Classic Benz: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300E Sportline

This next car comes as a friend of the seller submission from Cory who writes; Can you to write this one up? I helped my friend write up the listing for the car. I think it poses an interesting question regarding Merc vs BMW. All things being equal is it worth paying the E30 tax as opposed to something like this? Find this 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300E Sportline offered for $10,000 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Bridgewater, CT via eBay.

From the seller:

1992 Mercedes 300E Sportline sedan with 212,000 miles. Rare signal red on black leather. 3 owner car.

The car was originally spec’d with an automatic transmission, but it recently was replaced with a 5 speed manual. It’s the correct 717.433 transmission for a 1992 300E not some jerry rigged 190D transmission.

At that time, the car received a comprehensive mechanical refurbishment along with other oem plus upgrades.

The Sportline cars were a rare option that came with sportier suspension, quicker ratio steering box, and 390 mm steering wheel.

The car has had the AC evaporator (W124 weak point) replaced and the cylinder head was rebuilt.

Originally, this was a southern car so it does not have any rust or rot issues anywhere. I have pictured a couple of areas where these cars are known to rust.

The 3.0 M103 six cylinder makes 177 hp. 1992 cars with this engine predate notorious wiring harness issues. Engine bay is roomier with the SOHC engine and much simpler and easier to work on.

Manual transmission and performance related parts:

5 speed 717.433 dual mass transmission (overdrive 5th gear)
New flywheel
New clutch
New pressure plate
New release bearing
3.27 differential with rebuilt odometer/speedometer to match 3.27 diff (original ratio was 2.87)
400E front 4 piston brake calipers, rotors and dust shields
Front bilstein sport shocks
H & R Springs which mirror sportline ride height
Front strut mounts

Exterior:

Bosch/Hella Euro headlights with vacuum adjust
Rear 94/95 lights and corner lights
S600 style grill

Mechanical and other maintenance:

Front control arm ball joints
Swaybar bushings
Injector seals
Valve cover gasket
Front cover reseal
Fan bracket
Rebuilt fuel distributor
Mass air boot
Idle valve
Distributor cap and rotor
Spark plugs
Driveshaft bushings and flex discs
Two rear axles
EGR deleted
Full exhaust
Refinished Vintage 16″ Monoblock wheels
Trunk stops
OEM Bekker 1432 radio re-installed and speakers replaced
Headliner

The car is quite quick with the 5 speed and shorter rear end, the M103 pulls hard with a satisfying rasp, and the car feels light, nimble and corners flat, it’s a delight to drive. The clutch is light and shifting is a breeze. It has a totally different driving experience over the more sedate automatic transmission cars. All typical weak W124 areas have been addressed so the car needs just a new owner to drive the car.

The car comes with a clean carfax, books and records and a large stack of invoices for the major expenses. Everything works, all systems etc and it does not leak any fluids.

At some point in its life the car had its sportline interior swapped for a standard 5 person leather interior. The leather is in excellent condition.
In Europe the sportline interior and sportline steering and suspension upgrades could have been ordered separately.

Wherever possible if I had a part, better than that on the car I replaced it. It has a glove box, a console storage box, and a storage armrest. The console wood is the best I had. I changed the door seat switches, seat module, antenna. I replaced the rocker cover, deleted the egr, and replaced the exhaust manifolds with refinished non egr manifolds. I replaced most of the engine sensors, the cold start valve, steering pump and alternator.

I own over 15 Mercedes and have years upon years experience with these cars so what you see is what you get. You will find few more knowledgeable people about these cars than myself. I have quite a collection of this era Mercedes, half of which I have pictured in the listing. These W124’s are infinitely serviceable and can last as long as you care for the car.

You would definitely stand out at the next Radwood car show with this 300E. These were made when Mercedes was still on top of their engineering game. This is a great alternative to a BMW E30 or E34/E39. The BMW models are typically thought of as being more performance oriented cars than the Mercedes here in the US. It is a fair assumption because of the greater number of them available with manual transmission, but come and drive this car, and I defy you to be disappointed on how this car drives.

The car is very presentable, but does have some minor paint chips, scratches, flaking paint on the moldings, dings and other minor body issues.

Although this is a fabulous car. however this is still a used 28 year old car. It is sold as is, where it is, without any warranty or guaranty. I strongly advise a visual inspection and test drive.

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