Audi A4 vs BMW E36 vs MB W124

[Horsepower]

Hi guys, planning to have my first German car.

I'm looking at :

1) Audi A4 1.8L mid-late 90s
2) BMW E36 (316/318-320i).
3) Mercedes-Benz W124 Turbo Diesel.

What are the potential problem(s) i might run into with owning these cars?

What should I look out for when finally purchasing one?

or could you suggest a better alternative than these three (same price range please)?

Thanks in advance. :-)

[ronw123w124]

I guess I'm in the position to give feedbacks about the 3 cars posted on this thread:

1. My sister used to own an A4 in the U.S., in her experience, this has got to be the worst car shes ever owned. The car was brought back to the dealer several times to rectify a lot of small but very irritating problems mostly electrical in nature. I must admit that I enjoyed driving this car whenever I'm in California. IMO, it is the best handling car I have driven so far and its not even a quattro.

2. I used to drive a 316i E36 body. It was good at first, but one day the ABS brake system had a malfunction and upon bringing it to Prestige Cars Libis, I was shocked to receive a P115,000 repair estimate. After that I sold the car immediately. Although I'm thinking of buying my other sister's 318i E46. She's thinking of selling it because she wants a bigger car and is currently looking at the X5.

3. My dad handed down his '92 300E 2.6 W124 to me about 3 years ago, I still have the car. It has been with us since new. It has served us very well. Maintenance costs IMO, is comparable to a Japanese sedan.


since you're looking for a diesel, try looking for a 94-95 E300 diesel, a friend of mine has one and I tell you, its one sweet car. Prices should hover around 400,000 to 500,000 largely depends on the condition.

another good choice for me would be a W202 body C220, used to have a C180 but had to sell to make way for the W124.

[mbeige]

I agree with Ron on getting the '94-'95 E300D turbodiesel with the OM606 engine.

If not that, make sure the diesel you get has good compression. A compression test will always prove beneficial as part of a prepurchase inspection. This is because the OM60x family of engines MB designed for the w124 had aluminum heads but iron blocks, and the aluminum heads are prone to warping when overheated. Have both the compression test done as a cooling system pressure test done to determine the health of the water jackets between cylinders as well as the engine in general.

Just be wary of the electrical gremlins that plague '93-'95 w124's, this also includes the w140 and w202 along the same years.

Again, get a PPI (prepurchase inspection) done as well as compression and cooling system pressure test. The vacuum pump also of the OM603 should be the updated version, the old one will tend to take out the timing chain and possibly the engine if not checked. The w124 transmissions also had an updated kit for the B2 piston I believe, this should have already been done too. Other than that the Benz is a solid platform that should provide you with years of great ownership.

[Horsepower]

Thanks, the C220 is fine it's just that i heard that on its 100K Kms, you'll need to change the wiring harness which would cost here around 100K pesos (about $2200) is this true?

I chatted with a middle-aged man in the car wash admiring his '98 c220 (because it looks so pristine) and that's what he's worried about and revealed to me he's planning to sell it due to that.

[ronw123w124]

I think 40-50k is more like it for the wiring harness, maybe the guy you talked to had his done at CATS no wonder for the ridiculous amount. I had mine replaced when I had the C180, cost me around 35k at that time.

[mbeige]

You could get a w124 anywhere from 1986 to 1993 and avoid the wiring harness problem altogether. Those are just as solid and reliable, if not better because of the lack of the wiring harness problem. Just please try not to convert to the E-look, enthusiasts will know