Mercedes E320 CE - Buying Advice?

[Fluoxetine]

Hi guys - First post so be gentle!

I've recently sold my day to day car to fund my racing activities this season, and I'm looking for something reasonably priced, which can munch the miles in comfort...

I had set my heart on a 300E TE (nice big boot to carry spares etc), but have been swayed of late by an E320 CE...

Question is, what to watch out for on these cars?

I'm comfortable with an interstellar mileage, provided there's a decent SH, and the car drives well...Are there any major weak points I should be looking out for?

Any other general tips on buying W124 series cars?

Cheers,

Ross.

 

[Sp!ke]

Hi Fluoxetine - welcome to the forum :bannana:

If its a late car, check the wiring loom in the engine bay for signs of decomposing. The latter cars had biodegradeable looms that tended to degrade a little sooner than expected.

Other than that, just make sure its got a full history, and everything works including the aircon and of course make sure its an auto but not silver in colour

 

[Philirv]

Hi Fluoxetine - Welcome to the forum

Watch out for weeping head gasket (Front and rear of head). Most obvious by looking for oil collecting in the engine bay underside pan beneath the engine. Check out the car-by-car breakdown from Honest John

www.honestjohn.co.uk

For the same reason, when the engine is started from cold, check out tappety noises from the head. Any tapping should dissipate within 15 to 30 seconds. If the seller has warmed up the engine, insist on coming back again to hear it from cold.

The wiring loom can be a problem area so take sp!kes advice here. Check all the electrics work, particularly the wiper which is an exbenzive b****r to fix and replace.

Make sure the thing has FSH from either MB or a reputable specialist.

BTW, i know about a 4 door saloon W124 which is going for a song .........

Rgds

Phil

 

[Fluoxetine]

Cheers Spike!

A few further queries if you would be so kind...

As an owner do you find the CE to be usable on a daily basis, or are running costs extortionate?

Also, I see quite a few advertised with new gearboxes - Is this a known weakness on the W124? Is the manual box particularly bad? (I've only driven a new C180K with a 6 speed manual, and found it left a lot to be desired!)

I imagine the engine is fairly under-stressed at around 65 bhp/litre output - Am I correct in this assumption?

Which is the best model to aim for? - The car I spotted was a 320CE, but is the 300CE just as good? How about the 230CE? (Or is it noticeably underpowered for its weight, with a low rent cabin?)

Is there anywhere on the web you could recommend for more info on the CE? (Tech spec / trim levels etc.)

Many thanks,

Ross.

Hi Fluoxetine - welcome to the forum :bannana:

If its a late car, check the wiring loom in the engine bay for signs of decomposing. The latter cars had biodegradeable looms that tended to degrade a little sooner than expected.

Other than that, just make sure its got a full history, and everything works including the aircon and of course make sure its an auto but not silver in colour

 

[Fluoxetine]

Thanks Phil - Plenty of good tips in there...

Alas it's a CE I'm after (or maybe a nice late TE...)

Thanks for the offer though!

Cheers,

Ross.

 

[Philirv]

The 320 / 280 engines were introduced in 1991 so technology-wise are more advanced than the 260/300 engines that preceeded them, and which have been in the W124's from 1985.

For this reason alone, I would say they are the better bet.

I've got the 2.8 litre in mine.

 

[Sp!ke]

Cheers Spike!

A few further queries if you would be so kind...

As an owner do you find the CE to be usable on a daily basis, or are running costs extortionate?

Also, I see quite a few advertised with new gearboxes - Is this a known weakness on the W124? Is the manual box particularly bad? (I've only driven a new C180K with a 6 speed manual, and found it left a lot to be desired!)

I imagine the engine is fairly under-stressed at around 65 bhp/litre output - Am I correct in this assumption?

Which is the best model to aim for? - The car I spotted was a 320CE, but is the 300CE just as good? How about the 230CE? (Or is it noticeably underpowered for its weight, with a low rent cabin?)

Is there anywhere on the web you could recommend for more info on the CE? (Tech spec / trim levels etc.)

Many thanks,

Ross.

You definately want the 320 its more modern than the 300's. The 230 is a little sluggish TBH. The fuel consumption is surprisingly close regardless which model you get. Running costs are relatively high due to the short service intervalls but if done by an independant mb specialist, not too bad. (a bit of a sore point for me mind, I've just blown a head gasket - which from my research seems to be the 124's main weakness) I use mine as a daily driver covering about 20k per year -this is the first problem the car has ever had in 125k miles.

The reason to go for an auto is that the auto boxes are just so good it would be silly not to. The manuals are consequently harder to sell & therefore command a slightly lower price - much rarer in a coupe though than any of the other 124's. There's plenty of coupes out there so take your time and find a good one. If your feeling really flush, get the convertible - a definate future classic that I doubt will depreciate much if treted well.

 

[Flip]

Ross

Unique publish a fantastic collection of UK Motoring Magazine Roadtest Re-prints for the W124 Series (130 pages for £12ish).

I've bought their guides to save looking for back issues of magazines, and they make interesting reading!

I have the W124 book (which has a coupe on the cover...!) and it includes tests on the 300CE 300CE24v 320CE 300TE 500E etc.

ISBN is: 1 84155 411 1

Take a look at www.uniquemotorbooks.com or call 01702 207384.

