The 90-92 W124 has a far more refined interior and small styling upgrades that make it feel much more like the facelift (94-95) model.

I'd say 90-92 first, or if you find a sweet 94-95 with the wiring harness taken care...go for it.

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http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...-RESIZED-1.jpg
1991 300E - 212K and rising fast...

Any comments on the 210? There is one for sale closeby- a 2000 E320 with 144k miles for only $5500! it has a 3.2 v6. In my searching I also came across a c320 and a c240, both wagons, but I'm not sure what the difference is as there were no details on engine type or size.

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

Gotcha. I think I have the 124 series figured out and would choose a 90-92 model. Now DslBnz has me thinking about a 2000-2003 210 series. Anyone else have any experience with the 210 series? I'm trying to cast as wide a net of choices as I can to increase the likelyhood of finding something soon. My daughter is taking her license test this week so we are going to need another car soon, and I am getting tired of searching too!

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

Be aware of harmonic balancer isssues. 400+ long thread on the subject in Tech Help. My post (on page 25) linked below:

Crankshaft Balancer Failure! UPDATED

Summary of my W210 pains posted back in 2011:

What to look for on a gas W210

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1961 220b: first project car - sold.
2000 CLK 430: first modern Benz - sold.
2001 CLK 55: OMG the torque!!! - sold
1972 280SE 4.5: Baby Gustav
1991 300TE 4Matic: Gretel the Snow Bunny - sold
1978 300SD: Katz the Free Man - given away
1980 Redhead: Darling Wife

The harmonic balancers were replaced under a recall. They are no longer an issue. The dealer can run the VIN for you. They would be happy to replace it for you. I think the 2000 to 2002 W210 to be among the most trouble free cars MB has ever made.

I had a W124, and while I loved it, it needed a head gasket due to severe oil leak, an engine wiring harness, and a throttle actuator.

The W210 has none of these issues.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Unless they've updated (expanded) the recall, 2001's were NOT included in the recall.

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1961 220b: first project car - sold.
2000 CLK 430: first modern Benz - sold.
2001 CLK 55: OMG the torque!!! - sold
1972 280SE 4.5: Baby Gustav
1991 300TE 4Matic: Gretel the Snow Bunny - sold
1978 300SD: Katz the Free Man - given away
1980 Redhead: Darling Wife

I don't know where these guys are coming from ripping the 210 wagons so hard. I guess most of them are just old skool and love the earlier wagons. I've owned my 210 wagon (WITH the 4matic) for 2 years and about 30k+ miles. I bought it with around 130k and now it has over 160k miles. No issues another Mercedes wagon with the same mileage wouldn't have. I've done regular maintenance. In addition I have replaced an alternator, a rear seat latch, dealt with some bulb issues, fixed the pixel issue in about an hour and a shim off cardboard (no issues in 1.5 years since) and that is about it.

If it has any rust on it, run. Some 210s have rust issues, some don't. My wagon is good but my 98 was bad.

$5500 is a pretty average price for that mileage and no 4matic. If it is in really good shape then the price is probably right.

I love mine.

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2009 ML320 Bluetec
1985 300CD
1981 300TD

Past Mercedes
1979 300TD
1982 300TD
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1998 E430
1984 300SD
1980 300SD

That's true. If I had a post 2000 W210 that needed a balancer, I'd ask the dealer for consideration in light of the recall.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

C240 wagon is the "Baby Benz" wagon. 2.6 engine. Generally about 22 mpg.

This is the one I bought:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-cars-sale/307087-fs-2004-c240-wagon.html

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Good info- Thanks! Can I assume that with 140k miles on the the car that it has probably had the HB replaced? I will definitely take a look at it regardless.

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

I love my 84 diesel wagon, but it is time for a newer car. I'm gonna try to look at the e320 this weekend if it is still available. Based on the advice of forum members it seems to be a car I could live with.

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

So it is smaller than an e320? I like the lights!

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1984 300TD 1981 240D

Goodness gracious. Some people are posting to look for/avoid wagons that don't even exist in the US, or at all.

What are you looking for in a car?

211: Best of the breed would be the 2007-2009 because its rid of the SBC brakes and you can get 4 matic. SBC brakes are warrantied for 10 years and unlimited miles, so its really not something to worry about now. I have no fear of owning, buying and selling W211s at the dealership. Airmatic is a pricey thing to fix, but not as bad if you shop around. If you choose to pay $1000 per strut at the dealer, you have no business owning one. That being said, you need the Star computer from the dealer to diagnose things. What I do is take it there for the diagnostic and do the job myself or pay an independent. The computer tells you instantly what to replace, so diagnostics are easy.

Pros: Modern car, modern look, modern conveniences, best ride, and best economy out of the gasoline engines by far.

Cons: All that wonderful technology creates alot to go wrong. Really stupid exploding cup holders in the 2004-2005 cars.

