I know there is a world of difference between the two - one is a different generation - shorter wheelbase, 6-cylinder model and the other is another generation - longer wheelbase, 8-cylinder model. I have a 1991 Lexus LS400 thats totally bulletproof and I am crazy for wanting to sell it/trade it, but I want another S-Class Mercedes. I found a local 89' 300SE with 171K thats in EC for $2700 and 1 1993 300SE with 181K for $5900 AND a 1992 500SEL. I know - I need a PPI before purchase. Have some questions though.

I know the common problems on both and as far as reliability/maintainence costs, I would probably be better off with a 89' 300SE - right? I know of the horror stories about the evaporators, wiring harnesses and driveshaft problems on the 92-9? S-Class. Well, I did a search and could find no answers to my questions below.

I know that the W126 V8 models have interference engines and require timing chain (as well as tensioner, guide and rail) changes after so long to prevent catastrophic failure. I am wondering do these other two cars also have interference engines and require this work to be performed? I am thinking yes on the V8, since this was the case on the W126, but not sure. I was hoping they had changed to "metal" guides and rails... lol.

I talked to a guy with a 1994 S420 and he said he has owned several V8 80s and 90s Mercedes and never changed timing chains, etc and never heard of this being a problem. I told him I thought it was preventative maintainence and not so much the chains, but moreso the guides and rails get brittle with age.

Thanks in advance.

86560SEL said: talked to a guy with a 1994 S420 and he said he has owned several V8 80s and 90s Mercedes and never changed timing chains, etc and never heard of this being a problem. I told him I thought it was preventative maintainence and not so much the chains, but moreso the guides and rails get brittle with age.
________________________________________________________________
Timing chain and related parts failures are never a problem....until it happens. The guy you talked to was lucky if he indeed was driving 126 series V-8 cars and never had a failure, assuming his cars had not been updated.

__________________
1986 560 SEL (159K miles)

I can't honestly answer the question about the timing chain set up on the 177 hp 6 cylinder W126 engine, but have heard that the timing chain/tensioner/guide rail 100k mile change doesn't seem to be quite as imperative and urgent as on the V8 W126ers

Beyond that, the close coupled W126 short wheelbase SE is a remarkably agile handler for its size, more sexy looking than the SEL and the gargantuan W140 cars you are looking at.

Moreover, with the axle ratio it has, the 300SE is suprisingly peppy in city traffic, and while it is slow in merging and passing compared to the 560SEL/SEC, once at highway speed, you can't tell the difference, they are all great highway cruisers, able to reel in large chunks of macadam in a single stretch.

Of all of them, the 300SE will be the best on gas consumption, a fair thing to consider , in these out of joint times.

Buy the 300SE, pending a PPI

Some W126 tips for buyers can be found at this place, I co wrote it in 1998 with the 560SEC coupes in mind, but a lot applies to the 300SE also.

www.mbcoupes.com (buyers guide)

__________________
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)

Thanks Rock... I think he was referring to the W140s. He acted like it was never an issue. Guess he was lucky.

Thanks Jim. I was thinking that I was once told that the 6-cylinder W126 engine was not as prone to failure as the W126 V8 was. I was hoping it was a non-interference engine all together, but I do not know of any "non-interference" MBs.

To be honest - when I sold my 85' W126 last year, I always said if I ever bought another MB, it would be a diesel. I have always wanted a 1981-87 S-Class diesel. However, this was when diesel was $2.50 per gallon. Its what, around $4.10 per gallon now around here, so I have changed my mind a bit.

I have found a local 1985 300SD, but they want $3500 for it and it does not look to be in all that good of shape.

Neither the 6 or V8's are prone to failure, given proper maintenance. the V8's need their chain guides checked and changes on a periodic basis and the chain replaced too, when the wear is too much. The 6's use a shorter chain so this usually isn't a problem. Remember, the biggest problem is the inner chain guide on the drivers side. When it breaks, the engine needs to be fixed.

__________________
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.

Considering that all gas MB's of that era and onward require premium, and won't get the same mileage as the diesels.....the fuel cost difference is negligible...it then becomes preference, do you want gas or diesel?

Personally I'd go with the 1989 300SE. That inline 6 is an amazing engine....I've driven one before, and they MOVE.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Thanks WB... I see you still have a 89' 300SE. Do you "worry" about your timing chain/guides/rails on your car? You mentioned they should be checked periodically - is this only pertaining to the V8? How often should the I-6 be checked?

Thanks PAWO for that info. I really wanted a diesel, but it really does not matter much now.

Don't buy a MB, keep the Lexus.

I wouldn't touch an early W140 with a 10ft pole, unless I wanted a project car and had a few grand burning a hole in my pocket. 1997 and newer only.

No offense but your old 380 needed a timing chain, other than that judging by the pictures was in good shape, you should have fixed it and kept it. That 300SE isn't going to be any different. If an $800 TC job scared you into selling it...no other older MB is going to be any better.

What are you going to do when that S500 needs an evap core? SLS work? Window regulators? LCA bushings? Thats a fine car but your going to drop a few bucks a year taking care of it. Heck it probably has damn near 200k on it so you really should pop the valve covers off and take a look at that chain. If it were my car I'd replace it along with the guides. Don't forget the wiring harness, if that hasn't been done yet its way past due. MAF's also seem to fail every so many years, $300 a pop X2 on that car.

