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300E vs 400E - Would appreciate your inputs

10K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  SLEX Runner 
#1 ·
Dear All,

I am open to getting a 2nd car and it will either be a 126 or a 124. A dealer has approached me offering the following:

92 300E/72Tkm cloth interior
92 400E/94Tkm leather interior

There is a $200 difference between both cars.

How do they compare with each other as far as overall maintenance and fuel efficiency?

And how do both fare relative to the 420E?

I hope I can get you guys to pipe in.

Thank you very much. [:)]
 
#2 ·
400E is faster 300E take less gas 300E will develop less problems do to the v6 engien and less complicated 400E has more stuff fo engine performace i guess they look the same it depends what u want

u want something fast get v8
u want soemthign that takes less fuel go 300E

i woudl pick which ever the car is in better shape performace to be between 400E and 300E would not matter bc i dont race mb u cruise oround in them and look for some hot girls and relax and u pimp them out

just go with the car that is in better shape drives better responds better and its taken care of better

dont ask which is better they all MB so they are in top class wich ever the car has less problems pick

i hope this helps
 
#3 ·
benznawz - 8/18/2005 11:30 AM

400E is faster 300E take less gas 300E will develop less problems do to the v6 engien and less complicated 400E has more stuff fo engine performace i guess they look the same it depends what u want

u want something fast get v8
u want soemthign that takes less fuel go 300E

i woudl pick which ever the car is in better shape performace to be between 400E and 300E would not matter bc i dont race mb u cruise oround in them and look for some hot girls and relax and u pimp them out

i hope this helps
benzanwz, thank you for the response. I particularly like using the MB to cruise around to get hot girls, and pimping them out. I haven't done that here in Saudi Arabia and am likely to get flogged if I did..and besides you can't really tell whether it is a beauty or a beast behind the black veil.

The 300E engine is an in-line 6, correct while the 400E engine is V8?

Is there no gain in performance and fuel efficiency on the 400E/420E because of the aluminum block; i.e., lighter engine compared to the 300E?

Thanks again.
 

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#4 ·
go for the one with the lower Kms, the 300. also the cloth interior might be better to get into after a hot day in the sun, am I correct. the reliability will probably be better as well. -sensible head


go for the V8, the sweet noise. And as you are in the oil pumping capitial of the world, who cares if it uses a little more juice, its cheaper than water. And as its so cheap you can run your AC at max 100% of the time and relax in the sumpteous leather listening the roar of the V8. -silly head

I live by the latter
 
#5 ·
yea 300e adn 400e look same it depends what u want but maxing ur ac at hot days will bring any car down slowly if they in same condition i would pick 400E more power thats all

yes 300e v6 185 hp 400E v8 268 hp there is 300E with 218 hp i raced my 89 vs 2004 gold gti vr6 on highway and 300e is faster when it goes in lower gear for car with 185hp it pully nicely

i owned 92 supra 390hp and when i say it pulls nicely for 185hp it realy does 400e pulls mutch harder
 
#7 ·
I'm surprised there is a such thing as a MB that comes with cloth. Never knew this till today. I would get the 400E. Not that big of a difference because of the age. The leather makes the decision for me. Whats the point of a luxury if you're gonna cruise around in cloth seats
 
#9 ·
Thank you again benzanwz!

You are correct about the choice of seats (leather vs fabric) as crucial. Just this afternoon, the weather was scorching 49c at 1PM. That was outside temperature and not ambient temp inside the car.

My C180 has the elegance package but I chose cloth interior as an option over the leather in anticipation of warm days. I wasn't wrong :)

If it boils down to interior, then I'ld go for the 300E/cloth but performance wise, how much better (or more advanced) is the 400E engine. I know that both will get me from point A to B, but which would be more exhillirating?
 
#12 ·
oh c mon towel my car has lather and it sucks man its summer here and i go to store 15 min later i came back in the car put my hand on the arm rest and i actualy burn my self leaving a red mark for few days 400E i think does 0 to 60 in 7.0 or 6.5 sec sec not sure between those 2 300E depends on age older 300es are havier then newer 400 some punds newer 300E like 92 etc will do 8.0 to 7.7 sec or lower with manual and if u use higher octane gas and h&k filter u might see somethign below 7.7 if its manual racing from dead stope is not mb big weapon even in e500 its lazy in first gear its mutch better but still not the racing type thats why it outlast 90% of the cars u see on the road if u want more power and trq and to tunne it up go 400E if u want less gas and still nice power go 300E but if u can get ur hands on 300E 24v engine totaly go with that it makes ioround 40hp more then 12v engine and its gas efficiency i like more v6 they are longer living engines do to less stuff put in it valves and stuff like that etc
 
#13 ·
Hi Guys,

Couldn't help but jump in and say a few things here. In the pictures I really like the 300E better it looks a little more modern and I don't think your looking for a fast car there in Saudi.

Here is Costa Rica the average temp is like 30c around the year and on the beach well around 40-50c is normal. My car is Dark Grey and is just as bad as black. My windows are limo tint black and trust me it helps but not enough. I am just extremely greatful that I have cloth interior.

My father had a 96' C230 K, and it had black leather, well it was nice to sit in on cool nights but in the day on the beach omg you would burn to sit in it.

Nick
 
#14 ·
If fuel cost is a concern for you, the 300E.

If not, there's no reason strong enough as I see to NOT get the 400E. Buy the 400E, enjoy the extra ponies.

And benznawz, few points.

