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Originally Posted by richclan
i am in the market for a car now and need a little advice.
i dont want to go newer than 1992.
ive seen a few 1987 300td that are 6cyl. i think it was the last year for these.
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Are you looking for a wagon, correct when you say td? Or do you mean turbo diesel?? '87 was the only year for the diesel W124 6 cylinder wagons, so they command a premium. Super high quality cars, long lasting and easy to work on. (But watch out for the "Biodegradable" wiring harnesses and the air conditioning systems).
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they look real tempting, but im not sure of how strong they are or how easy they are to work on.
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They are not hard to work on , but the W123's are easier.
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the 123's with the 5cyl i know are almost bulletproof but its hard to find a real nice 1 w/o rust [ im in the east rust belt]
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Very true, the W123 cars are not as well rustproofed as the W124 cars, so get a rustfree W123 to start. Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are good places to find them, but the desert cars can have cooked paint and interiors, and sandstorms can sand blast them.
Check under the wheel arches, carpets, and trunk mat, around the jack points and around the bottoms of the front and rear windows, and everywhere else you can, for rust.
Check the vacuum locking, instrument panel lights, airconditioning system (and self leveling system if it's a wagon) for sure.
If you like to turn a wrench, these are good cars to work on. You'll be very pleasantly surprised at how much they are engineered to make working on them a pleasure for the mechanic. Changing break pads are a snap, for starters. They will run to star trek mileages, body integrity in the end is what could put them off the road...look for a nice, tight, unrusted one.
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the 350sd/sdl dont know anything about that engine
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AVOID these!! They are the infamous Rod Bender engines with the sunlight seeking connecting rods. They have a basically incurable enginering/design flaw. Search the words "ROD BENDER" for more information, in the archives.
A few people have owned good ones with no problems, but many, many people have not. A pity, because the 1990-1991 was the last and best of the W126 body cars.
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the 300sd/sdl think that is the 5cyl like the 123's
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NO, the 300SD is a 5 cylinder car only from 1981 through 1985. The 300SD and 300SDL
are the W126 cars with the 6 cylinder engine, sold in the US in 1986 and 1987 only. Buying tips for that chassis can be found in the "Buyer's Guide" at
www.mbcoupes.com. I co-wrote that back in 1999, so it is dated now, and was directed more for the SEC coupes
but it is still worth a look for its relevance to the W126 chassis.
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also any comments on the rest of the car would be welcome
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The W123 and W124 and W126 diesels (except the Rod Benders) are wonderful cars, assembled to the highest Mercedes standards and with the greatest of care.
Get a good one and in the best possible condition possible, rather than a cheap fixer. Service records and stamped books are a huge plus. The W123 cars are the easiest to work on, but they won't have ABS and airbags like some of the later ones will. Obtaining parts for any of them will not be a problem.
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1 last note i will be running WVO in the new car just like i do with my 240 [7,000 miles all is well  ]
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Avoid Lovecraft conversions and single tank setups, seems to go the wisdom around here.