SOLD 1993 400E, Nautical Blue / Cream-Beige, TMU, $5k (Dallas, TX)

[sheward]

Nice looking car. Listed in Atlanta, located in Texas.

Datacard: VIN Decoder for Mercedes-Benz

drew

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/93-mercedes-400e-2nd-owner/6663418563.html

'93 Mercedes 400E - 2nd owner - $4900 (Dallas, TX)​

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VIN = WDBEA34E4PB943998​

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Mercedes W124 400E 4.2L DOHC V8 w/ 4-speed automatic transmission. When new, this car was slotted above the 300E and 300D and below the legendary 500E. I will be getting married soon so my spare car needs to be converted into a wedding fund.​

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In the last 12 months, I have brought its maintenance up-to-date to make it a reliable and comfortably daily driver (it was my daily driver up until recently). The AC works well and the engine even handles the 100+ degree Texas summer heat well on my 20-mile commute in stop-and-go traffic.​

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As far as I can tell from the Carfax, I'm the second owner. I purchased it from a guy with a race shop in Cresson, TX (Motorsport Enterprises) and he also buys and sells classic cars. He purchased at an auction and had his crew replace the throttle body wiring harness and upper engine wiring harness with non-biodegradable units. Clean title is in-hand and a zero accident clean Carfax will be provided.​

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Maintenance performed in last 12 months:​

New front control arms (with ball joints) (TRW)​

New tie rod assembly (inner, outer, center) (Lemforder)​

New steering damper (Stabilus)​

New HVAC blower motor (Bosch)​

New Thermostat (Wahler)​

Coolant flush​

New front passenger window regulator and motor​

Depo Euro headlights (much brighter than stock US units and make the car safer at night but I do still have the original headlights and wipers)​

Greased the mono-wiper​

Regular oil changes with synthetic oil​

O.E. Mercedes carpet floor mats​

light 50% tint to protect against the sun​

An extra set of 17" polished aluminum O.E. Mercedes wheels from a W220 S600 are also included. Current wheels are 16" from a W210 E420​

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Everything is operational except for the following:​

Front passenger power headrest adjustment does not work but can be adjusted manually.​

Original Becker stereo is still in the car but has static unless close to a radio station tower.​

Roof has some checks on the paint and the trunk lid has some cracks in the paint.​

The car is 100% rust-free and the rest of the paint is in good condition.​

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Thanks for looking and please call, text or email with any questions. Located in Dallas but the car would easily make a road trip.​

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[panthercity]

The last 2 years has not been kind to this car. Listed for sale now in Houston here: Craigslist

no affiliation.

AutoCheck attached below photos.

1993 Mercedes 400e - $3,000 (The Woodlands / Magnolia)​

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93 400e, Not Running, will need tow. Issue with ignition system and or timing. Was running fine til about a week ago, new battery and front brakes.​

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Odometer does not work, common issue with old Mercedes, if I had to guess its probably around the 160-200k range. A/C blows, but not cold, most likely the compressor, haven't bothered fixing due to short commute. Was daily driven. Selling due to reduced income and no longer being able to maintain upkeep. Rebuilt Transmission. Price negotiable. Text/Email only. (346)-413-1054 ​

 

[a777fan]

Poor guy. Sounds about like mine at the moment. Got those ignition bluuuuuuuuuues....

 

[gerryvz]

The Woodlands / Magnolia area. My old stomping grounds.

 

[gsxr]

@LWB250, you could Martha this back into shape in no time! And $300 is a steal.

 

[gsxr]

Uh, is it just me, or has the odo not budged in 2 years...?

EDIT: I missed that the seller stated the odo is dead. Thanks, panthercity! This also means the odo was broken when the PREVIOUS owner had it, and the car could have far higher miles than shown.

 

[panthercity]

The add mentions that the odo is broken

 

[hsumeet]

I'm about to go look at this car, even with it's broken odo, because I can't stop myself from buying old cars and trying to fix them up to their former glory. At $1500 buying price, would this car be an advisable cheap introduction into the W124 platform?

