What to buy...

On the economic front diesel v petrol, you will also have to think of the relative prices (of the car and the fuel) and taxes (to run the car).

Isn't diesel quite cheap in Denmark but you pay on the cars?

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

Good point! Both diesel and petrol is expensive in Denmark, but diesel is around 20% cheaper. It is not like I am going to put A LOT of mileage on it - maybe 10-15.000 km each year, so this is not the biggest issue.

Yes - we pay a big tax when registering the vehicle. If I buy a MB 280TE in Germany for 6000 EUR, I have to pay around 20000 EUR (yes, four zeroes) in registration tax...

/Helge

And what are the tax differences between petrol and diesel engines? Both on registration and on-going/monthly/yearly?

In Germany diesels pay a significantly higher 'road tax'.

DAS

"Helge Tengstedt" haute in die Tasten:

If my memory serves me right, there was a major engine swap during the big W124 facelift around 1992 or so. Before that Mercedes offered a 2.6 litre Inline six and a 3.0 litre inline six. In the beginning of the 90's the 2.6 litre was replaced by a 2.8 litre and the 3.0 litre was replaced by a 3.2 litre. There was also a 3.0 litre 24 V engine, but this engine is said to cause mechanical problems.

In brief: If you are looking for a '95 W124 T model, you can only choose between E280T and E320T, the 300TE has been discontinued some years ago.

IIRC the W124 station wagon was made until 1996. The sedan was discontinued one year earlier. If I had to choose between the 2.8 litre and the 3.2 litre, I would take the bigger engine. It has a very good reputation and is said to be one of the smoothest engines made by Mercedes.

Frank

Hi Frank

Thank you for the enlightenment on the models, das war echt spitze!

Would you (or anyone else) know where to find online technical data on these two cars as to how much petrol/diesel they consume on average?

GmBH Helge

"Helge Tengstedt" haute in die Tasten:

If you are able to read german, then this page is the best I have to offer.

I would expect a fuel consumption of 11-14 litres per 100 km for the petrol models and 8-9 litres for the diesel models. Differences between the engines should not be that high, because it is basically the same car which has to be moved;-) I am quite sure that your driving habits will affect fuel consumption more than 400 cc of engine displacement.

Frank

I have had an 1995 E 320 for 10 years now and could not be happier. I would never trade it for a Diesel. One can save $$ 10 to 20 / week. But when repairs come ?????!!!!!!!!!!!

I remember the W124 260E, a colleague had one, but that was in the later eighties. I had the 230E at the time.

As regards the engine, I have a 3.2 litre petrol in my 2001 car. I don't think it is very different from what was sold in the mid-nineties and I find it very good. 216 PS IIRC. Fuel consumption varies from below 20 mpg (big UK gallon) in city stop-start driving up to 26+ mpg on motorways. I average about 23 mpg.

Bear in mind I drive only 5000 miles per year and my car is an automatic (though I wonder if there is that much difference between manual and auto).

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

I meant to add that I really like the 3.2 l engine. Purrs along nicely at all speeds up to 200 km/h and gets there quite quickly.

Mind out, I can get to near maybe 160/180 quite quickly in our 1993 2-l engine (in a 190E) and at more normal speeds it too runs nicely.

DAS