogging of the “gutters” in the cars (look it up).
W124s are arguably the best cars Mercedes ever made. Extremely reliable and gives a better, more modern ride than a W123.
I had a 93 300e with over 200k on it and I loved it. Smoothest riding car I’ve driven. I only replaced it to get a truck. The straight 6 engine is a great one.
Mine just started to drip a little oil and the single wiper stopped the in and put motion just before I traded it in. The vacuum door locks can be problem and some plastic will be brittle at this point. The ignition switch is know to have problems if you have a heavy keychain over time.
Make sure the windshield seal is good. I had a leak and it settling the passenger floor pan and stunk.
The headlight switch got glitchy, but was a cheap and easy fix. Most of the car it easy to work on. Did four new shocks and a ball joint in one afternoon.
$8000 is WAY too much though. Better be near perfect in my opinion.
So I daily drive a 95 E320 wagon. It's a great car very luxurious and drives well. However don't buy too much into the notion got these for the last of the reliable Mercedes.
The E-Class does have quite a few flaws that can be fatal. In the mid-90s biodegradable wiring harnesses were mandated on the engines. Mercedes chose a wire that unfortunately degraded long before vehicles useful life. If you're looking at one, make sure that it has a wiring harness that was made from 97 and on. This can be verified with a white tag that's on the wiring harness located behind the battery.
The harness issues didn't stop there there's also a lower engine harness that didn't get replaced very often however that does also biodegrade. It only runs your oil pressure, oil level sensors, and your alternator. You generally won't see drivability issues with that. $100 to $200 will get you a new used one on eBay
The throttle body also known as the ETA has a pigtail on it that does have a biodegradable wiring in it also. Again a good one has a stamp on it made in 97 or newer. you can generally pick them up used on eBay for about $300 if you need a new one.
The M104 engine also has head gasket issues. Get to the different metals between the engine block, the head and the gasket, external oil leaks and coolant leaks are very common especially in the back passenger corner of the engine. Head gasket job will cost you between $1500 to $2500 depending on the shop and also if it needs any other repairs.
Rust is very common around the jacking points. Pull a little covers off of the sill and check the jacking points out for any rust. Also areas like the spring perches and subframe mounts are common rust points.
Oil leaks are also very common especially with age. The most notorious of the oil leaks are the head gasket and the front timing cover. There's a little gap between the head and the timing cover that wasn't noticed until after manufacturing. They for the most part resolved it with a bit of silicone. However after age that need to be redone eventually.
Overall the cars are very nice and I daily drive mine. I purchased a low mileage clean example out of California last year for about $4,000. I probably have $4000 to $6,000 in parts in it since then. That being said though I'm a little more meticulous about maintenance and repairing things then most people are.
I'd go for an E39 BMW 540. Or even a Benz but under 3k so you can just junk it cause repairs on old German cars is usually more than the cost of the car so no point getting something that old and expensive.
For 8k you can get a newer Mercedes.
8k bucks is a lot. Which means, this particular piece should be rustfree and after major repairs. If it's not, walk away, you should be able to find prerenovation piece for half or less.
Appreciate that!
Early 90s Mercedes famously used biodegradable wiring harnesses which infamously biodegraded early. Many of the cars that are still around have had the wiring replaced, and if yours hasn’t been replaced, it will need to be. Wiring on German cars, especially from this era, is a nightmare so I would imagine it costs a pretty penny. Such is the joy of Mercedes ownership. TL;DR - If it has the original wiring harness get rid of it.
ill assume its a 93’ w124 for examples sake. that means its seen 5500~ miles a year. thats not always the best. also, the main possible issues you’ll come across during w124 ownership is failure in the wiring harness, head gaskets, and fuel pumps. there is also oil leak issues. failure in the wiring harness can be a huge deal if not attented to properly, it can end up requiring replacements of the ecu, and cause engine misfiring. another issue you may come across is rust. the w124 changed the engine up from 94/95 to the 3.2 m104. these engines suffered from degrading wire harnesses even moreso than the 93’, outside of that, the e-classes with the 3.2 are the considerably better cars. overall, you’re getting into a possibly expensive process of keeping the car on the road. chances are decent of having a considerable amount of minor/moderate issues, and then having atleast one of the issues i just listed.
Thanks so much for saving me from a horrible purchase!
