I know that there are plenty of horror stories (some remind me of wooden boat owners), but given 5 to 7k to spend, and reasonable mechanical skill, is there a w-126 body model that is a very good value? 300SE? 420, 560, SDL? Many years ago I had a little 220D. Loved that car, it was so easy to work on. The car would be my daily driver but I don't drive that much. Opinions solicited.

I would guess the 300SE would be a good value. The V8's usually have a higher value, but the M103 3.0 liter six is no slouch.

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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".

The 300SE has a good bulletproof engine and of the W126, are probably the most simple and straightforward.

Condition and provenance are all. Try to look for one with as much history and maintenance as you can get. The ultra cheap ones can be money pits.

The W126 sedans are good highway cruisers, well constructed and VERY safe.
They had a very gentle restyle in 1986, and ABS and airbags are good options to have.

The diesels are everlasting, but with the price of gas and interest in biodiesel fuel they are tending to command premium prices over the gas models. If you decide to go for aq diesel model, the 350SD engine is not recommended.

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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)

I have a 1982 300SD and its an AMAZING car. My everyday driver is a 1999 S320 and the diesel sometimes sits in the garrage for quite sometime without being driven depending on my moods. Mine has 380K on it and starts on the first try after sitting in the garage for months with no smoke or complaints. Its been the cheapest to maintain car I have ever owned.

The newer the car, the fewer the problems. Find yourself a 1989-1991 420SEL with around 100k on it. Should be in your price range.

Plenty of power, the latest of gadgets, would drive very well, and the 420 can last 250-300k with good maintenance. As always, GET THE CAR INSPECTED prior to purchase and buy one with service records.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Not always true. And while inspections are great its impossible to determine by inspection if an alternator, A/C compressor or other part is about to fail (they give the car a once owner they don't take it apart). I got sucked into that "pay top dollar and have your mechanic inspect old wives tale" and ended up with a bad car once. Additionally most cars service records only cover the first 5-10 years of its service life. Many owners don't bother documenting service records on a 10-15 year old car. Service records are non existant and useless on a car that old. Just because you have some pretty booklet with service records in it does not mean that someone "filled in the blanks" with fake information to make the car's value higher. If you don't plan on inspecting and verifying every single line item in the service records yourself then all they are is an expensive little booklet to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. The unfortunate reality is you can't predict the future. Cars break and its impossible to predict which ones will cost more to maintain. Mechanics inspections and service records are just as effective as waving a chicken bone over the roof and doing a voodoo dance for determining the future.

Look at a LOT of cars. Get an idea of what 15-20 years of wear looks like on many of these vehicles and then make a decision based on the individual cars. While the old wives tale says the new cars are always better you might find an early model car that was taken care of by an owner that knew the car well. You can also end up with a pretty newer car with low miles that was ignored entirely by its owner who cheaped out on all the service its whole life. Drive one of every model and then decide what you want. When you get to know the differences between the cars you can make a better decision that suits your needs.

If I were going to buy another 126 (I won't be anytime soon). I would look at a late model 300SE. The Short body S class cars handle better than their longer siblings and you get a much better value because many 126 owners don't know that these cars even exist. The Later model cars do have nicer interiors and the "updated" interior with more modern looking seats.

Yes they are a lot like wooden boats. They will always need something. But if you are handy and like to work on them it is fun.

If you are not hard over on a diesel buy a gas one. The diesels command a crazy premium that really isn't worth it. Buy a nice 420SEL or 560SEL with lots less mileage.

IMHO a 1991 560SEL is about as good as the W126 gets, and you should fine a good example in your price range. Have a PPI done by someone who knows W126's, because a car needing thousands in work will look and drive just fine.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The only drawback to the short wheelbase versions of the W126 chassis, like the 300SE and 300SD, is that it has surprisingly little rear seat room, especially with the driver's seat adjusted for a tall driver.

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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".

I have not had any complaints. Im 6'2" and always sensitive to rear seat passengers. While there is less space than in the long body version I can set my front seat to the most comfortable setting and get in the back and still be comfortable. Thats actually the test I use to determine back seat room whenever I buy a car.

