I have been trying to get my hands on a good Mercedes for quite some time now. As you may have noticed by my username, I would really like to have a w126. However, there are very few in my area that are worth having, and the ones that are are WAY overpriced.
Having said that, I've been looking at 400E's. I've gone through just about every past thread about them, and can't seem to come up with a definitive yes or no on their reliability. So I figured I would just ask. Are they good cars? What kind of money can I expect to pay each year for maintenance? Also, most of them that are for sale seem to be right around the 145k mark. Does something happen to the cars at 150k miles? I realize the importance of the car coming with maintenance records and taking it to have a pre-purchase inspection before I buy. Is there some big ugly maintenance item that might need replacing soon? Feel free to add in your $.02, and if I need to clarify anything just ask
Location: Arms length from my sawed off pump shottie
Posts: 421
RE: 400E
short answer: make sure it was properly maintained
i love the car but, my stubborn grandpa isnt really good at adding and cutting his losses. in retrospect we would have saved alot of money had we gone with another car, not neccessarily another model (im the third owner of this neglected car)
my experiences just this year alone:
had to change my timing chain back in april of this year
along with other services that bill was $4,000
it was stretched and was slapping the top rails is what the invoice says
my gramps paid 500 dollars just last week because it wouldnt start, so the mechanic put in two parts: air mass sensor and crank position sensor
it was fine going home but the next day in the morning it didnt start again.
gramps calls same mechanic and he says to change this part now, so thats where we are.. waiting for that part to come in http://www.benzworld.org/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1225280&posts=1&fid=11
after all this engine business is over with i still have to have the tranny fixed because in reverse there is a clicking noise. the mechanic showed us another tranny he was working on and how black and out of shape the clutches were. he quoted us $1000
I have been trying to get my hands on a good Mercedes for quite some time now. As you may have noticed by my username, I would really like to have a w126. However, there are very few in my area that are worth having, and the ones that are are WAY overpriced.
Having said that, I've been looking at 400E's. I've gone through just about every past thread about them, and can't seem to come up with a definitive yes or no on their reliability. So I figured I would just ask. Are they good cars? What kind of money can I expect to pay each year for maintenance? Also, most of them that are for sale seem to be right around the 145k mark. Does something happen to the cars at 150k miles? I realize the importance of the car coming with maintenance records and taking it to have a pre-purchase inspection before I buy. Is there some big ugly maintenance item that might need replacing soon? Feel free to add in your $.02, and if I need to clarify anything just ask
Matthew
wanta300sdl,
I have a friend here in Raleigh North Carolina that has a 400E for sale. It is in very good condition and well maintained, it has a new tranny with warranty... Feel free to send him and email at rolex@nc.rr.com if you are interested, his name is Jayson.
Menaceboy, I will definatley make sure that I get the car completely from stem to stern, and subtract anything that is needed from the asking price (or walk away if it has been obviously neglected). Also, how many miles are on your car? What in the world was included in the $4k bill? And most importantly, do you feel that all of this could have been prevented with proper maintenance?
CCorley, Thanks for the reference from your friend, I will send him a letter and we will see how it goes[8D]
Also, another question. I noticed that on autotrader and carpoint, it lists the '92 400E as having 268 hp and getting 16/21 city/highway. Then, it lists the '93 400E and E420's as having 275 hp and getting 18/24 city highway. The seven hp doesn't really bother me, however 2-3 mpg seems like a significant difference for pretty much the same running gear. Did something in the EPA test change, or did Mercedes change something for this year? More importantly, are the changes real-world (i.e. can anyone give testament to the '92's mileage) and if they are different, is there an easy way to get a '92 up to '93+ standards? Thanks
Location: Arms length from my sawed off pump shottie
Posts: 421
RE: 400E
im no expert and im not certain, but i think i read somewhere on these forums that the timing chain stretches because of neglecting to do oil changes
anyway here is the actual invoice
Linear Mode