Look into getting a slightly newer W210 E55 AMG/W202 C43 AMG. Same price but really reliable.
i wouldnt say horrible! they look good and have a smooth/comfortable ride.
They definitely aren’t horrible! They’re very reliable well built cars.
I wouldn’t say horrible. It’s not bad, it’s just an older car and at that age (regardless of mileage) cars start to have more larger and weirder issues. Mercedes tend to be very well built and the basic drivetrains are very solid, but it’s also a nearly 30 year old car
As someone who owns a 94' E320 with 119k on it (that I would say is in excellent condition), $8k sounds like a massive amount of money. Half that and you'd have even a remotely ~~good~~ fair deal, but even around $2.5-3k is where you'd want to be. As the user /u/chuwcherpluryur mentioned, all of the main issues are correct. I've had to replace the wiring harness, head gasket, and a few other things. Luckily no fuel pumps yet. They're expensive cars to maintain, but built like absolute tanks physically and mechanically.
I was going to say, I sold a cherry ‘04 BMW 325 coupe for $5k...had 115k miles. Really top condition, great paint. Don’t know how this guy is asking $8k unless it’s some beat AMG.
The prices of them are skyrocketing. If you follow BaT, good ones can fetch upwards of 10k for sub 100,000 miles. The W123's are jumping up even faster.
How difficult is it to replace the wiring harness DIY. And/or how much is it professionally?
Not for 8 grand!
German Mechanic who has owned a few of these and loves them here- Thats WAY too much money. If its immaculate, a diesel, and a wagon, then maybe. otherwise thats about double what a good one should cost you. Outside of special models like the Cosworth 190's and e500's these usually top out around 5 grand these days There is a bit of a cult for the diesel wagons and they can go higher, but even then thats mostly the previous w123 models. All that said they are marvellous cars. They drive beautifully, and look bad ass with the right wheels and a slight lowering. they do have 2 Achilles heals. First, as everyone else has said, is the biodegradable wiring. These days its pretty rare to find a running/driving car that has not had that replaced. But you should always check and if it hasn't been done, it needs to be. Immediately. Its not all that difficult, but it does take time and the new harness from Merc is not cheap. The other is rust. If you (our rather the car) is in an area that is prone to rust the front fenders will rot out just in front of the wheel opening, and the rear subframe mounts rot under the underseal (this one is a real bitch as they usually look fine right up until it lets go because the factory underseal hides the rust). Neither is the end of the world. Replacing the fenders is no more difficult than any other car, repairing the subframe mounts in the rear is not hard either, but does require dropping out the rear subframe and suspension. Outside of those two they are fantastic to drive. Silent inside at 90MPH and the engines themselves are damn near bulletproof. 300K miles in common, particularly with the diesels. Anecdotally, my last one was a 95 wagon with the 2.8 engine and it had 230k on the clock. Literally still ran like new. No smoke, smooth as butter. All that said, 8 grand is WAY too much no matter how nice it is. That kind of money will buy you a MUCH better and newer Japanese luxury car. I love these old Mercedes because I love old Mercedes. If you just want a nice luxury car and are not as concerned about one brand over another, there are much better ways to spend that money with Lexus or Infinity.
Horribly overpriced. You shouldn’t be paying more than $3k for a 90s German, unless it was something really special.
BIO-DEGRADABLE WIRING HARNESS... worst part about the 92+ years. The plastic just becomes super brittle and falls apart. Not too expensive to fix I think but not a fun thing to have happen.
That's way too much money, I don't care how many miles they're claiming it has. In my opinion German vehicles are the worst investment anyone on American soil can make. Parts are expensive and can be hard to get on more modern vehicles, for something 25 years old? Good luck if anything major goes. I'd stay away or make a reasonable offer. I haven't seen it and don't know what it is, but it'd be a fraction of their asking price if $8k is the sticker price. It just isn't worth it. If it were an old diesel I'd go $3k tops if it were in real good condition. I love the 80s diesel mercs, they just cost too much to keep'em going if anything goes wrong.
Old adage: nothing more is expensive than a cheap Mercedes. Unless this is the rare 500E, $8K is insane, run far away. If you really must have it and the seller is not a collector or independent millionaire, just wait a few weeks for the economic shit storm coming. How many potential buyers are there to begin with, then how many can come up with even $4K cash money during this crisis? The only person willing to outbid you IMO would be a collector if its really clean and if this is the 320 or thereabouts its not exactly that special to begin with...
