1994 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E420 from North America - Comments

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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...