I read lots of complaints from other 300e owners claiming the 103 engine is slow. Today I was at a red light lined up right next to a cadillac devile. It was a 96 or so (the previous version) and I cant tell if It has the northstar engine or not. I do know they either come 275 horsepower or 300 horsepower. So I looked at him and gave him the nod light turned green and floored it. We were dead even up until 40mph then i started inching away . I shut down at around 60 mph cause there was another light up ahead. If i rememeber in one car magazine these cars do 0-60 in like 7 seconds. I know his car weighs more but you really cant blame it on driving skills since we both have automatics.

So you pulled ahead of a 7 second 0-60 cadillac? That means your 300E does at least low's 7's for 0-60, that's pretty quick for a 300E.

Contrary to popular belief. The M103 engine is fast. Just check out this site for 1/4 mile times and 0-60 times: http://web.missouri.edu/~apcb20/times.html#Mercedes
With a little tuning, they can be improved to real quick. The problem comes when the "little tuning" costs a lottttt of money. Benz modifications don't come cheap, that's for sure.

Shubs

I do not know who said that the 300E is a slow car but whoever did he must have been driving a corvette before that. Of course there is the possibility that the particular one they drive may have some particular problem... To me, any car that does 0-60 in less than 10 sec and can top speed more than 120 is a fast car. Just my humble opinion.

hehe... I say 300Es are slow. Very much so. I also have a 92... which happens to be the slowest on the list (horray for me! ) But yea, I wouldn't call beating a caddy off the line a big feat... I mean seriosly... its a big american couch on wheels. As for the whole 0-60 in under 10 seconds... I can trutfully say that corollas can do that... so can my friends expedition But yea, if you look at that list, the 300E is one of the slower cars there, and considering the car cost 52K!!!! new... somebody got seriosly ripped in the performance department (Not me... we bought this one used... "only" payed 35K!! This was in 94 mind you) But, I have learned... and I don't bother to race people anymore, I just got tired of losing all the time...

you have to differentiate between "fast" and "quick".

"fast" refers to speed, while "quick" refers to acceleration.

although my 190e2.6 can do 0-60 in about 8.7secs, i do not consider that quick among the new breed of cars. But with a top speed of about 130mph, it is fast, and can cruise at that speed, without breaking a sweat. That is more important to me.

maybe that's the reason why other people are surprised by Benzes on the highway - because they seem slow in city driving (i.e., not quick, from stoplight to stoplight), they think it's the same on the highway. Even the diesels hold their own on the highway.

From the 'CARS' tab above, regarding the early 300Es:

"The 1986 300E outperformed the 380 and 500 engined S-Class cars plus the contemporary Porsche 944 and IROC Z28 Camaro."

0-60 in 7.2 is pretty respectable in my book, especially for a 1987 car - it wasn't made in the 60s muscle car era, and the world was coming off a prolonged gas crunch and recession.

I am not much into straight line thrills, and some Mustangs have learned about curves (and the shortcomings of Hotchkiss suspensions) by chasing 300E taillights.

__________________
John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

JCE your 300E does 0-60 in 7.2? If so thats pretty quick for a mid sized luxury sedan, even by todays standards!

JCE, my 124 is the same color as yours. It's a pretty tough color to work with. Really tough to make that champagne/beige color look sporty. I was thinking of painting my mouldings, mirrors, and bumpers the same color as the car. Have you ever considered doing anything like this?? How do you think it would look?? Any other things you would suggest to do about the color of the car (aside from painting the car a different color)??

Thanks,
Shubs

FA22:

The 7.2 was from the web site at the top of the page (I was working from memory - a mistake any time after 55 - the number listed was 7.5 to 60). I haven't clocked mine, but it feels pretty quick to me, especially at freeway speeds. It got even faster with the sportline, as now I don't have to slow for corners as much! (something else that is a mistake after 55 )

ShuPIMPsky:

I found that using a good waxing technique with a Porter Cable polisher, like Lee's FAQ in the DIY section, with Mother's Back to Black, really livens up the car appearance. This body, especially the early years, only likes the looks of certain rims, like AMG monoblocks, IMHO. One of the forum members (can't remember who, think they are in Canada?) monochromed their early 300E. It looks really nice and modern. I worry about rock chips letting the black show through, and having more area to wax. If I did it, I might leave the bumper insert strips black. Here is how their car turned out:

__________________
John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

The early years of the 300E had a lower rear diff (higher numerically), and was lighter.

Couple that with a forced 1st gear start, and they really take off.

Even when the wagon was stock (M103), with a 1st gear launch on a 3.27 rear-diff, she would SCREAM to 60. Unfortunately, she would also top out at 125 MPH.

:-) neil
1988 360TE AMG
1993 500E

Yay for lower rear diffs! I have been contemplating buying a new rear for my car on and off... sometimes I say yea... I should do it, and others I step back and almost hit my self for wanting to waste all that money. Oh well. And a good point was brought up. Our benzes are old, and they were fast back in the 80's, where 1.8 litre ugly econo-boxes were roaming the streets and teased hair was in fashion (Lucky I was 5 when it all ended) But, because I drive a mercedes, I feel that I should compare it to all the other cars on the road, be them newer and older, and when I find a car thats faster, or looks better, or handles better, I feel personally insulted... why? I have no idea, but thats why I am always calling my beautiful car slow, and old, and all the others things that might just slip one day...

May be i should get royalties.......LOL - HA HA

If you get a good shop treat the rubber then there is no problem
painting the rubber strips.It is a great idea to monochrome it as it makes the car look absolutly fantastic.
Good luck
AV

__________________
A.Velji
88 300E/Debadged and Monotoned
Euro light conversion
Clear corners
Performance muffler..(love itttttt!!)
White Gauges by Chris Henkel
alpine CD am/fm,Fosgate amp,Nakamichi sub ported in cabin,Fosgates separates.
http://members.rogers.com/seriousimportgroup/1.jpg
http://members.rogers.com/seriousimportgroup/2.jpg

The early 300E cars were quite something. They could show their lights to just about anything short of a full-on sports car. Quicker than the 560SEL flagship, and superb handling cars.

The 300E in pre-1990 form was light and very agile. The Porsche 944 was lighter, but it's engine only made 143hp.

There was no better sports-sedan on the market, and it took the folks at BMW by surprise. Their 5-series sedan was dog in comparision, and by 1988, only the very expensive M5 would be able to out-run the 300E.

Today, a 1987 300E is still an excellent car. Find me any other 1987 vintage sedan that has aged as well. NOT!

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

AV, can you private message (PM) me and tell me how you did the application? Did you sand before, or just prime, tape, and paint? did you remove the bumpers or just leave them on? Thanks so much, i think the monochrome look does wonders for the car. It's amazing how much simply painting the bumpers and mouldings and mirrors will do.

Thanks again,
Shubs