A little background: I've had my dream car, W208 CLK55 for a couple of years now and have been able to restore it back from the barn find it was, with major part help from FCP Euro, just to provide a small idea of where my limited amount of mechanical experience on Mercedes is coming from. Also had a W203 C230 Sport that I lost to a drunk driver. I've worked on everything Japanese and domestic but it's only been a few years delving into the Germans.

After getting the VIN from the seller and pulling the Carfax, I decided to google the number and behold, this thread. It's truly sad to see what's become of this car in just 2 years and unknown amount of miles. But the body still looks straight enough for an amateur restoration by myself. Paint has seen better days and interior is great from the pictures I was sent.

The 500E is not in the cards for me any time soon but maybe something a little less special like this would do the trick. This would be my ninth junker sitting in my driveway and I've been researching this platform furiously trying to convince myself I don't need it. But the V8 keeps calling my name like a Siren's Song. Any advice on this car, for or against, I would be greatly thankful for.

Sumeet Haar

 

[gsxr]

At $1500 it's at least worth a test drive. $3k was a bit much for the condition.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

 

[hsumeet]

At $1500 it's at least worth a test drive. $3k was a bit much for the condition.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

Thank you! Yeah I kept seeing it pop up for 2500 for a couple of months and after a little back and forth, he said the lowest he can really take is 1500. Reasonable and gives me plenty of room in my head for misc parts that have worn out.

Are there any common ignition problems that are the most likely culprits here? I'll still likely be throwing the book at it in regards to maintenance items.

"Have had the car a little over two years, regular oil changes, New battery, brake pads and rotors, and rebuilt transmission in that time...car has a misfire, weak spark, needs tune up, not sure how much more than that it will need to run smoothly..rough start, but starts, let it warm up a bit and will run and drive." -seller

 

[gsxr]

There's a ton of information on the forum about ignition issues. However, rough running on cold start is unusual. Of course it's fixable, but might cost a bit in parts (caps/rotors/insulators, maybe coils, maybe wires). Plugs are cheap, make sure they are non-resistor F8DC4 (or equivalent) and gap to 1.0mm (larger than factory spec).

Keep us posted on how it goes...

 

[hsumeet]

There's a ton of information on the forum about ignition issues. However, rough running on cold start is unusual. Of course it's fixable, but might cost a bit in parts (caps/rotors/insulators, maybe coils, maybe wires). Plugs are cheap, make sure they are non-resistor F8DC4 (or equivalent) and gap to 1.0mm (larger than factory spec).

Keep us posted on how it goes...

Thank you so much for giving me a starting point! Tips and possible solutions like yours will be invaluable in the certain lengthy future of perfecting the blue beast. More than likely I'll be bringing her back home with me

 

[Kyiv]

Thank you so much for giving me a starting point! Tips and possible solutions like yours will be invaluable in the certain lengthy future of perfecting the blue beast. More than likely I'll be bringing her back home with me

This forum has the most compete knowledge (in english at least) on W124s with V8 engines. You'll be amazed once you start browsing.

At $1,500, the car is worth a gamble, I think

 

[hsumeet]

This forum has the most compete knowledge (in english at least) on W124s with V8 engines. You'll be amazed once you start browsing.

At $1,500, the car is worth a gamble, I think

I've already started perusing and I'm liking what I see. Thank y'all for the reassurances, really helps with the anxiety of buying another project

 

[sheward]

I agree. Worth the gamble. I and others here have spare parts for E420 / 400E cars should you need. Blue is a somewhat rare color I'd like to own.

drew

 

[panthercity]

I've already started perusing and I'm liking what I see. Thank y'all for the reassurances, really helps with the anxiety of buying another project

@hsumeet Did you end up buying this car?

 

[gsxr]

@hsumeet Did you end up buying this car?

Yes, he posted an OWNER thread here with the full saga:

OWNER - hsumeet (400E) | Owners and Their Cars

ADMIN EDIT: This is the car hsumeet purchased, a 1993 400E in Nautical Blue, non-ASR: https://www.500eboard.co/forums/threads/fs-1993-400e-nautical-blue-cream-beige-tmu-5k-dallas-tx.12265/ I agree. Worth the gamble. I and others here have spare parts for E420 / 400E cars should you need...

www.500eboard.co

This thread title will be updated to "SOLD".

 

[panthercity]

@gsxr got it. Thanks.