1994 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E420 4.2 liter gasoline from North America

Summary:

A wonderful car to drive, and a terrible car to own

Faults:

5/15/98 Replaced starter.

9/25/98 Replaced fuel injection control unit and PVC hose.

10/9/98 Replaced EA motor.

10/22/98 Repaired vacuum leak at intake.

10/8/99 Resealed power steering reservoir.

5/30/00 Replaced left front motor mount, front struts, and rear shocks.

5/30/00 Repair power steering (leaking from 10/8/99 repair).

8/1/00 Rebuilt the transmission.

11/00 Repaired a leak in the evaporator.

12/00 Low compression in one cylinder. Cause never identified.

General Comments:

This car is mechanically unreliable.

Dealer service was slow with repairs taking from 3 to 10 days, frequently on the basis of parts not in stock.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th March, 2001

21st Jun 2001, 12:36

Ralph C. just picked up an "E." I think it looks rather cheap compared to the more solid models. There are much better ways to blow 50 G's.

20th May 2007, 04:48

I have to disagree with the original review. I have owned a 1994 E420 and have had to perform only one type of non-standard maintenance on the vehicle ever: I replaced the headlights that had been cracked from extended highway use in the US (rocks, etc... from semis).

24th Oct 2007, 23:26

At what mileage did you have to have the transmission rebuilt? I'm curious because the auto trans in my '87 300E was slipping badly by 108k miles and needed a rebuild. I would expect better longevity in a car of this class. Maybe Volvo has spoiled me.

19th Dec 2007, 21:33

I've owned my 1994 E420 since 2001 when I purchased it with 65,000 miles. Now it has about 25K and it looks almost as good as it did since I purchased it.

If you are a do-it-yourself person, then this is a car that you can work on. I've had issues with it, but nothing serious yet.

This thing should run to 300K.

22nd Nov 2008, 02:16

I have had my E420 for 10 years now. I have not driven it much in last 5 years. It's a beautiful, fast, reliable car. It's a beast when it comes to racing!!

Interior has sat in the sun for years and its nearly perfect. My third Benz and the only times I had issues has been when my Benzes have sat for long periods of time. Benzs are made to run run, and they do run run...