Number I've owned: 5
Miles driven: approx. 25,000

203: If you want to have a modern Mercedes wagon but still be cheap to own, this is the one to have. The best motor combo in my opinion is the C320. Look up the major components on car-part.com and it will show very low prices, meaning high supply and low demand. Miguel drove a W203 C320 back from Colorado for me and averaged 30MPG. I know who owns it currently and its been flawless.

Pros: Many modern conveniences without the Starship Enterprise technology to go wrong. Very nice riding cars, good MPG.

Cons: Die hard Mercedes fans snub the sub-par interior quality. LCD cluster always fades with time and heat. They also have those very stupid cup holders that love to break.

Number I've owned: 3
Miles driven: 3000

210: FUGLY in my opinion. I see so many rusted ones. If you can get one from the South you can avoid that, and with a mostly solid drivetrain it can get the starship mileage mercedes fans are used to.

Pros: Still fairly simple, sturdy build quality and bank vault interior people identify Mercedes with. Has a different Edward Scissorhands cup holder that sucks.

Cons: Rust and styling (objective). Seems to have lots of electrical issues too when I look at them.

Number I've owned: 2
Miles driven: 2000

124: The last considered great one of the marque, but I think a wee bit overrated. Every model of 124 wagon has its own unique set of issues. Be it the 4 matic system, heads cracking (603 diesel), head gaskets failing (300TE and E320), wiring harnesses (1993-95), transmissions (E320), smog pumps (E320), and AC evaporators (all of the above). Sure these cars on the whole keep together really well, but each model has its own big issues to avoid just like modern Mercedes.

Pros: Incredible quality inside and out. Classic styling, great ride and handling.

Cons: Expensive common issues, funky code reader for check engine codes (gasoline only), and aging. The later ones have a center console you can use as a cup holder, but it sucks for the job.

Number I've owned: 7

Miles driven: Approx 50,000

123: The tank. What else can you call it? I've taken a W123 to both coasts and was satisfied with it until I bought a W124. Feels like a dinosaur in comparison to the ride, comfort, and techology. They will indeed run forever, but it does take alot of work to keep one up to like new mechanically. They'll run badly with various issues forever, but completely sorting them out takes alot of time and patience. The price for wagons is also very high. Miguel recently sold his 80,000 mile example for $14000. I'd sell you my W211 wagon on the lot right now for $11000.

Pros: Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. Tons of parts and repair resources available. Very easy to work on. True classic that you can drive every day.

Cons: These cars love to leak (diesel). The vacuum system will test your patience to the max diagnosing which door lock actuator is keeping your car from not shutting off (diesel) and your transmission shifting like garbage. Rust is common, and the age is getting to them just like all cars. No cup holder, which sucks.

Number owned: 9
Miles driven: Approx. 40,000

Didn't know what I had committed myself to when I started writing this...

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

I'm assuming she is ready but a bit nervous, right?

~~~

Here's what I tried ..


My new wife at 28 was a brand new driver, and had NEVER driven a car in the USA, much less in Peru when she arrived here and wanted to go look for a biotech job. Her first one was swing/graveyard, in South City but she was able to take the train (Caltrain) from San Francisco at 5th and King, but I had to be there in South City at 2am to get her to take her back home.

She needed her own car and to drive alone. This was in 1994. I bought her a 1977 Buick Skylark, which her first, an inexpensive beater that had belonged to an elderly lady and cleaned it up - it was slow, but pretty solid and it did run.

I took her to two brutal areas not to far from where we lived, in SF...to try to make a real good driver out of her...

AND in a HUGE car: my personal 1988 Ford Crown Victoria I had back then!!!! (Think taxicabs and Police cars you can still see on the roads today).

The first was San Francisco's Chinatown and the second, the harrowing part of Highway 1 past the Golden Gate bridge, the route to Stinson beach area with lots tight turns and steep cliffs. This was brutal but I wanted her to learn in the toughest local conditions - which she did.


But, on the first ACTUAL driving test, in San Jose, near Santa Clara, the DMV instructor failed her and there was an overturned garbage truck on the 101 which scared her at the time...and they got stuck in a horrific jam.


So right away we tried this:


Drove up to quiet laid-back Marin County to the DMV office on Tamal Vista in sleepy Corte Madera where I got my first license, back in 1964.

And what we did was parked the Buick on the street out side the DMV lot, on the street behind some bushes; and when the next applicant came out of the lot for the actual drivers test we FOLLOWED the car at a discreet distance for the entire route..

Then back to the DMV behind it but NOT into the DMV lot, just waited at the same place as before on the street, for the NEXT auto with the driver taking the 10 minute DMV driving test, and followed it...the route, DMV examiner used was the IDENTICAL one as before, so we came back to the DMV in the little Buick..

Now fully familiar with the route, that was being used, she went in to the DMV, and with DMV examiner in the car, took the DMV driving test. Same route again was used...no surprises now!

Fully confident, having driven the route twice before in the last hour, she passed the DMV test very easily.

It could work for your daughter too if she is feeling jittery too..



Just passing this along.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

this is a really great thread. Lots of good thinking and good experiences shared.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.