Purchasing 86 300E - Value/Thoughts
 

Looking at a 1986 300E for my 18yr old son. 156,000 miles, kinda' rough, $1500. Any thoughts, experiences greatly appreciated. - Brian

HI, I own a 86 300e, and if your son is interested in maintenance and upkeep on a car, mine has been a joy to own. If the one that you are looking at is truly "rough", than I would probably not get it because he will be continually under the hood fixing things that maybe haven't been fixed or maintained. Mine has a good history and other than things being old, is very reliable and inexpensive to own.


Good luck,


Matt

Agreed. If "rough" translates to "neglected" then the $1500 purchase price isn't a deal.

These are solid, reliable cars, but there are a zillion wear items that potentially need attention. And while the parts aren't too expensive, you can easily get into the thousands $$$ getting everything tightened up. Double that amount if you have to send the car off for servicing.

By the way, dealerships (at least from my experience) don't seem to like to deal with the older models, and will give you all sorts of astronomical quotes for a host of issues...not sure if they are trying to gouge you or discourage you, but you definitely need to look for an independent technician.

I agree, if it has a good service history and is ok mechanically, then get it, otherwise look for one that's in better condition. 300E's are great cars. I drove mine over 420 miles today.....and I am not tired at all! They are the ultimate highway cruiser (apart from the W126) And they even do decent mpg's on the highway.....I got around 24-25 today!

safe car
 

for a new driver - I think $1500 is cheap enough to just fix the stuff you need to keep it on the road and let the rest go cosmetically - it is almost disposable as a first time drivers car - get another 30-40,000 miles and you got your money's worth.

I love driving mine and think the handling is much better than the older w123 series - though I still want a w126 because I am older and would enjoy the ride better.

I say go for it if it is a safe driving car.

John in San Antonio

If you have the time, take a sample of the engine oil and send it off for analysis. That will tell you volumes about the state of the motor so long as the oil wasn't just changed last week. Have a good shop do a thorough inspection of the suspension and steering. Check all of the electricals too. A compression test is always a good idea. Check the trans fluid for contamination.

I agree... I paid only $2000 for my well maintained and what I think is really nice for a 1988 300SEL.

The 300E's are good cars, but as told here, a $1500 car can run into a $4000 car if it needs alot of service.

$1500 is too much for rough. What is wrong? Rough is subjective.

an early 300E is worth more like $700 rough, most moderately rough 300Es are in junkyards now and were worth something like $250 to the junkyard.

I've owned my '86 for the last 20 years. In spite of personally doing very little maintainance myself, I don't regret what I've spent to keep it running, and....it will not be a candidate for the Junker Program even though it probably wouldn't bring $4,500 on the market.

Caveat: Be prepared to encounter any number of areas that could amount to expenditures approaching the purchase price.

1) Exhaust system
2) Suspension
3) A/C
4) Transmission
5) Valve train

They're great cars, and enjoyable to drive, but the words of Fred Hafkemeyer, the BMW dealer from whom I bought many 2002s, come to mind:

"If you want economy, you have to be willing to pay for it!" ;)

As stated, they make great first cars, offering safety and luxury options, and are nearly disposable. (auto windows/locks come to mind. My friend purchased a new 2008 Chevy Cobalt and it didn't come with auto locks/windows...)

Bought my first car at 18, a '87 300E, in very poor condition (oil leaks, no paint/odometer/history/a.c) for $1400. Too much, i know.

None the less though, I got plenty of use and value out of the clunker. 1.5 years of daily driving before people decided to rear end me so many times the car had to be towed home and that was that. The accidents were not serious, just crumple zones doing their job, so all passengers were unharmed.

It was a great experience having learned basic car maintenance and care. Could always take pride in my car, despite its appearance and impending mechanical doom (Headgasket leak) as the ability to throw the rear headrests down via console made my passenger's day.

I'd recommend searching for a more taken care of car but, the clunker route is doable. Just don't have much of any expectations when it comes to mechanicals, every mile is a blessing in that situation.