Say that these cars have a V6 again and we're taking your keys. Repeat after me, INLINE 6 CYLINDER. Your homework for the night is reading the shop manual on all M103 and M104 engines.

Also, stop talking about who you smoked, or how fast your car goes. These are not stoplight racers. You want to enjoy your car? Hop out onto the highway and put the pedal down. If you get somebody to chase you, enjoy the fact of how scared they look as they try to hold onto their car while you just can cruise with a finger resting on the steering wheel at those speeds.

Do it at your own risk, speeding is not only illegal, it's dangerous and potentially deadly.

-Tubs
 
#16 ·
Good young grasshopper.

-Tubs
 
#17 ·
K&C124 - 8/20/2005 7:33 PM

Does MB make a v6? I've never seen one and can't find this in the Bentley manual.
Yes, they do, but not in the older models like the 124-series.
The first V6-engines (M112) were introduced in 1997.

They´re lighter and more fuel efficient than the older inline-6, but there´s still that "thing" about an inline-6 that a V6 will never give you[:D]

Seems to be quite good engines, though, although the smallest (2,4 litre 170 hp) is too weak and burns too much gas IMO. My dad had a ´00 E240 T Avantgarde a few years ago, the engine sounded really nice, but other than that it was rather disappointing.
Today he drives a W220 S320 - it´s actually cheaper to drive than the E240[:)]
 
#20 ·
89Benzo - 8/21/2005 1:46 AM

I'm surprised there is a such thing as a MB that comes with cloth. Never knew this till today. I would get the 400E. Not that big of a difference because of the age. The leather makes the decision for me. Whats the point of a luxury if you're gonna cruise around in cloth seats
check out mission impossible when tom cruise and the lady, are in the back of the mercedes. its cloth seats.
 
#21 ·
To veer off further re interiors, my 300E has the MB-Tex (naugehyde). At first I was bummed about no leather, but I've grown to appreciate the bombproof surfaces everywhere. The dog can jump in dripping wet and muddy, and I laugh it off.

Clean-ups of romantic Scientologists would, I'm sure, also go much easier. (sorry)
 
#22 ·
I think the seat material is the most important factor in deciding which car to buy, especially when you're choosing between a 300E and a 400E. Granted, the two cars look the same on the outside but feel as different as night and day to drive (I know -- I own both a 400E and an E320, and have driven 300Es before). But never mind that. In this case, the seat material is paramount. After all, we have to keep in mind that SLEX likes to pick up girls and pimp them out. Okay, he's not doing this at the moment, but it raises an interesting point that all pimps out there, wherever they live, should keep in mind:

If you're a pimp and plan to pick up a lot of hos, chances are that many will be wearing short skirts with thongs or no underwear on. Then you'll probably want to screw at least some of them (that's one of the perks of being a pimp, as I understand it), and what better place to screw a ho than in the back of your bitchin' Benz? Plus keep in mind that a lot of other dudes will be screwing your hos, and so they'll be getting back into your Benz between tricks all wet and gooey. Plus sweaty and shaky from the heroin withdrawal. That's a lot of human fluids right there.

Where I'm going with this is that although hos wearing short skirts are more common in warm weather, and cloth seats may be preferred by many in those climates, cars that are used to pimp out hos are a special case. Leather is easier to wipe off and disinfect than cloth (and it stains less easily, too), and as a result, it should be the seat material of choice for all pimps out there.

Well, that, or naugahyde. But I'm guessing most of you young grasshoppers are too young to even know what naugahyde is.

Word. [:p][}:)][:p]
 
#24 ·
Janos_z,

Thanks for the inputs: but the last thing I will do is to desecrate the benz by pimping and pumping at the back seat.....I'ld rather do it in the middle of the desert than stain the interior or consent to the privilege of having some foot on top of the chair [:D]

While most discuss interior and lower mileage, what about maintenance? Is the 400E more costly/difficult to maintain? Does it have more quirky parts to watch out for compared to the 300E engine?

The sensible head really says 300E: cloth interior with 22K kms less than the 400E. But what difference does 22K make as far as things to watch out for? At the rate I am travelling back and forth from Bahrain to inside Riyadh each week, I am likely to make 22K in 4 months.

Thank you all!
 
#25 ·
Hi Nick!

It's great of you to respond. The weather both in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia is scorching 49c in the middle of the day, and that temp holds up until about 6PM. Inside the car, you are likely to melt thin sarron wrap if you leave it on the dash.

I need a car which I can run 170kph constant and still have peace of mind that I am not straining the engine, even with AC on. I don't mind how long it takes me to achieve that speed but its when I am on that speed-I know that the engine can take it and the pressure (on the engine & tranny) is not that great.

I have come to appreciate how stable our MBs are on high speeds. Yesterday, while coming in from Bahrain, in between speed traps (or bridges where highway police situate themselves to buzz your speed), I ran my C180 constantly at 180kph/4500rpm. Hardly any wind drag and the car remained very stable. In search of the better W124 for me, I am not aspiring to go beyond those speeds but I'ld like to find nirvana with the knowledge that the car says "its ok Pop, i was built for this".
 
#26 ·
sure u can go pass 170kmph i ran 140mph while going to idaho could have gone more but didnt want to push the car and its dangerous w124 with ac barely loose any power u need to give obout 5% more gas then u used to so no bigie i ran ac while outside was 105 and i didnt even know it was on i feelt no power decreas but it does raise temo over 85 if u are sitting and not moving
 
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