300E for daily driver? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

rstl99 · #1 12-10-2008, 06:14 PM

Hi folks,

My rust-free 82 240D is slumbering in the garage for the winter. My ageing 92 Volvo is performing yeoman's duty carrying me through the winter mess. I'm looking to get a replacement daily driver for the Volvo (in case it craps out this winter, but I will need a replacement vehicle in the Spring anyway, as I don't want to invest any more money into the Volvo, would rather put it into a car I will be driving longer). Thought of going for a reliable used japanese, but a good-sounding 1990 MB 300E has surfaced locally. 110k miles, no rust, clean, lots of work recently done to it, working AC etc., $3000 US.

I'm thinking about checking out and possibly buying the 300E and parking it for the winter, in case I might need it. Or hold off until Spring, ride things out until then and find something at that point.

I'm more used to diesel MB's but don't care to drive one in the winter up here, so a gas model MB would be nice, as long as maintainable, quality built and good condition.

Thoughts?

Hatterasguy · #2 12-10-2008, 06:16 PM

Great cars. M103's sometimes develope oil burning issues with the valve stem seals, but those are not that bad to replace. Other than that great car and engine.

jonnyo · #3 12-10-2008, 06:23 PM

They're well built machines.
At 160,000 or so, in my '91, I had to do the valve stem seals, also. Kept fouling plugs. After the replacement she went back to purring like a kitten again.
If it's in the shape you say it is it's a fair deal.
You'll LOVE the car.

dkveuro · #4 12-10-2008, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rstl99

Hi folks,

Thought of going for a reliable used japanese, but a good-sounding 1990 MB 300E has surfaced locally. 110k miles, no rust, clean, lots of work recently done to it, working AC etc., $3000 US.

I'm more used to diesel MB's but don't care to drive one in the winter up here, so a gas model MB would be nice, as long as maintainable, quality built and good condition.

Thoughts?

I have serviced my 1992 since 1994 when it was owned by my customer.
I bought it in 1990 for $7000.00.at 172,000 miles.
It has done 182,000 miles now. In all my time of owning it I did the head gasket and timing chain...new battery...used ignition coil...trunk seal....new windshield.....cap and rotor....and last winter a fuel pump.

The only thing about these is the a/c vac' motors in the dash.....they split, all of them and need replacing making system fail in windshield mode.

They break wiper motor gears if you don't lub' the plunger arm.

Next most common is cap and rotor burning out.
Head gaskets let go around 160 to 180 k and leak oil out the rear of the block.

If all my customers cars where as reliable I would be out of business by now.
Only problem right now is it blows the cd amp fuse in the trunk every few months.

1stimer · #5 12-10-2008, 06:37 PM

I bought a used 1997 maxima when I moved from Chicago back to Southern California. I've caught up with all neglected issues, and the car is running great, but I am now on the lookout for a used w124. The Maxima has no character, and has cost me way more than I believe a well kept w124 would have...Go for the car you like!

rstl99 · #6 12-10-2008, 06:45 PM

Thanks for the votes of confidence, and the things to watch out for.

This Benz was bought by the seller from a friend in Virginia in July of this year, and described thus: "Leather seats & carpet like new, 111,000 miles; New Winter tires & new summer tires, new front ball (lower) joints, new muffler, new fuel distribution valve, New hand brake shoes & cable, New headlight switch assembly, New emergency flasher switch, New brake fluid resevoir seals & rad hose, New winter windshield wiper, Transmission fluid, gasket & filter were changed recently. Car passed safety inspection in July. Power windows, front seats, power headrests, Power telescopic steering wheel,Alpine AM/FM CD player. A/C is working, Cruise control is not. InLine 6 cylinder engine, very quiet & solid on the highway. Synthetic oil has been used in this car since new."

I did manage to speak with the indie mechanic who did the recent repairs and who was open and helpful about work done in recent months. Bunch of stuff as indicated above. According to him, the body on the car is outstanding (no rust) and the interior is very clean. Engine compartment is clean too. He was not asked for and did not do compression test or other engine health checks, but said it ran smoothly. The couple of things he had noted needing work are:
1) transmission cooling lines leaking at rad
2) vacuum pipe at fuel pressure regulator is bad (was reinserted but will likely need replacement).
Other than that, he felt the car should be good, but suggested getting it checked over by my mechanic.

Jeremy5848 · #7 12-10-2008, 06:47 PM

Fuel economy will be lower; performance higher. Otherwise should be very similar to a 1990 300D 2.5.

Wodnek · #8 12-10-2008, 09:56 PM

One thing i will add...

I bought a 300E last winter so that i could park my 87 300D last winter. The 300E sat all summer and when i went to start it in October the starter had froze up. Then the brakes were froze up.

Try to drive the 300E at least once every 2 weeks to keep these types of problems at bay. My diesels however; always start right up after sitting all winter and run fine. go figure...

rstl99 · #9 12-11-2008, 09:23 AM

I park my 82 240D in my unheated garage all winter, and when I take it out in the Spring, it starts right up and no issues. I drove it all last Summer and parked my 92 Volvo for a few months. When I got the Volvo going again in the early Fall, to get it ready for winter driving, the brakes were stuck, and it was pretty rough going for a few weeks until everything loosened up. The drivetrain still has noises that have not gone away. Not good to keep an old car sitting around outside unused for long stretches, that's for sure...

If I do decide to spring for this 300E, it likely would sit in my driveway under a blanket of snow all winter (as I ride out the winter in my Volvo), so I am concerned about things seizing up. An argument in favour of waiting until Spring to buy something, unless some incredible deal falls in my lap.

