Auto Trans. 2nd gear start changeover?

[GaryB]

Hello,

I am considering purchasing a W124 (300CE/E320) coupe. I only have a couple of prospects at this point that are a few hours distance from me, but I have a preliminary question.

I come from a background of only owning manual transmission cars (including an '88 E30 BMW M3 currently and a '74 BMW 2002tii). I know that Mercedes had the sluggish 2nd gear start on their W124 Auto Boxes up until a certain point. One source I have says that they switched in '91 (Mercedes-Benz Buyer's Guide) to the as-it-should-have-been-from-the-beginning 1st gear start. Another source (W124 E-class Owner's Bible) says it was '92 (or was it '93?) when they switched. One of the cars I'm considering is a '91 300CE. Does anyone know the year they actually made the changeover from 2nd to 1st gear starts?

I'd greatly like to avoid this 2nd gear start sluggishness off the line without having to nail the throttle--one reason for going with an E-class vs. a more peaky 4-cylinder like my M3 is to get the effortless low end torque and this would seem to defeat that intent. I also read in the Owner's Bible that the valve can be "modified" to change older cars (although the valve had to be replaced on the earliest year W124s). What does this involve?

Finally, on a related topic, at this point I have no strong preference for the later 3.2 liter E320 coupe (engine shared by the '93 300CE) over the 3.0 liter (I definitely would only consider the DOHC 24-valve '90+ 300CE though). The later model has extra torque at the expense of about 10 hp. It also has a lower compression ratio and a lower redline. Is there really any noticeable difference between the two in power/response/feel? Any other reasons to favor the '94 or '95 face-lifted version over the earlier ones (the sheetmetal changes don't really make a difference to me)? If there is, my instincts say that the early ones are more for someone who wants to have fun with the car by revving it up higher (7K redline) while the latter is a slightly more sedate blvd. cruiser type.

Thanks,
Gary

[pkmaven]

There is no question about which CE is the "one" to buy. The 1990 was the first year for the "new" engine and is quite fast. It also has stiffer sway bars. The 94-95 coupe was the most updated and is the hardest year to find. I beleive these model years had first gear drive. There were not many imported in '95 before the 96 year changeover. In Mercedes logic, only their best cars, the top of each model line, The coupe, comes with many differences: trunk carpet which matches the color of the interior carpet (not generic gray), bronze annodized roof bands, seat belt arms which extend and present the seat belt to the driver, different back seats, frameless, glass to glass windows, and luggage clips for the roof rack. P.

[GaryB]

Originally Posted by pkmaven

There is no question about which CE is the "one" to buy. The 1990 was the first year for the "new" engine and is quite fast. It also has stiffer sway bars. The 94-95 coupe was the most updated and is the hardest year to find. I beleive these model years had first gear drive. There were not many imported in '95 before the 96 year changeover. In Mercedes logic, only their best cars, the top of each model line, The coupe, comes with many differences: trunk carpet which matches the color of the interior carpet (not generic gray), bronze annodized roof bands, seat belt arms which extend and present the seat belt to the driver, different back seats, frameless, glass to glass windows, and luggage clips for the roof rack. P.

Thanks pkmaven. That's information I never got from anywhere else. Boy, this forum definitely doesn't get much interest. Since I first posted that I ended up going a different direction. My wife was not a fan of the 300CE although I think I was ready for a "luxury" coupe. We ended up buying a 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege which are being steeply discounted. For some reason she liked the styling of the Mazda (we're late 30's so older than the normal demographic for these cars) although she doesn't like traditional sedans or coupes. So it's a blast to drive although certainly not as nice a highway cruiser or as luxurious as the Mercedes. Getting a full 4-year warranty was another factor--my "nice weather" car is a restored '74 BMW 2002tii so it's nice to have this car be one we don't have to worry about repair costs for a few years. I sold a pristine 80,000 mile '88 BMW M3 to buy the Mazda so we were looking for something that could serve as a nice reliable daily driver. Anyway, one day maybe I will get my Mercedes--I really love the look of the current CL500...

Gary

[E60_Hammer]

If you come to a stop, put it into 2nd then back into drive. Then you will start in 1st gear and take full advantage of that torque.