Cheers! :bannana:

 

[kikkthecat]

Hi Ross, welcome to the forum.

I run a 1994 220 coupe that has now covered 84000 miles, and it's by far the best car I've owned. Like spike's, mine is in daily use, I'm the second owner, and have all it's history. The only item that has been replaced apart from normal service items is a window regulator last year. The original exhaust lasted 8 and a half years. The build quality stands head and shoulders above anything else I've ever had. I've never before bought a car more than 3 years old, so I obviously had my doubts. But a good look round the car,a look through it's history, a test drive and a chat with the guy who owned it and I was hooked.
Performance is good enough for any driving conditions in this country, but sports car it's not. That said , using kickdown it has a turn of speed that surprises many people including me.

Before this I had a 1998 mazda 323 1.8 auto, and the Merc is far better on fuel and cheaper to insure. Oh and MUCH nicer to drive.

I cant point you in the direction of any problems to look for as I've never had any, and neither did it's previous owner. The only things it doesn't have that I would have liked are air con and cruise.

So go for it, but make sure it has history, I know all cars last longer if serviced properly but properly serviced Mercs seem to last forever.

I still grin every time I get in it, and am full sure I have a car that will outlast me.

 

[Ian B Walker]

Any other general tips on buying W124 series cars?


Ross.

Welcome to the greatest show in the intenet. As for the quote, I have two, the red shed has 180K on the clock and the lean green machine has 204K on the clock. No problems at all (apart from my stupidity), built to last. Get one and you will never regret it.

 

[DaleHyde]

What can I add? Many things have been covered, only probs I have heard of are the newer wiring looms & the head gasket. Had my gasket done at 130K, but didn't cost toooo much (about £800 if I remember)
I have a 94 E320 coupe, one of the first of the later facelift models. Easiest way to tell is the Star is on the bonnet whereas the earlier cars were on the top of the grille.
I use it every day, it's a great drive, I do about 130 miles a day so milage is building, but it feels like it will last forever. I suspect the W124 is the best quality car ever built, the later MB's are quite the same build quality (IMHO).
For a 10 year old car it feels brand new (when it's clean, but those winter miles don't help there...)
I bought in July 2002 with 88K on clock, now heading towards 150K & smiling.
I have never driven a 220/230, I hear they're OK, but the 320's got to be the one, even my car clueless GF said how smooth it is. You need 6 cylinders I think. I get 23/25 mpg on a half motorway, half town trip.
There seem to be plenty of good cars in AutoTrader.com, try searching for CE Class, E Class with key words coupe or cabriolet, even just under 320 with same key words. (People file their ads in all sorts of ways)
I reckon you good get a real good 100K car for £6-8K, there are a few over priced examples, but that seems average. Add 30% for the cabriolet, but it is definatly a future classic and I'm getting one as soon as I have the cash.
Get all the extras, AC/Climate, Electric Seats, Cruise should be on most cars. Sportline models are highly rated, but I've never driven one and they are more difficult to find. Has anyone seen the AMG version, is it a 3.6?
Finally, I think they are beautiful cars. Get the windows down & it's almost a cabriolet.

 

[DaleHyde]

2 more points, I meant to say the newer MB's are NOT quite the same build quality, missed a key word out. Also, at the risk of promoting the competition there is an exellent US based W124 coupe mail list which has some great tips posted. Look at MBCOUPES.COM and join the W124 list

 

[Fluoxetine]

Cheers for the tips guys!

Haven't managed to get online too much recently, as I've been up to my elbows building my race car for this season...

Some good advice above...Don't really need a drop top - I've just sold an Elise S2, and now have a Caterham for back road blasts...(Not quite as refined as a Merc mind you! )

Hoping to view a few CE's over the next couple of weeks - Will let y'all know how I get on!

Cheers,

Ross.

 

[funmobile]

Fluoxetine
I can only add to the above in praise of W124s. We sold a 1997 SLK with 37k on the clock, and bought a 1996 E320 convertible with 38k on the clock, for the same money. Which given that the E320 cost at least 50% more when new, made it a steal.
Everything works superbly, it feels tough as a brick outhouse, and it makes me smile every time I get in it. The 3.2 and Sportline give it plenty of oomph - I would guess the 220 might lack a little sport for a Caterham owner.
The full spec's ideal - with aircon / electric seats / leather - but there aren't many around and some trade prices are er, ambitious. So even if it hasn't got everything, I reckon if you find a good one, buy it. (Does a ragtop need aircon??!!)
And be prepared to head outside typical owners' belt of the South East to find one - we did and it paid.
Weeping head gaskets seem common - and nothing much to worry about. Er, that's it.
And I guess a coupe is going to be a lot better value than a convble, but someone in our house wasn't going to let her old one go unless she got another.....

 

[JohnnyBarclay]

Hi guys - First post so be gentle!

I've recently sold my day to day car to fund my racing activities this season, and I'm looking for something reasonably priced, which can munch the miles in comfort...

I had set my heart on a 300E TE (nice big boot to carry spares etc), but have been swayed of late by an E320 CE...

Question is, what to watch out for on these cars?

I'm comfortable with an interstellar mileage, provided there's a decent SH, and the car drives well...Are there any major weak points I should be looking out for?

Any other general tips on buying W124 series cars?

Cheers,

Ross.

I have a 320 ce LHD weak points are rust interal of front wing forward of wheel arch in engine bay