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Chili,
I went the other way! I have owned a 95 E320 for six years, and just bougt an 89 Carrera.
My E320 is the Special Edition, and I can't for the life of me tell you the difference between it and the standard car. So, when you find out, please let me know.
Be forwarned, though, if you are looking at a 94 or 95 E series car. There are two very costly items on these cars.........that should be reviewed before purchasing..........and factored into the price you pay.
First, the 94 and 95 cars have a very high failure rate (> 50%) on the engine head gasket. The gasket blows out on the right rear of the block.........not sure why there.........but that is where they fail. Once failed, you will immediately develop a sizeable oil leak! The repair is a top end rebuild on the motor.........which will cost you $1500 to $3000 dependent upon the use of an independent or dealer repair center. There is no fix other than to replace the head gasket. Beware. They have either leaked and been repaired.........or they WILL leak. The fix is a redesigned gasket that should last the life of the motor.
The second flaw in these cars is the main engine wiring harness. Mercedes utilized some new elastomer in manufacturing the harnesses for the 93 through 95 E cars. At about 50K miles, plus or minus, the individual wire insulation hardens and then crumbles. Externally, the harness looks fine.........but, you will experience any number of running problems and/or failures in various electrical systems. My first failed part was the Mass Air Flow sensor which shorted out...........that was a $400 repair! AFter that, the car developed, over about a year's time, various driveability issues. When I researched the item, I found that Mercedes had, in fact, through their good will customer program quietly replaced many of these defective harnesses.........however, they never issed a formal recall or bulletin. Why do I mention this? The harness carries a retail price of about $700, and the dealers want 6 hours to install it.....do the arithmetic, and you have yourself another $1500 bill.
When I finally got all the facts together, I went into my local Mercedes dealer and presented my case. It took them a week to get back to me, but in the end, they gave me the part, and we split the cost of labor to install. Incidentally, its a realitively easy weekend job for the DIY types.....but for the $375 offered by the dealer.........I was happy to take them up on the repair.
The punchline to my harness story is that the car had 150K miiles on it when I asked Mercedes to replace the part..........and they still stood behind their product.
Aside from the two problem areas mentioned above, the 3.2 motor in these cars is bullet proof and should run 200K to 300K miles with no problems.
Lastly, the 95 was the last year Mercedes used the OBDII computer diagnostic system on these cars. With a list of the codes (which you can get off the Mercedes Shopforum website) and the use of a cheaply made indicator light........you can essentially trouble shoot every failure code on the car. Again, the Mercedes Shopforum is a great site with as much participation as this Pelican site.
Good luck and sorry for the long post.
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