Just a couple of issues to keep in mind. 1) This is the 24-valve M104 motor, introduced in 1993. Very nice power and reasonable economy.
2) Prone to engine wiring harness failures. Not too difficult to DIY replace if you can keep organized, but kind of expensive (~ $800?). Very expensive if you have a pro do it. 3) Cruise control/throttle control unit suffers from the same wiring issues as the rest of the harness. Easy to replace, but expensive ( ~$1000 for new, $400 for rebuilt). 4) A/C evaporator failure is a major disaster. Book time to replace is somewhere near 15 hours for a pro, maybe a little less for someone who does them every day. Almost the entire interior has to come out to get to it. I've been quoted in the neighborhood of $3000 by a guy who does several a week. I've heard anywhere from 10 to 70% of these fail depending on your regional climate. Must have something to do with the number of expansion/contraction cycles it has to undergo during normal operation. 5) EGR tubes tend to plug up. Mercedes has released a new part which is better, but it's a minor PITA to replace without pulling most of the top bits off the engine first (fuel rail, intake manifold, etc.) 6) Some people have experienced head gasket failures such that oil will start to leak between the head an block on the left side. I've heard this typically started to appear between 60 and 90K miles, so you might take a close look at this. Other than that, a great car. Handles very well, reasonable power, lots of room. If you can find one with a newer wiring harness and a known good evaporator, I'd say go for it. Gary Thompson Georgetown, TX 1995 E320 129Kmiles On 11/8/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I'm seriously considering a '94 E320 wagon for my family- I couldn't get everything in to my 1991 300D. What do we know for strengths and weaknesses of these cars? What should I look for on one with 94k on it? John Peterson Kingston RI 91 300D 2.5 84k