Hello all,
The GOOD:
About 8 months ago I picked up an 87 E300 for a price I couldn't turn down. It's been my daily driver for 14k miles and is in overall pretty good condition.
The car has 220K on the clock.

The BAD:
It's got an external head gasket leak - losing enough coolant (pure water) that My low coolant light comes on about every 100 miles. You can see it running down the block behind the exhaust manifold.

The trans slips a little when first starting. Once RPM's are up it seems to do ok.

I'm at a point where i need to go buy a Civic as a daily driver, or considering sinking some real money into a $500 Benz. I'm on the fence because i'v heard the head gasket alone could put me back over a thousand bucks (2x my investment at this point)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

On a side note - I don't believe there there is a car being manufactured today that is worth buying. I would hate to buy a Civic, but i'm pretty sure it would run for years with no major issues.

Ok, a rebuilt head is probably 1000-1500. You can install it yourself, if at all inclined.

The rebuilt transmission is probably 2k installed. Or 1k if you buy a used one for 650.

You need to think about how much suspension work has been done on this car, because everything rubber will need replacing if it has not been.

Civics are great cars. A lot less heavy though.



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These cars are for people that in general do at least their own mechanical work. Or do not mind spending the money. Otherwise usually they will be very expensive to maintain. There will be some exceptions to the rule of course.

There was a guy interested in purchasing a 123d with over 500k or he purchased it. His first questions where along the lines of where is the best place to get it repaired.

Maybe I should have not said it might be better to pass on it if you use only paid for services. Can you imagine the bills if the car was pretty run out? Unless the previous owner was totally on top of everything.

I hear ya. I'm decent with a wrench, brakes, engine accessories and stuff, but crossing the line to internal engine work is past my knowledge base.

I guess i'm looking at it like this: for the same cost as a down payment on something new, i'm betting I could fix up the Benz good enough to get a few more years out of her. Maybe get her across the 1/4 million mile mark.

__________________
1987 E300 Gasser
1993 W250 Cummins 12V

All depends how you want to roll.

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I bought a W123 300D in 2005. It needed work, and got it, some of it done by me and some hired out. The car was my weekend/occasional ride for much of that time. I had a beater Suzuki Samurai followed by a beater 240D, followed by a Ninja 650 and a Street Triple as my dailies. Now I have a new job with such a short commute that it's not worth getting geared up to ride the bike. The W123 is back to daily driver duty (5 miles round trip). For how long, I don't know. I know how to do all the major stuff, but don't generally have the time or motivation. Little stuff I take care of myself. The thing is I don't know of any cars that I'd rather drive in anywhere close to the same price range as keeping this one going. Your experience may vary.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

I remember years ago that we had a member on this forum who had just purchased a well-worn R107 SL, and took it to his local friendly import car repair shop every time that he needed air in the tires. As he bled out financially, he moaned and groaned and complained that Mercedes just didn't build a dependable car.

I recall commenting that it probably was a little more dependable 20 years prior, when it was sitting on the showroom floor. He left the forum in a bit of a snit, if I recall.

Buy the new Civic, get the warranty, and drive with fewer headaches. Dump the E300, or make it a hobby car to vacuum up any cash burning a hole in your pocket.

This is what I would do. Dump it. You can drive to the JY and driveable car fetches more money, may be $400+. You have gotten your money worth already with 14K miles. Repeat the process again and find another cheap disposable MBZ.

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Not MBZ nor A/C trained professional but a die-hard DIY and green engineer. Use the info at your own peril. Picked up 2 Infractions because of disagreements. NOW reversed.

W124 Keyless remote, PM for details. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-used-parts-sale-wanted/334620-fs-w124-chasis-keyless-remote-%2450-shipped.html

1 X 2006 CDI
1 x 87 300SDL
1 x 87 300D
1 x 87 300TDT wagon
1 x 83 300D
1 x 84 190D ( 5 sp ) - All R134 converted + keyless entry.

Unless the car has particular sentimental value this is probably the best way to look at it. Dollars to miles $500 for 14k miles is not bad, but once you start looking into major engine and transmission work, as well as suspension rebuilds, you're probably better off putting that money into a newer car.


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Throw in a can of radiator sealer or block sealer. It can't make things worse and it might help.

I have never done this with an aluminum block engine so if anyone has then please chime in.

This was a common thing fifty years ago when engines were considered worn out at 70,000 miles.

I had one of those (300E, w124), too! Good car but it did call for lots of upkeep. I posted the list of immediate repairs/upkeep somewhere back in the early 2000's. Like you, the cost was about what I paid for the car. But I did get a solid 100k miles after that with nothing more than regular oil & filter changes. I think I needed new front-right window hardware late in its life. Gave it to my new driver daughter in high school as I wanted a steel cage around the little darling, who was easily distracted. It probably saved her life while giving up its own life.

Yeah man - That radiator stop leak bought me another thousand miles on the first can, now i've added a second and it's not doing much to slow the leak.

Lots of timy particles looked like copper and aluminum.

__________________
1987 E300 Gasser
1993 W250 Cummins 12V

Honestly here in the DC area, a running car on craigslist should fetch $1000 most days.
I could actually flip it for a tidy profit and take the funds to my next project.

Only problem is if it get another MB, i'm opening up a can of unknown problems, atleast with this one i know what the issues are, and if i drop $1000 into it i might get another few years.

Tough call still

__________________
1987 E300 Gasser
1993 W250 Cummins 12V

Always something. My '88 300CE* died a few weeks ago in the garage. My mech. sent me a picture of a black "board" (smaller than your hand) that has two rows of brass or bronze "posts"/terminals. One looks fried?? He hasn't responded to my "what is it ?" reply.

I gave up using mine as a DD about 5 years ago. After 28 years....everything can go...sooner rather than later. In the 15 years I've owned it, I have put 103 of the 144k now on the odometer.

I don't know if the '87 has the same M103 as my 88, but those engines were notorious for failing head gaskets. Same place as yours. Mine was changed when I bought it. After 10 years it began weeping oil on rear of the block. Still weeping. It wouldn't surprise me if you would be looking at the second replacement at 220k?

* Prior to 1994 MB model "badges" were engine then model class. 300E in your case. In 1994, they reversed it to E300. Forum member Paul Suginiami is/was a stickler on this point.