How long does the 6 cyl. in the 300E (124 chassis)last?
 

My daughter turns 16 this July and we have been looking at cars. It's obviously her first car and she wants a 2000-2005 Toyota Celica, I want her in a tank. Daddy's money, daddy's rules:). She doesn't like the look of Volvo's from the 90's but she does like the 300E's (124). My question is how many miles can one expect out of the engines in these cars? When actually looking at one of these, anything in particular to look for or ask about. Though I alreay have a gas MB, it's a V-8 from the early 80's and my other Benzes have been Diesels.
Any tips/help would be appreciated.

Don't do it. A 16 year old female needs a very reliable car that will never leave her stranded. Buy her the Toyota. My wife loves the MBs I own, but I bought her a Lexus - like I said, I never want her to be stranded.

If my daughter was going to be in an accident, I would much rather she be strapped in a Benz, than stuck in a Toyota. Personally I think the risk, or reduced risk of injury in an accident out weighs the potential risk of getting stuck somewhere. Granted, my daughter is not in an urban area, carries a cell and probably would not be alone, or more than 20 miles from home.

I have had some problems with my 190, but I have never been stranded. Once I have gone through the car, I will turn it over to my little girl, confidently.

The way I see it, an accident is more likely to occur, than a break down in a hostile environment. I may be wrong, but that is my bet. Of course, it would be best to avoid both if possible.

Mercedes + Cell Phone + MB Roadside Assistance is a good start if away from home.

If you are only talking about the engine, then it is virtually bullet proof and should last upwards of 500,000 kilometres. However the head stem seals and valve guides are known to fail (dry out) and need to be replaced ( generally after 150,000 kms). Head gaskets due to overheating are known to fail so careful attention to the cooling system and fans must be made. If you have a service book and keep the maintenance up to the car there is no reason that the car will not last for many years.

Getting her a good reliable one with filled in service books is the task. Remember the Benz Mantra. Nothing is more expensive than a cheap Mercedes Benz.

Safest, reliable Japanese car in Australia is Subaru 4 wheel drive (Outback).

see my signature

I put all my kids in 240 or 300ds. I have five kids. All except the youngest lovely daughter were in some kind of accident (knock on wood). Two were rear ended in 240ds (totalled) with minor injury or none. Both cars we repaired and put back in service.

Any car you buy used might fail your loved one sometime. We live in Lafayette Indiana no hot bed or crime so getting stranded is just an inconvenience.

I never wanted my kids in too valuable a car especially when they first started to drive because I figured they would get into an accident.

Having five there was never an option to put them in a valuable newer car anyway. Who could afford that?

I would rather have them in a benz that might break down from time to time (they very seldom did, and usually it was from leaving the lights on or something that they would have done with a new car) than a newer rice burner.

Tom W

If it's a 103 engine, there are several annoyances, like the leaking head gasket, bad valve seals, leaking front cover, water pump, etc. But these things won't shut the engine down. In 18 years of driving mine, I found only 2 things that stranded me:
1. Alternator failed, and gave absolutely no warning until the battery went down so far the lights dimmed noticeably. luckily I was very close to home, and limped home with just the park lights on. Apparantly a design flaw, the idiot light was working, but never came on. So, install a new regulator/brush kit for about $20.
2. Belt tensioner failed - dead meat, had to call for help. Just replace it now.

Other than that, the thing is bulletproof. I went in at 110K to replace the oozing head gasket, and you could still see the hone marks on the thrust side of the cylinders.

DG

I saw a 300E at the junkyard the other day - it had 345k on the odometer.

Thanks for all the replies. There is a '93 300E with a 3.2 liter engine for sale in the local paper. They don't mention how many miles are on it, but just wanted to get a sense of how long they last so that when/if I do call, I cna immediately make a judgement call. As my sig. shows, we already have a '87 300TD. So essentially everything from the back doors forward is the same. Granted there were some cosemtic changes in the interior, but it's the same. Of course the engine is gas in an E.
We live only 4 miles from the center of town and 2 miles from the highschool and this is wher most of her driving will be, until she heads off to college. I know that the gas mileage won't be great, but I would rather take a hit on the fuel economy than her getting it in something made of tin.

