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#1
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Sad Day
The time has come: I have reached the end of my tolerance rope with my 1992 300TE 4Matic Wagon, (149,150 miles) and have decided to put it up for sale. I have grown weary of the continual stream of repairs it has required over my five years of ownership, (I'm the third owner), and I no longer have the time or inclination to diagnose and repair it myself, even with the expert help of all of you in this fabulous forum, and I am especially tired of the high cost of the professional repairs beyond my ability. It is a fabulous car when it works, especially in winter, and I will part with it sadly, but I am tired of being disappointed in my hope that each successive repair will be the last for a while. I have maintained the car with an eye and intent for longevity, but because age is age and things go, especially in this hot and cold and wet New England climate, the continual stream of repairs has overwhelmed my enjoyment of ownership. Plus, with a wife and two small children, I need a car that I can count on and having been stranded by it twice it the past six months, it is no longer such a car.
My repair history may sound familiar, but in just five short years and 45,000 miles of ownership, I have spent over $11,000! replacing or repairing the following: New serpentine belt tensioner and belt New MB radiator, hoses & clamps New 4Matic transfer case New motor mounts A/C conversion to R124 New Oxygen Sensor New Head Gasket Complete valve job with new timing chain, etc. New catalytic converter and rear muffler New front and rear rotors and pads, (twice) New ABS Sensor Rebuilt Becker Radio and new amplifier New windshield due to stress crack Four Bridgestone tires on Borbet S, 5 spoke rims & a set of Nokian WR snow tires on four original MB rims Bosch Euro headlights with driving beam If I had a spare garage I would store it until I had time and money to work on it, or would continue to fiddle with it as an extra car, but right now I cannot afford to do that especially since I already have a MB garage queen; my '62 finny. So please accept this farewell as thanks to all of you for your endelss, patient, and instructive help with my continual questions over the years. Like I said, it's a sad day. The Fintail Fan 1962 MB 220SEb "Fintail" Sedan 1992 MB 300TE 4Matic Wagon 1995 Subaru Legacy AWD Wagon |
#2
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Are you sure you want to sell it now? Sounds like you have fixed most of the things that are likely to fail. In fairness, some of the items you list are normal wear and tear items and some of the others are simply age related as you suggest.
We have owned our '90 300TE for seven years now and whilst it has travelled less distance than yours (190,000km), I consider it very reliable and I have no hessitation loading the family on board and embarking on long journeys through remote parts of the vast Aussie countryside. Admittedly ours is not a 4-matic like yours which do have a bit of a "reputation", but I have had to replace some of the items you list. It appears that everyone loves the 124s for the great cars they are when they are working, but for some it is a love-hate relationship when things go wrong. Possibly for those like me who perform all their own maintenance and repairs, we catch things before they fail and leave us stranded. To date, I have mostly praise for our 300TE and hope that it gives us many more years of relatively trouble free service (I hope I haven't cursed it saying what I have here). Sorry to hear of the decision you have come to with yours.
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107.023: 350SLC, 3-speed auto, icon gold, parchment MBtex (sold 2012 after 29 years ownership). 107.026: 500SLC, 4-speed auto, thistle green, green velour. 124.090: 300TE, 4-speed auto, arctic white, cream-beige MBtex. 201.028: 190E 2.3 Sportline, 5-speed manual, arctic white, blue leather. 201.028: 190E 2.3, 4-speed auto, blue-black, grey MBtex. 201.034: 190E 2.3-16, 5-speed manual, blue-black, black leather. |
#3
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Fintail Fan, maybe you need to make repairs on your own car. That can save you money right off the bat.
Of the repairs listed, you could have done some yourself: New serpentine belt tensioner and belt New MB radiator, hoses & clamps New motor mounts New Oxygen Sensor New catalytic converter and rear muffler New front and rear rotors and pads, (twice) New ABS Sensor Rebuilt Becker Radio and new amplifier Four Bridgestone tires on Borbet S, 5 spoke rims & a set of Nokian WR snow tires on four original MB rims (Now, did you really need those new rims?) Bosch Euro headlights with driving beam (from what I've heard, the early transfer cases were problematic) (rhymes with 4matic) An aftermarket radio would have worked too, for about 200 bux. I realize everyone's skill level is different, but there is a lot of good info here on repairing your car. Just my opinion.
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Regards Warren Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL ENTER > = (HP RPN) Not part of the in-crowd since 1952. |
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