i found an 86' with about 238k miles, body is dented and what not but i might be able to buy it for very cheap

could anyone here share any info on them, how many made, how reliable, do they get more mpg than reg 300e

I owned one for about 5 years. Was a great car, I averaged about 26 MPG on the freeway and around 21 MPG combined. They are as reliable as any Mercedes from that era, that is, as long as you maintain it, it probably won't let you down. As I recall, there were 751 1986 300E manuals imported into the U.S. and about ~350 in 1988, so all in all, they are pretty rare.

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Glen Tokuhara
Beauty & the Beast and the wagon that could!

They are rare, and the M103 is robust and the tranny is robost. Condition and what you're willing to live with at 238k miles means the most.

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- Brian


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

so it is a solid car, it needs a little body work but i would like to fully convert it to 94-95 w124
also what clutch it uses, hard to get or no?

I don't think the m103 5spd fits the m104 engine. Check for posts about the c36 engine transplant into a w124 wagon. I think it is discussed in there. The clutch should be available as manual transmissions were common in Europe. Also I bet a 23 year old 238K mile car will need lots of maintenance. There are a lot of bushings that need to be replaced every 20 years or so. I do like my 257K mile 300e 5spd though.

I usually giggle when folks ask about "reliability" of 20+ year old cars.

It couldn't have been that bad if it's still on the road, right?

OTOH, it very likely needs about everything you can think of replaced or repaired at this point.

Be sure it runs, as there's an ignition control box on these cars that's really hard to get these days, and new ones when you can find them will cost the value of the car.

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Kent Christensen
Albuquerque
'07 GL320CDI, '10 CL550. '01 Porsche Boxster
Two BMW motorcycles

It has 143,000 and as far as I know the original clutch so it lasts a long time - I got all the maintenance records passed down to me including documentation of 2 (yes TWO) engine rebuilds due to hydrolocking the engine from driving in high water - some people never learn. After the first $8,000 bill from the dealer you would think they would say "hmm. maybe I won't drive in high water"....

Last rebuild was at 98,000 miles so I figured it has alot of life left before I have to do it - I only bought it cuz it reminded me of my 5spd 190E 2.3 I had in Germany and I needed a highway driver.

It cruises the highway so well - acceleration from 60-100 in 4th gear is just fun - 5th will take it up well past 120 into bad, bad ticket range.

I get about 26 hwy and 22-23 mixed use.

With the w124 - be sure the AC is working because the evaporator replacement is something like 20 hours of labor to take it all the way down to the firewall. If it is still R12 then even better - converted doesn't cool nearly as well due to a small evap size.

At 238k I'd ask for receipts that the subframe bushings were replaced recently - alot of suspension components can be badly worn and the car still rides and drives pretty good so it can be deceiving.

In 86 there were a few more than 300 5spd 300's imported - of the 750 over the 3 years total there can't be more than 10% still on the road in decent condition so you will have a relatively rare car.

I paid $2700 for mine and I think I paid about $300 more than I originally thought I was gonna pay, but the lure of the 5spd was too much so I overpaid. It's ok though. I'm still happy with it.

Good luck! Let us know if you get it and put up a pic.

John in San Antonio

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John Hughes, was in Landstuhl, Germany but currently in San Antonio, TX


1978 280CE Astral Silver now 59,xxx miles and counting "Silber-Kugel"
1986 300E Black Pearl Metallic 143,xxx miles 5-spd daily driver w/ blk leather "Schwarz-Schönheit"
1989 190E 2.6 (euro) 5-spd Desert Taupe 112,xxx kms Had to leave behind in Germany!!! "Helga"
1983 300D Pastel Beige now 312,xxx + miles SOLD

OBK#24

That would have to be some high water!! Generally I stop or turn around when the water is deeper than the top of the bumper.

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-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)

I have an 88, 5 speed 300E with 320,000 miles. In fact I need to find time to apply for my half million kilometer badge. The production numbers given earlier are correct for US delivered cars. There were many more delivered in the rest of the world.

The clutch, or any other part for that matter, is no harder to get than any other MB part. I'm kind of curious why you thought that it would be. My car, however, still has the factory clutch and the transmission has never been out of the car.

My fuel mileage is quite good, but I expect only slightly more, if any, than an automatic transmission car. I looked for my car for a long time and bought it in early 1998. I am NOT an automatic transmission person. I don't like driving an automatic, working on an automatic or maintaining an automatic. The only maintenance I have performed on the transmission has been changing the fluid three times, once at every 100,000 mile mark. Let's see, how many automatic transmission filter and fluid changes would I have done in over a quarter million miles?

As pointed out by other posters your decision should be based on THAT car.

I will share with you the three most important criteria when purchasing a used car:

condition
Condition
CONDITION

With condition being assessed on the car, in MY opinion, I would be willing to do MUCH more work and catching up on an old manual transmission car than an automatic. It is hard to find and a kick in the a$$ to drive.

My $0.02,
Larry

I feel the same way as Larry Bible, I have a 1986 300E, 5 speed and it is a ball to drive! I purchased it in very good condition but still had to replace a couple of things, like an alternator. It gets high 20's (26 - 27) for country driving as I don't live in a city, and if I drive conservativly, I can squeak out 30 mpg's but it is rare. It sure feels like it'll last forever! Lots to always keep an eye on though, being an old car and all. I don't miss having the auto transmission one bit. This is my second 124 and I love it. Good Luck!

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1987 190E Garage find... 47,800 miles, more everyday!

I live in the country like PhotMatt. My mileage figures match his pretty closely.

Several years ago my wife and I went on a driving vacation from NorthEast Texas into the mountains of Southern New Mexico. I had just finished going over the car pretty well with fresh plugs, filters and such. The trip involved lots of 80 MPH cruising (the speed limiit on the Interstate in far West Texas and then climbing around in the mountains around Cloud Croft and Reodoso. I kept close records and averaged just a tinge over 30MPH for the trip.

These cars are geared for the Autobahn and are quite happy at 80 or better. I have had my car a little over 140 and it handled fabulous at that speed.

My car is put away right now. Needs at least one tire, and is cosmetically not very good, but even with the mileage it has accrued, I wouldn't be afraid to get it out, put a tire on it and take off on a high speed trip out West.

Properly taken care of, these are long term automobiles.

My $0.02,
Larry

thanks guys, you friends really know what you guys talk about

but ill try to post some pics up, car is mess, its horrible, paint is faded and has body damage
but i might only pay couple of hundred dollars for it, so hopefully its worth it

will any e300 engine of that era bolt right up if eng is bad?

great input

i bet we could even trace its po down

its blue with navy interior(great shape), car is in northern va

IMHO, it's worth a couple of hundred dollars if the trans, clutch and driveshaft are all intact. Use this as the donor car and find a decent 300E that you can convert to a stick. I personally would not do it unless the donor car is close by, but in that case it would be a VERY worthwhile project.

My $0.02,
Larry

I concur 100%. Buy it and use it as a donor. You can even use the parts in a 300CE and have something cool and unique.