Pros/Cons of buying a W124 E300 with 400k miles on it? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dieseldiehard · #16 02-13-2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by husk

The head is aluminum, im sure there is some warpage. The w123's had cast iron heads which made it very difficult for them to warp, and cause damage. The 606 is not as robust of a motor as the 617's or 616's, I would highly doubt that this car is in good condition. There is a reason he is selling it for 2k and if it was a creampuff at 400k miles, I am sure he would have said so. The electrical problems are also something to take into consideration, it is very rare for a w124 to have these kind of electrical problems unless they were invloved in some sort of accident.

its a 103 engine, yes they sometimes warp if overheated but the common trouble is corrosion and bad headgaskets.
It is also common, not rare, for wiring harness failures to occur. Its all well documented, its the insulation that MB started using to satisfy some green something or another. Trouble is it cracks and shorts as a function of heat, how much and how long determines when it will crack and short out.

husk · #17 02-13-2006, 07:45 PM

103 ENGINE? i thought the 95 e300's had the naturally asiprated 606.912's. 134hp 155lb ft of torque.

DieselAddict · #18 02-13-2006, 08:30 PM

Everything is less worn with mostly highway miles, except things like tires & wheel bearings. Like I said, whether this is a good deal really depends on the condition and maintenance/repair history, and not as much on the mileage.

mbzkid · #19 02-13-2006, 11:56 PM

First of all, don't let anyone discourage you from buying the car. Do your research though.

Unless you like the idea of having a super high milage car, I don't see any reason to take the risk. The car was obviously driven, so it won't be show quality. It looks like the lower valance/lip spoiler is falling off...

Assuming the car is inspected, the steering/suspension found to be tight, as well as the driveline being quiet, its basically a gamble as to when everything starts falling off. I would say the same for a 123, but remember a 124 will cost more to fix, so if it needs alot of work it would be better to scrap the car.

If the car doesn't come with complete records, all bets are off.

And what the hell is all this about a wiring problem? If it was an easy fix they probably would have already fixed it.

One more thing...Why did the owner put 400,000 miles on the car, then up and sell it? Maybe its, I don't know, worn out or ABOUT TO BLOW!

lietuviai · #20 02-14-2006, 11:00 AM

I have not seen anything in a 124 in regards to wiring that looks like an easy fix. The wiring in the dash is like a rats nest and as those wires age they get brittle and crack.
Speedy300D, I disagree with you that the 124's are better than 123's. While the 124's ride and handle better than the 123's, the 124 is built like a beer can where the 123 is like a tank. I've compared my 124 to my 123. The materials and components other than the engine and drivetrain on the 124 are far inferior to the 123. A lot of costs were cut when designing the 124. Even the 603 engine is not as robust as the 617. If only the 603 had an iron head.

TimFreeh · #21 02-14-2006, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

I have not seen anything in a 124 in regards to wiring that looks like an easy fix. The wiring in the dash is like a rats nest and as those wires age they get brittle and crack.
Speedy300D, I disagree with you that the 124's are better than 123's. While the 124's ride and handle better than the 123's, the 124 is built like a beer can where the 123 is like a tank. I've compared my 124 to my 123. The materials and components other than the engine and drivetrain on the 124 are far inferior to the 123. A lot of costs were cut when designing the 124. Even the 603 engine is not as robust as the 617. If only the 603 had an iron head.

It is certainly funny how two different people can experience the same things and come to totally different conclusions. I have several hundred thousand miles of direct ownership experience with the W123 and the W124 chassis. From a 'quality-of-materials' aspect I don't think the W124 suffers at all in a direct comparision to the W123.

As far as the driving experience is concerned its a no-brainer - to me a W123 feels like a garage truck compared to a W124 in terms of chassis dynamics and refinement.

#22 02-14-2006, 11:56 AM

I'd go buy a lower mileage 95E300D for around $9K and the buy this one for $1500 AS A PARTS CAR!!!! In the end you will end up spending about the same. If you don't buy it, lemme know so I can look into buying this as a parts car eventhough mine is excellent right now.

#23 02-14-2006, 11:58 AM

I agree with Tim to a point. I CERTAINLY agree that sitting in the drivers seat of the two cars gives BIG advantage to the 124. I also agree that the MATERIAL that a 124 is built from is equal to the 123.

Where I don't exactly agree is that I feel the 124 is a more complex machine in many ways. That is part of what gives it such and advantage in the drivers seat, BUT that also makes it more difficult to work on.

Working on a 123, manual everything, 240D, is like working on a Model A compared to a 124 car.

My $0.02,

#24 02-14-2006, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimFreeh

It is certainly funny how two different people can experience the same things and come to totally different conclusions. I have several hundred thousand miles of direct ownership experience with the W123 and the W124 chassis. From a 'quality-of-materials' aspect I don't think the W124 suffers at all in a direct comparision to the W123.

As far as the driving experience is concerned its a no-brainer - to me a W123 feels like a garage truck compared to a W124 in terms of chassis dynamics and refinement.

I agree with Tim. I have owned both. 79 300D, 77 240D manual, and 95 E300D. I like the 95 better in ALL aspects! 240 came in at second. I never work on mine, just dont have the time to even change the oil myself anymore! I have to pay Approx $50 bucks to get it changes.

#25 02-14-2006, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by intelligent

I agree with Tim. I have owned both. 79 300D, 77 240D manual, and 95 E300D. I like the 95 better in ALL aspects! 240 came in at second. I never work on mine, just dont have the time to even change the oil myself anymore! I have to pay Approx $50 bucks to get it changes.

For those who do not do their own car work then, OF COURSE, you will like a 124 car better. It's when you have to wrench on them that you find the advantages of a manual transmission 240D over any 124 car.

Have a great day,

#26 02-14-2006, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryBible

For those who do not do their own car work then, OF COURSE, you will like a 124 car better. It's when you have to wrench on them that you find the advantages of a manual transmission 240D over any 124 car.

Have a great day,

I'm sure you are absolutely right. You usually are

I do however miss that 240D manual. It could've done better with a 5th gear I think. I remember that 4th was pretty loud at 85MPH

t walgamuth · #27 02-14-2006, 07:23 PM

wouldn t consider the 400k car. whether it is gas or diesel.

it could be good but it would have to have had such exceptional care that it seems pretty unlikely.

tom w

aklim · #28 02-14-2006, 07:25 PM

I don't know. 400K is kinda high. Even if the tranny and motor are ok, they are heading into that rebuild zone. Further to that, there are more parts than the tranny and engine so, how many more parts are heading that way?