Hi guys,

Im 20 and I live in Sydney, Australia. I bought my first Mercedes when I was 16. It was a 1982 W126 280SE. I had it for a short time and decided to buy a 1991 Audi 90 Sport, with the 5 cylinder engine. Ever since I have had this car, I have had nothing but trouble. Everything problem has suddenly risen. It needs a new wheel bearing on the front left side, the fuel distributor needs replacing and the automatic transmission needs to be replaced as well. My mechanic which is also a friend of mine told me I should sell it because it will cost around $5000 to get fixed in total. I am not prepared to do this.

My parents want me to buy another Mercedes because they are very safety conscious, since my dad had a massive accident in his 1986 W124 230TE.

Both my parents have a mercedes each, dad now has a 1989 300TE and mum has a 1998 ML320. They are both great cars and dad's 300 is bloody quick.

So, what I am asking your advice is, what the hell should i buy? I am considering a 190E 2.6, or a 300E. I dont want to have a car with a zillion problems again I just want to be able to drive the car with minimal fuss. Is that a big ask?

My dad seems to have luck, his car has the equivalent in miles of 420,000 and the car runs perfectly and he has never had problems.

What should I buy?

I'm not here to tell you what to buy. I will tell you what I have.......1987 300E/W124. I'm fairly new to MB cars so I don't know all of the pit falls of the breed. I can however tell you that I really like this car of mine. Quick, nimble, solid driving car!

Good luck in your search! Many people drive MBs, and for good reason. Hopefully they all will speak up.

Primo

With any used car you might find problems will arise.

If you are going between a 190E 2.6 and 300E, both should be pretty reliable.

You should be looking for one with full service records.

If it were me, I'd go with the 300E, because I like a slightly bigger car.

The 190e is a nice car, a bit small for me, but nice. They drive very solidly, and they handle good, and they get good gas mileage. There are also Tons of mods you can do to them, from body kits, to suspension tweaks. the 190e is small and easy to park when the spaces are tight.

My brother had a 1985 190e 2.3 and that car would cruise effortlessly at 120 mph. He also drove it about 350-400 miles on one tank of gas one time, with 5 quarts of oil missing from the car. And the car was fine. All it needed was some fuel, and to be refilled with 5 quarts of oil after that trip he took.

Alon

You will find about 50 answers at these 2 threads - I like the 300E myself.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/14105-need-advice-purchasing-car-daughter.html
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/13777-1990-300e-now-using-daily-drver.html

I am on to my third Mercedes, a 93 190E2.3. It had done 113K miles when I bought it earlier this year. For delightful, trouble free (so far) personal transport it is just great. In fact these forums have helped identify things I should keep an eye on before they get too serious. Comes down to basic maintenance. And, for what it is worth, I have also just moved to LA from Sydney. You may already have contacts in the business, but if you are looking for a trustworthy and reliable servicer and secondhand Merc dealer, give Peter Swatosch at Swatosch ******** in Alexandria a call. I bought my '94 E280 from him, and he sold it on my behalf while I moved to the US. Good luck!

Arnold.

Thanks, yes Swatosch ******** is great, they have for sale some of the most pristine models. But this afternoon, I found the car that is right for me. A 1988 260E, red with cream interior. Its got log books and all. Lets hope i have luck with this.

thanks for all your help


Christian

I'd opt for the 190.

Why the 190? they are really really cramped in the back and i like larger cars. is there something about the 190 that is better than the w124's?

my first MB was an '86 300E... I'd buy an '86 - 92 300E with the straight SOHC 6... My advice would be to find one that had the AC replaced - that was a money pit for me... Also, the early models would need the valve stem seals replaced... Other than that, you'll enjoy driving them for a long time... plenty of oomph as well...

124 all the way! 190's are nice but are tiny and have the "baby-benz" name. The 260 sounds like a nice car and I love that color combo. When you are looking in that year the price is kinda close, go with the bigger car.