It is a lot less space than in the Longbody but remember the long body cars are considered Limo's in Europe.

Since Im usually the one driving at any given moment and I am not a Chauffer I would rather not drive around with all that extra weight for a few more inches of legroom for the rear passengers.

The only problem with the V8 engines is you’ll need confirmation that the timing chain and guides were replace at 100,000 miles. The 116s and 117s have zero tolerance for untimely replacement. Most of the 420s and 560s you’ll be looking will be around 100,000 miles. So if there is no document of this being done you’ll need to factor this expense in the cost of the car.

you are talking of the single row chain engines, right?

i have an 84 500sec. it is an excellent car. it is easier to keep on the road than my diesels, except for perhaps the 240ds.

and it drives just excellently.

tom w

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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.

Doing anything has risk involved. Buying an older car has a lot of risk involved. Good service records tell you not only what work was done, but who did the work and what level of quality was used. Then, the car's overall condition, the previous owner's personality, and the service records can give you a clearer picture of the life the vehicle has had in the past, which DOES minimize the risks you might face in the future.

Will an alternator or compressor fail? Possibly. But if the records show that an MB dealer put in all new AC parts within the past two years, then you've minimized more risk. Without records, you wouldn't know that. If the car was well-maintained, then it will last longer and perform better.

The risk is there, it always is, but mechanic's inspections and service records are not voodoo. They are a method of minimizing the risks you take when you buy an older car. If you buy the car and the failed compressor makes you feel like you got screwed because no one can see the future, then you didn't really understand and accept the risks of owning an older car in the first place - you should have bought a 2003 Toyota.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Don't overlook the 300SEL.

I'm not afraid of risk or spending money on my vehicles. Actually I have been in the process of locating a Ferrari Mondial and am going through the test drive and selection process. At $12K for a 30K service the price for admission is expensive on the service side of that equation.

I have just found that many buyers put too much into the inspection and service record routine and fail to really follow through with the process. A car of that age range is going to need service and repair to keep it going and having pretty documentation and your mechanic giving you his blessing are really not going to change much. If you don't plan on going through each line item in the service records and call to verify the work was actually done I would not put much faith in them as they are easily forged. Many service facilities are too busy to bother with phone inquries like that so service records are useless and questionable unless pulled from the MB database. Many older cars have been serviced by shops that have no access to the MB database and can't be verified. So if some sleazy car dealer wants to increase the price of his 15 year old SEL he just goes down to the office supply store for a number of different colored pens and gets a phone book and some of the people in his office to write in the service data in the blank service booklet he found in the glove compartment.

Your best way of obtaining a good car is to drive a lot of them and get a feel for the whole production run of the vehicle. Once you get to know the small details and differences between the car you can not only better pick the car that works for you the best but you can start to detect minor differences in the way that the cars drive. There is no definate formula for which cars are the best by year it all depends on what happened in the production run. Take for example 126 diesels. Buying a 1991 350SDL (bad engine design)might be a big mistake while buying a last year model 1999 S320 (they worked out all the bugs on the 140) would be a good thing.

As for the Mechanics inspection it depends on the level of inspection that your mechanic goes through. Many of the "inspection" items can be done yourself if your familiar enough with the cars as many mechanics are not comfortable with digging into a car for a prepurchase inspection because of the liability. Many mechanics will take your car out on their lunch break put it on a lift give you a yay or nay and perhaps a list of sqwaks and collect their $85 inspection fee.

As with many car things prepurchase inspections are copied from the Aviation industry. A prepurchase inspection on a plane involves taking it partially apart to inspect structural components for corrosion and cracks inside wings and inside the fuselage. Its not really possible to do this on a modern car as many of them were not designed to be taken apart and put back together more than a few times.

That is in my oppinion the best W126 in terms of value and I own a 560SEL.

Easy to work on, engine shared in several chassis and uses slightly less fuel than a V8. The M103 engine is very durable, too.

The diesels, although get better mileage... are over priced in today's market and the difference in cost in buying a say 100k 300SDL and a 100k 300SEL is equivalent to several year's worth of fuel. Not to mention that now you're paying more for diesel fuel than gasoline.