That 3.2 is a different engine. The M104 has some problems of its own, like the head gasket and wiring.

Yes, 1993 300E's have the 3.2 liter engine found in '94-'95 E320's, and '96-'97 E320's.

Presuming these known issues with the 3.2 have been fixed by this point on this particular car, are they good engines otherwise. Or is the headgasket a reocurring problem? Is this "wiring" problem dealing with the engine wiring harness? If I call on this car, I will certainly will inquire about the headgasket and wiring. Is this 3.2 the standard engine for the 300E's in '93 forward until they went to a V-6?

Good.
No.
Yes.
Yes.

Rick, I own a 1989 300TE with the M103 engine. I bought it used for my daughter's first car (she is now on her second Benz :) ).

The M103 engine is nearly indestructible. The 300TE now has over 225K miles on the clock and it runs like a fine Swiss watch. It does not leak oil (heck it barely uses any oil between oil changes, less than a quart every 3K miles), it runs smoothly and it has been extremely reliable. Until my son starts to drive it, the 300TE pulls duty as the all-around hauler. I have moved more furniture and boxes in that wagon than in any other vehicle I'vbe owned.

The 300TE developed an engine cut-out problem, but once it was diagnoesed and fixed (it was a defective Hall Effect Sensor) the car has not had any problems.

Right after she got her driver's license my daugher was involved in a collission where she rear ended a truck. In spite of heavy front end damage (fixed and paid for by the insurance company) my daughter did not even get a scratch. I would vouch for the safety of these cars. And if you watch the YouTube videos, where a British TV crews tries to destroy a 300TE (all to no avail) you too would know that these cars are as solid as they can get.

The M103 engine does not have a headgasket problem. That came much later. The M103 engine also does not have a wiring harness problem. This happened much later, when the Germans began using a different kind of material to wrap wires.

If you have not bought the car yet, you should seriously consdier getting it. You will be glad you did and your daughter will be very safe--plus she will drive to school in the kind of style that no Japanese car will ever provide.

Of course, I am biased. If you lok at my signature, you will see that I am a very big fan of the W124 class.

Regards.

(NOTE: After reading your post I realized that you are talking about a 1993 320E. I have no experience with the engines on those cars. But my other comments still apply).

A Toyota will most certainly cost you less in upkeep. They are both good choices, but I'd go with Toyota/Honda for my daughter. The Benz's are great cars, but there will be service issues that come up--and these issues will be expen$ive.

On your mileage longevity question, my '91 300E has 192K and runs perfect. These cars last a VERY long time with proper care.

Besides, if she buys a Benz-there will be one less for me:)

-GH

Ahhh yes the dreaded biodegradable plastic on the wiring, I forgot about that. What year did they start using that? Did it only affect the engine wiring harnesses?
What was the last year for the M103?

My favorite combination is the W124 with M103. Less power and less refined, but a pretty much bulletproof all-around package. No headgasket issue and no wiring harness issue. Possible valve stem seals issue, but that's easily fixed with about $65 and a few hours of spare time on a weekend. Less issues too with the older non-722.6 tranny. Get a 91 or 92!

Or he could get her the "ultimate" W124....the 300CE.

Two less doors to worry about.

Wiring harness:

http://tinyurl.com/8nx7v

Not just the M104, as you will see.

124 solid machine
 

My 86 124 300e has 440k kilometers on it and works well - I always have a little list of thing's that need doing - but I drive it every day - but it's as much a hobby as transportation. I was sold on MB when my old 123 300d was hit head on/but off centre - combined speed of maybe 50mph. Grill was ripped in half - front left side of car was completely crushed, floor was pushed up to the brake pedal so it couldn't be pushed down after the crash. Anyway, my front door opened and I stepped out - closed the door behind me, to see the fellow oppposite struggling to open his door (Dodge Aspen)
My 2 cents.

I'm up to 457000 km, on the original unopened engine.
I'm just about to pull the head off because of the amount of oil that is leaking otherwise I wouldn't be doing it.
The last 7000km have been on propane.
Best car I've owned, and I've had bmw's, porsche's, and locally made stuff.