Hi Guys and Gals:
I'm new to this forum but not new to 617's of which Ive had 10. However I came across a garaged all its life, 128 k pristine example of a 1986 300 SDL with the warranty work done in 2003 at 95k miles,, tranny resealed, new glow plugs, radiator, runs perfect, starts cold (Utah 45 degrees fired right up no shaking) met the mechanic who worked on it and its a fair price. Its the cleanest car Ive ever seen of this age and owner by an 84 yo who passed away/ However it has the 14 head. There are no signs of coolant leaking, white smoke, oil leaking or turbo smoke (oil past...), it runs 0-60in 13 sec. However, it has the 14 head. Heres my question: does anyone esp mbz mechanics have an opinion as to what % of those heads fail over time or is it possible that some will run the whole way through if it was serviced and babied?

THanks so much.

Dave

PS even if I had to put a 22 on it or whatever this car is spotless

There are plenty of 14 heads still in operation. The biggest contribution to problems with the head cracking is overheating. If the car has been maintained and hasn't overheated, it shouldn't be much of a concern.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)