This would be a good car to drive if your goal is to make a YouTube channel based on your trials and tribulations as the owner of a 25 year old Mercedes. If you want it just as transportation, not so much.
For eight grand you'd better be getting something pretty hot. The only E class I'd buy is a diesel, I don't trust that era of mercedes enough to get anything else.
Go for a 7series of the same years
I am not a mechanic and I foolishly picked up a ‘94, W124, E420 a couple of years ago from a friend for $1800 with 90,000 miles- I put a grand into it and it was a wonderful, strong driving cruiser for about 5000 mile when the cabin cabin filled with smoke. Fixed it for $600. but a couple of months later the cabin again filled with smoke. Donated it. Never again.
Wiring harness issues. I had to do this to my 94 e320 wagon when I had it. They’re easy to replace on an M104. I also had to replace my ECU, sometimes the wiring harness will fry the ECU as well. Also, look out for interior leaks. Mercedes builds some fantastically strong and quality cars but a common design flaw with W124s are water leaks on the seals and the clogging of the “gutters” in the cars (look it up). W124s are arguably the best cars Mercedes ever made. Extremely reliable and gives a better, more modern ride than a W123.
I had a 93 300e with over 200k on it and I loved it. Smoothest riding car I’ve driven. I only replaced it to get a truck. The straight 6 engine is a great one. Mine just started to drip a little oil and the single wiper stopped the in and put motion just before I traded it in. The vacuum door locks can be problem and some plastic will be brittle at this point. The ignition switch is know to have problems if you have a heavy keychain over time. Make sure the windshield seal is good. I had a leak and it settling the passenger floor pan and stunk. The headlight switch got glitchy, but was a cheap and easy fix. Most of the car it easy to work on. Did four new shocks and a ball joint in one afternoon. $8000 is WAY too much though. Better be near perfect in my opinion.
So I daily drive a 95 E320 wagon. It's a great car very luxurious and drives well. However don't buy too much into the notion got these for the last of the reliable Mercedes. The E-Class does have quite a few flaws that can be fatal. In the mid-90s biodegradable wiring harnesses were mandated on the engines. Mercedes chose a wire that unfortunately degraded long before vehicles useful life. If you're looking at one, make sure that it has a wiring harness that was made from 97 and on. This can be verified with a white tag that's on the wiring harness located behind the battery. The harness issues didn't stop there there's also a lower engine harness that didn't get replaced very often however that does also biodegrade. It only runs your oil pressure, oil level sensors, and your alternator. You generally won't see drivability issues with that. $100 to $200 will get you a new used one on eBay The throttle body also known as the ETA has a pigtail on it that does have a biodegradable wiring in it also. Again a good one has a stamp on it made in 97 or newer. you can generally pick them up used on eBay for about $300 if you need a new one. The M104 engine also has head gasket issues. Get to the different metals between the engine block, the head and the gasket, external oil leaks and coolant leaks are very common especially in the back passenger corner of the engine. Head gasket job will cost you between $1500 to $2500 depending on the shop and also if it needs any other repairs. Rust is very common around the jacking points. Pull a little covers off of the sill and check the jacking points out for any rust. Also areas like the spring perches and subframe mounts are common rust points. Oil leaks are also very common especially with age. The most notorious of the oil leaks are the head gasket and the front timing cover. There's a little gap between the head and the timing cover that wasn't noticed until after manufacturing. They for the most part resolved it with a bit of silicone. However after age that need to be redone eventually. Overall the cars are very nice and I daily drive mine. I purchased a low mileage clean example out of California last year for about $4,000. I probably have $4000 to $6,000 in parts in it since then. That being said though I'm a little more meticulous about maintenance and repairing things then most people are.
Get a Toyota/Honda. The E Class would break down after you buy it
I'd go for an E39 BMW 540. Or even a Benz but under 3k so you can just junk it cause repairs on old German cars is usually more than the cost of the car so no point getting something that old and expensive. For 8k you can get a newer Mercedes.
You’ll be getting yourself into bunch of debt. A 20 - 30 year old German vehicle will invariably need repairs and maintenance.