Cheap to buy, doesn't translate to cheap to own.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Thanks Hat... as always, I appreciate your input. Actually the S500 I mentioned is a 1994 with 108K and not a cheap car (well, not cheap to me anyway - he wants $8500 for it) . The owner said he bought it from his friend who maintained the car with an "open checkbook". He said the evaporator core had already been replaced, as well as the wiring harness and driveshaft - all at the dealer. He said that the man even paid $1700 for some type of phone/phone connection for the car. He bought it new and I guess had money to waste on it. The bad thing is he wants my Lexus AND $5200! I have not found one personally no less than $5000 around here- even a 1992. So, no I would not buy a 92-95 S-Class unless I knew the evaporator and wiring harness had been replaced.

I specifically asked him about the evaporator core, because my aunt had to have it replaced on her 1995 S500 a couple of years ago... I knew it was costly.

The main reason I did not put more $ into my 380SE is despite it being good body and transmission wise, I think the engine needed more than a timing chain. The car had developed a stalling issue. I did finally break down and took it to a MB tech. He said it needed injector seals and quoted me like $500 just for that. Also the engine had a knocking sound at 2200-2400 rpms- that scared me too. The car had been very poorly maintained by the PO. The oil was jet black when I got the car and the oil filter was disgusting. Practially stopped up!

Thanks for the reminder on the 92+ S-Class money-pit reminder. If I do get another MB - I should stick with another W126 (6-cylinder or a diesel).

I would not mind spending $$$ on the 300SE if a chain/tensioner is needed if its already a good car. I just did not think my 85' W126 was worth it.

If I want to worry about nothing, like you said, I should keep my 91' Lexus. Its a non-interference engine, but ironically as luck would have it anyway, it had a new timing belt and water pump that was installed at a Lexus dealer in Atlanta 15K miles ago for $1300. It was the 180K service. Must be higher down there, because when I had my other 90' LS400 a few years ago, my local Lexus dealer quoted $500 when I had the timing belt changed on it. The only issue I have with it is that it is due to get new motor mounts (they are not allowing the car to be as smooth as it should be) and I have to take it to the dealer next week for those.. not too bad- parts $200 and labor $120.

On the flip side, I have a friend with a 1992 Toyota Land Cruiser that wants to trade me. Its a tank too. He has had it for years and he has never needed anything- other than lots of gas!

Cheap to buy, doesn't translate to cheap to own
_________________________________________________________________
Well said. The reason you can buy the later model MBs so cheaply is because of all the problems that come with many of those models. The 140s prior to the '97 models had the evaporator and harness problems, the 2000-2004 S models had all kinds of quality control issues too...and the word is out. In my area I see S500 MBs with low miles selling for mid-teen prices....these cars are only 5 to 7 years old! Unbelievable.

__________________
1986 560 SEL (159K miles)

The 2003 and newer 220's were much better. Around here you can get the early 2000/01's pretty cheap but they all have a ton of miles on them and are in so so shape.

Last time I was at the dealer they had a 2003 S600 that was real nice, 40k miles $39k. Nice 03 and newer examples seem to still go for around $30k.

Look at it this way, a new S550 is going to cost you $100k. You buy a 5 year old S500 for $30k you are already $70k ahead. So if it costs $3k a year to fix and you keep it for 5 years, your still way ahead.

Or you can just lease the S550 for $1k a month and write the payment off.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Very true... I know a older lady that bought a brand new 2000 Mercedes S500. She would always come in complaining that she had to take her car back to the dealer, or there was another recall. She would complain that she paid $95K (IN CASH MIND YOU ) for a car that was always in the shop. Ut oh. It was/is a beautiful car. I used to chuckle when I would see her pull in and she would have her 3 large dogs in it and her smaller dog that would ride up on the rear package shelf! This was in 2000, when the car was brand new too! Dog fur everywhere.

Sadly, she had a stroke a couple of years ago and I have not seen her. I was told she was good physically, but poor mentally and was not able to get out by herself. I have not seen her. She was such a nice lady and I hope she is doing well. Its sad, because she was the type to like to get out and help others. She would buy large bouquets of flowers and start out of the store with them... someone would comment on how nice they were and she would simply hand them over.

My dentist bought a new S430 way back in 2000. Its an 8 year old car now and its still perfect, never any issues. Well except he lost a coil which cost him $200 to have replaced, and the coil took out the cat's which MB covered under warrantly.

The happy owners don't complain online.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Isnt is strange how on some models it varies widely from car to car? Or... it sounds like she should have bought an S430, rather than a S500.

OH, BTW - I talked to the guy with the local 89' 300SE. He said it had a new accumulator for the A/C, which was about $1000 @ our local Mercedes dealer. Tranny shifts fine, engine works fine- no leaks or oil burning. He said it did have a slight oil leak at the front top of the engine, but was unsure of the source. I am guessing valve cover gasket. No trade- he wants to sell outright for $2600, which seems fair. It has 169K. Inside and out in EC.