Overview & Reviews

All new and sporting a face anybody's mother could love, the E-Class comes in three flavors: E300 Diesel, E320 and E420. A new front suspension and larger wheels and tires provide better handling, while optional gas-discharge headlamps mark new technology. Side-impact airbags are included in the doors of all E-Class models. E420's can be had with ESP, which is a new safety system that makes sure the E420 is under control at all times. The E420 also gets a new five-speed transmission.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 19.00

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Kevin - September 19 - 7:06 pm

  Bought for $22K. Wiring Harness is the only major issue ever ($1,700 to fix). This car regularly travels 800 mi RT to Gulf Shores, 300 mi RT to Spartanburg...and she just is great on the highway. Avg fuel is 28 in the city and 34 on the highway. Ive put 120K miles on this car and she now has 223K total miles. Even my mechanic thinks this is an awesome car.

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  The best selling Mercedes! - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By So.Cal_Benzo - March 15 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for 2 years and it is perfect! It is a heavy car, but with an excellent V6 engine pushing out 217hp with 229 lb/ft of torque this car really goes, especially on the freeway. The passing power of this car is superb! It is built for the German Autobahn and its like a beast on the Freeway!

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  Easy to repair.. and you better be good at it. - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By spammeplez - November 20 - 10:19 pm

  Trans went out at 150000 miles. Electrical problems and an emission gremlin that has never gone away. At 200000+ miles. Oil seep that Ive just lived with for 6+ years of ownership. Annoying but easy to deal with. Squeaky belt but since none of the components running off the belt has ever been replaced.. guess its not that big of a deal. Fuel pump went out but easy to repair plus it was the original. Again not a big deal.. Lots of little things but parts are easy to find, just as cheap/expensive as any car. But easier to repair than any Japanese car Ive ever owned. Just need to figure out the little tricks the engineers designed to make repairs easy. This car will go 300K miles.

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  BENZIE 210 - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By dalworth55cars - June 1 - 11:33 pm

  I really enjoy this superb and silky smooth car. All aspects of the car has been positive. The car handles nicely and feels quite substancial. My only complaints are typical to many other Benzs of similar years both earlier and later. This car turns heads and is deserving of all the attention that it recieves. Mercedes really stepped up the look on the car. To date this is the best looking E-Class. The 2003 chassis doesnt look as beefy, beefy looks good for a mans car. The 1996 is a heavy and stiff car. This tank is built for the road and it superbly holds the road in all weather conditions. This is close to car heaven. That is so far.

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  Great Ride! - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By bhaggie - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for 8 years and am the first owner. All the major components have been ultra reliable. However, the light bulb socketing technology is the worst in the world. Ive had 20+ light bulbs (headllamps, foglamps, dash lights, brake lights, running lights, etc) fail to light because of contact problems. A little persussion maintenance usually, but not always, fixed the problem.

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  What a workhorse - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By cabernt13 - April 25 - 10:00 am

  With gas prices going up, its nice to be getting 35 mpg with less expensive fuel. Its safe, nice to look at, and very economical.

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  Great cross country car - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By JKA - January 16 - 2:00 am

  We have owned several MB diesels. Our 96 300D is a fantastic road car. We have made many cross country runs from Minnesota to Maine and always find this car able to offers us a dependable and comfortable ride.

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  Excellent Automobile - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By roderickmallen - March 1 - 12:26 am

  I just purchased the car recently but love it. I have heard about the quality & performance of the Mercedes-Benz brand but am thrilled to finally experience it first-hand. The car performs flawlesly and the comfort if among the best.

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  Very reliable! 24.5MPG @ 245K Miles - 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
  By Chriss - February 17 - 8:13 am

  Ive had no mayor problems with the car, the biggest job was a transmission service @ 177,000 miles. The car has around 245,000 miles and it runs like new. It smogs fine and it does about 24 MPG. I dive it every day and about once a month i drive to LA from northern californa (about 300 miles) and it feels great. It has some minor issues like a stereo volume knob that is worn due to normal use and like any W210 the original head gasket leaks around the front of the engine (cyl 1) which didnt cause any problems other than the leak itself which if you had warranty its fine if not its around 150usd for the gasket set.