#10 12-11-2008, 10:54 AM

My 300E is my daily driver during the Winter. I have an issue with the a/c that keeps me from driving it in the Summer. That really is just an excuse, because in the Summer it gives me a reason to drive my 300HP Mustang GT, five speed.

Anyway, I put my 300E away in the back of my old shop last April. The week before Thanksgiving I charged the battery, started it up and went for a State Inspection. I have driven it every day since then without incident.

Mine is a RARE 88, US, five speed car of which only 300 and something were brought to the US. It has 309,000 miles and runs perfectly. It uses a quart of oil in 3,333 miles which is when I change it anyway.

The car gets a consistent 27MPG on my 21 mile one way commute to work over a narrow, winding farm road with the cruise control set. On vacation to the New Mexico mountains a few years ago, the car AVERAGED a fraction over 30MPG for the whole trip.

IMHO, the 124 300E OR the 123 240D is the best car ever built. When in the drivers seat the advantage is CLEARLY in favor of the 300E. The handling and driving prowess puts the 123 cars to shame. When it comes, however, to the time to raise the hood and get out the wrenches, the 123 cars are the CLEAR winners.

The long and short of it is that the 300E is one of the best cars ever built. Period.

BTW, the valve burning issues were with the very early cars. The 90 model has none of these issues.

For $3,000, providing the car is in any decent condition at all, you will be hard pressed to come up with a better daily driver.

rstl99 · #11 12-11-2008, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryBible

The long and short of it is that the 300E is one of the best cars ever built. Period.
For $3,000, providing the car is in any decent condition at all, you will be hard pressed to come up with a better daily driver.

Hi Larry, well coming from you that is quite an endorsement! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with yours. I will go take a look at it this weekend and give it serious consideration, even if I have to park it in my driveway during this winter, and get it on the road in the Spring.

Sounds from your informed opinion that indeed the W124 300E is a very fine car, which would complement my W123 240D very well!

Best regards,
--Robert
p.s. it's a shame isn't it, given the engineering and quality of such a car, that it would seemingly attract so little interest on the used car market...

By the way, I just saw advertised today another interesting local car for sale: Mint condition, 92 300D diesel, 2.5L, 5 cyl, never winter driven. LOADED! Private sale, retired couple. 53,500 km. $12,000 US!

babymog · #12 12-11-2008, 01:56 PM

I've got to agree with Larry, partially; The 124 is IMO the best all-around car that Mercedes has built to date, but the diesel version.

rstl99 · #13 12-11-2008, 03:39 PM

I suppose it's a matter of friendly debate whether the W123 or W124 are the best all-around cars that MB has built to date, (best discussed over a pint or two in a favourite pub!

) and I also have a bit of a bias toward diesel - if it wasn't for winter-starting issues

I called about that low-mileage 92 300D for sale locally. It's being sold by a retired couple, but they only recently acquired it from their son, who has asked them to sell it for him, as he's moved out west and is going out to sea. The retired couple have no interest in it, they drive a van. The son bought it just this summer in Florida, from an international airline pilot (hence the low mileage) and had it shipped up here. It apparently has all records (well, oil changes basically). Not sure what something like that would sell for in FLA, but the son apparently paid over $12000 for it. It's beyond my budget, but sounds and looks like a sweet car!

#14 12-12-2008, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babymog

I've got to agree with Larry, partially; The 124 is IMO the best all-around car that Mercedes has built to date, but the diesel version.

I HATE LAPTOP KEYBOARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got through typing a LOOoong reply and my thumb bumped the touch pad and lost it all. I will try it again. GRRRRR!!!!

Firstly let me be clear that I am a DIESEL LOVER! I love the sound. I love the smell. I love the simple maintenance. I love the ruggedness.

That said, at the time that I purchased my first diesel in 1977, most all gas engine cars were carbureted, not speaking of MB, but most all cars. Carburetors dribble raw fuel down the cylinder walls on cold starts washing the oil from the cylinder walls causing rapid engine wear. Not only that, MOST carbureted cars were not as fuel efficient as a gas engine is capable of being.

By the time my 88 300E was built, most all gas engines were fuel injected, not only eliminating the fuel dribbling problem, but also making them more fuel efficient. The long and short of it is that at that point gas engines improved drastically, significantly closing the gap between diesel and gas engines in all categories. There's nothing that can be done about the fact that there is more energy to be had from a gallon of diesel than a gallon of gas, but the gas engine still made a GIANT leap in comparison to the diesel. This is a good thing since diesel is now much more expensive than gasoline, which was NOT the case when I bought my first diesel in 1977.

When I was looking for my 300E, I was basically looking for a manual transmission 124 car. If I had found a manual transmission 300D before I found the 300E, that's what I would have bought.

My 300E now has 309,000 miles on it and the engine has no end in sight. It is still strong and quiet. It also gets 27MPG in my normal driving and capable of a proven 30 on long trips.

Now that I have been in my gas car for over ten years, I am glad that I found the gas car first. It is fast, quiet and extremely reliable and long lived. At the time I bought it I never in my wildest dreams thought that this engine would be running this strong at this mileage.

I personally believe that the M103 engine is a freakin' masterpiece. In saying that I am not trying to take ANYTHING away from the diesels of the same period. I am just saying that all in all, it is the virtual equivalent to the diesel and in some ways (power and smoothness) is superior.

My $0.02,