"History of problems" with M104.992?
 

I came across a quote from the Oct. 2002 issue of Mercedes Enthusiast:

"The only motor with a history of problems is the M104.992 3.2 liter, which is prone to oil leaks from the cylinder-head gasket. This is common whether this engine is installed in an E-class, S-class, or SL."

Comments?

If this is the case, I would definitely be more attracted to the earlier 104.980 3.0 liter engine, especially since I don't mind the styling differences with the later 124s. On the other hand, the increased 34 ft-lbs in the 3.2L engine is certainly an advantage.

"Only motor with a history of problem" sounds a bit out of context, or the author is a lunatic. Was he referring to a particular chassis or era? The 3.0 liter 104 has all sorts of problems - including head gaskets, premature valve jobs (mine at 40k), weak, expensive and virtually irreplaceable igntion control modules - just to name a few. Not a great engines all thing considered. That same magazine has referred to it as a cob job rushed to market and then fixed with the 3.2.

Surprised they limited it to just that one version. all 103 and all 104 engines were prone to headgasket leaks. they should have added it to the maintenace list. spark plugs every 15K, fuel + air filter every 40k, headgasket every 60K ;)

The phrase you quoted is out of context, and it refers to 300CE/E320 chassis. FWIW, this author also says:

"Early W124 sedans had some issues like duplex timing chains in the engines, but by the time the CE came along in 1988, the mechanicals were bullet-proof....Built in the era just before on-board electronics became all pervasive, they are relatively simple and inexpensive to maintain, promising faithful and reliable service if properly looked after."

I'm just learning about these cars, but one thing I wonder about is, just how "simple and inexpensive" they are to maintain. That's not my impression, anyway.

If simple to maintain is important I'd go for an 88-89 103 motor. You don't lose much in driveabilty - I think the 3.0 liter 104 motor only gained 6 ft lbs of torque and of course weighed more.

Budget for $1500-2000 a year in maintenance costs on any W124.