upgrading to w124 or w210?
 

Hello All,

I currently have 2 w123's. A 300D Euro import 4spd sedan and a 300TD station wagon.

I've been fixing up the station wagon to sell or trade. It has 170k miles and I'm in the process of repairing rust. I'm not sure what it's worth. Any thoughts?

I've had an offer to do a partial trade for a 1996 w210 E300 diesel, non turbo, with 180k. Apparently one of the perch springs has been replaced but not the other one. It has some body rust. The owner wants 4k.

I also know somebody with an 87 300TD with 140k miles on a rebuilt engine and he's asking 5k. His car has no rust and seems to have been very well cared for.

What should I do??

I love the simplicity of the w123 for mechanical work and the reliability of the major components. I'd also like to continue to do 90% of the mechanical work on my next Mercedes. But on the other hand, I wouldn't mind a model that is a bit more refined than the w123 for highway speeds.

Can I find the reliability of the 617 engine in a w124 or w210?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

The 124 is IMO far better engineered and built than the 210, and I'd rather have the power of the 603 turbo (and upgradability) over the 606na. Two wins for the 124 IMO.

I also love the wagon, after over a dozen Mercedes new and used (all newer than the current '87), the '87 300TD is the one I have decided to keep. Hauls 1/2 ton, quick, clean, quiet, handles and rides very well, and is a great DIY car with fairly simple systems.

However, the '96 will probably get 5mpg better than the '87, the wagon is around 400lbs heavier and slightly worse on aero-drag.

The choice for me would be very clear, you need to decide which you like to look at and drive, and whether the 5mpg penalty for the wagon is worth it.

The mileage penalty may not be that great. Our '96 E300D has averaged 27 MPG in mostly around-town driving over 30,000 miles of our ownership. My '87 300D (sedan) is now an unknown, since I just replaced the head, but I would expect it to get around 25 MPG or maybe a bit better. The wagon might get 1-2 MPG less.

There are a fair number of similarities between a 123 and a 124; the 210 is definitely a horse of a different color. The 124 was the last of the "no expense spared" Mercedes. I would recommend the 124, especially since it has no rust.

Hands down T124. I'd trade my left nut for a 606 swapped 95 E320T...

my 124 wagon has proven itself indispensable. greatest vehicle at any price really.
for 5K it should be in premium shape, but if you like the car, up front cost is not important really. prepare yourself for service. pretty much anything on the car can be repaired by yourself, and several items will need addressing. cooling system needs to be in tip top shape. vacuum pump needs to be updated to the latest style, and oil changes need to be kept up with the correct oil.
the suspension rubber will be cracking and failing at about this time, so prepare to invest in some parts there also.

Just went to a job with 10 sheets of plywood on the top and tools and saws etc in the back of the 1987 wagon. Great car!

The only thing a 606 has is an extra cam & more valves. The turbo on the 124 more than makes up for it !! The 210 has spring perch problems, the 124 doesnt. There is less electronic control on a 124 so less trouble.

I wouldn't consider either an "upgrade," just a newer car. I certainly wouldn't consider my wife's w211 an upgrade from my w123s. Just buy whatever car meets your needs.

The w124 is def in better condition than the w210 I'm looking at. Which is probably why the w210 owner is only asking 4k.

I've always been hesitant in owning cars with older transmissions after owning an automatic volvo 240d that had a slipping transmission. How do people feel about the auto transmission of the w124? Is it the same as the early model w210?

As long as I attend to changing to auto trans filter and fluid I shouldn't have problems, right? The w124 has almost 300k on the trans and body, only 140k on the rebuilt engine however.

Has anyone converted their w124 to a manual transmission? I imagine it would be easier than trying to do the same for a w210.

I also prefer the wagon.

I like the w123 wagon I have now but it wasn't taken care of by the PO and is in really rough shape. Rather than repair it, I'd rather let it go and find one in better shape. Seems like it's the w124 wagon.

what year did mercedes stop making diesel wagons for the w124?

In the US they only did a diesel wagon in 1987 with the OM603 turbo motor. Same of the 6cyl W124 sedans, they only did the 6cyl 603 diesel in 1987.

'95 was the last year of the w124, though they were still being sold here in the UK in '96. Think they were only available in the US for a year or two? But you got the turbo engine which we didn't. Mine is a '94 wagon with the NA om606 engine, which I think was only available in the U.S. in the 124 sedan and later e-classes.

I've driven a manual 124 diesel- trust me, you're not missing anything. The auto boxes in these are very good and you can drive them 'semi-manually', shifting from 3 to 4 manually, the engines love the high revs and you can get a move on that way...

I've also driven the 123, they're lovely cars but the 124 is light years ahead in ride and drive; the 123 feels and looks like an old car while the 124 still can hold it's own today.

We only got the non turbo 606 in the 1995 E300D W124. Then in 1996 we got the W210 E300D. '96 had the older 4speed box, '97 had the electronic 5speed. Both were non turbo. In 1998-1999 we got the OM606 turbo in the E300D, but we only got one motor at a time, there we never optional diesel motors for the US market on the W124 or W210. All the 1987 300Ds were turbo, all 1990-1993 OM602 5cyls were turbo, all 1995 were non turbo. We had the 124 chassis from '86-'95.

Did the UK never get a turbo 606? Is it more of the steering column interferring?

Which w124 diesel engines are considered the best?

correct, the steering gear was in the way and they didn't bother changing it for the RHD, which is a bit annoying, though the NA606 is still great. The w210's got the turbo 606 though.