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Old 07-16-2003, 05:14 PM
Ken C Ken C is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2000
Posts: 117
'90 300E (in NJ) -- like new!

Obviously, I can't attach pictures here: I've got 15 pictures (.jpg) of the car, exterior and interior shots, and can e-mail them to you directly at your request. Just send me an e-mail to KenAC@aol.com Thanks.

300E, 1990 (W124.030, M103.983), vin: WDBEA30D0LB205946.
Only for those who really appreciate the W124 as one of the best cars MB produced, and would like to enjoy owning one again (and having it for a new car's lifespan) by starting with a like-new vehicle.

Really looks, smells, rides and sounds like a new car!
colors: exterior, Smoke Silver interior, Light Camel.
mileage: only ~86,700 miles - I've only driven it on weekends and a few 'car vacation' trips - I have five cars (2 other MB's including a G, and 2 Volvos), and we use the others for commuting to work, going on errands, towing, etc. This 300E is truly pampered!
Noteworthy point: Since I've owned it (the last 30,000 miles), I've only used pure synthetic oil in it (AmsOil 10W-40, currently API rate 'SL'). With this mileage, and use of synthetic oil, the engine is barely broken-in.

History: I'm the second owner, bought it in August 1997 at 57,000 miles as a StarMark vehicle from a MB dealer (Princeton Motorsports, NJ) - it was a "whim" puchase (see below) -- just to have a nicer car for vacations. The first owner was really an ~80 year old man, and the car was always garaged (as it's always been with me, too). That original owner was a rich businessman who lavashed MB dealership-only maintenance on it.
I've doted and lavished care on it too. We only drive it on nice weekend days (or on a vacation car trip), it's never seen snow or ice (although I do put studded snow tires on - see end of this for details - solely as a precaution in case of encountering an unexpected patch of ice somewhere) -- but I just don't take it out when there's bad weather around. And I don't take it to mall parking lots, supermarkets, or anyplace where it might gets scratched or dented. I'm too protective of it, which is my problem. My wife says we don't use it enough to be worth keeping - and she's right, darn it.
The car has also been maintained with a good waxing (Meguiar's) regularly -- I'm an old fashioned guy and still enjoy putting a coat of wax on a car! The car's finish shows this.
And, it is utterly rust-free! And it has never been in a collision! [I've included the vin, above, for you to check with CarFax if you wish.]
And to answer the question of WHY I'm selling it, it's only because I'm going to buy a new SUV. I'm selling this 300E now (painfully), and will sell my GWagen in the fall after the boating season ends (and I no longer need it this summer to tow my boat) -- the new plush SUV will serve the purposes of both the 300E and the G next season.

Since I've had it, only MB service techs and myself have laid hands on it - never any independent shops (and I'm sure it was the same with the original owner) - maintaining it strictly with genuine M-B parts (e.g., battery, oil filters, etc.), as I'm a member of the M-B Club of America and aware of the maintenance required, etc.
I am also including the service (a.k.a., "repair" or "maintenance") manuals that I have for the car, including various "grey" books published by MB [not the troublesome CDs].

Both the original owner and myself have been non-smokers - the interior still smells new (leathery), and looks like the seats were never sat in (no wild kids, dogs, etc).

The notorious head gasket has already been replaced (at 57,500 miles) at the beginning of my StarMark warranty, during which (since the head was off) I opted to (at my own expense) also change timing chain, chain tensioner, valve guides and stem seals, clean and reface valve seats, check injectors, etc.

Additional equipment:
Countless standard equipment (including many improvements over 1989 models), includes not only driver-side* airbag and ABS of course but also many touches such as heated windshield washer fluid, defrosting side view mirrors, a sunshade over the interior mirror, etc. [ * note that in these model years, if you wanted a passenger-side airbag you had give up the convenience of a glovebox, so few people optioned for dual airbags and settled for driver-side only.]

And as you can see in the pictures, it also has genuine Euroheadlights (including the "proper" wipers for them, not some cheapening attempt to use the smaller OEM wipers from the original lights). Euroheadlights are invaluable when driving on country roads, for example when we're vacationing in Maine and want to see if there is a moose about to walk across the road. Also, the headlights/foglights are protected by imperceptible "headlight shields" (see www.griotsgarage.com), a thick, polycarbonate vinyl, adhesive backed coating, to cushion these expensive lenses from stone impacts, etc.

I also installed a Daytime Running Light feature, too (which, if you don't like it, you can disconnect just by pulling the fuse). The DRLs, which run at reduced intensity (with a module by Hamsar), use the yellow fog lights instead of the headlights (which avoids confusion, and is less annoying to oncoming drivers who might otherwise think that your highbeams are on, while also illuminating over a wider angle); but the fog lights can be switched on normally at full intensity when you wish. And the hook up with the DRLs does not interfere with the bulb-out warning, because I used high-current diodes to isolate each circuit.

The car has a set of "8-hole (half-moon)", 1/2inch wider wheels that came on later model W124s (and nice-looking AMG "centers"), with Pirelli P6000 (summer) tires, W speed-rated; the four original "15-hole (rectangular)" wheels are wearing Nokian Hakka1 studded snows.

By the way, don't worry about the school (alma mater) decals on the back window that you will see in the photos - they are NOT stuck on with adhesive like ordinary decals that would ruin the defroster grid if removed. Instead, they're mounted on clear sheets of a special material called "StickerSaver" (see www.windshieldrelief.com) that only holds onto the glass by static electricity. It can be peeled off countless times, as I do whenever I go through the state inspection - peel off, put back on after inspection, then peel off next time, ad infinitum - without any harm to the defroster wires.

The car's only flaw is that, during the first time this summer I had an opportunity to use the A/C a few weeks ago, I noticed that it probably a little low on R-12 because after a little while it didn't cool as much as it should have - it probably needs a little recharge. I would have it done by my dealer at its 90,000 service, but that's over 3,000 miles from now (almost a year to go at the rate I use the car) and there's nothing else that's due until then (I change the oil and filter and so other little things every six months, despite the negligible elapsed mileage; I also change the coolant, using MB-brand antifreeze of course, and brake fluid, every two years).
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