I've been studying 123 and 124 wagons.
Always liked the W123 300TD but I see a lot of them with sagging rear ends and folks seem to hold on to them more so then the sedans.
Good examples are hard to come by.

There seems to be one year of 300TD in the 124 series, in 1987. Then it's the gas engine TE in 88-89.
Any particular one that stands out overall on ease of ownership ?
How about the gas engine wagons ?
I would be just as happy in a TE if it doesn't cause too much maintenance stress.

I liked the TE a little better than the D. and I liked the 123 wagon better than the 124 wagon because the 124 has a resonation inside while driving. Not so on the 123.

------------------
Benzmac:
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
SERVICE MANAGER FOR 14 BAY FACILITY
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 8 YRS
PARTNER IN MERCEDESSHOP.COM

I have a TE ('91) 4-matic. Mine has been high maintenance in the extreme, but it's been 95% covered by the MB Starmark warranty. Despite it's maintenance issues, I've been very happy with the car. I'd recommend it but not without some type of warranty; preferably Starmark. Not that I know that much about what different warranties offer, but the dealer has fixed everything short of tune ups and breaks free of charge, and offered a loaner car each of the many times mine's been in.

Back to the car: the car handles great for a big car, is extremely quiet and fun to drive and has 0 rattles and squeaks. It receives a lot of respect on the road (a definite plus for any car), and is easy to maneuver around town. The A/C is adequate for Seattle, and I love the heated seats and adjustable lumbar control. Someone told me recently that the car has load leveling. I guess that's a real pain when it has to be fixed, but despite any amount of stuff I've hauled, I've never felt as if I was driving up hill, unless of course, I really was driving up hill. Having driven Audi's and Volvo's new wagons, I like the TE much more.

...tracy

I'm wondering about Star Mark Warranty.
Is this offered when one buys a used MB from an MB dealer ?
How much do they charge for this coverage ?
More then a few folks have mentioned this.

Starmark cars are factory pre-owned (FPO) with a warranty that can go up to 100K miles (actual mileage) on models up to eight years old. They are the most expensive used MB's, so it follows that they are in the best condition. MB dealers around here don't sell any used cars below $10K, and the bottom limit for a StarMark car is about $19K. A few months ago Automobile magazine had an article about FPO cars; Jean Lindamood Jennings bought an FPO 1995 E320 wagon.

I keep an eye on my local dealership's inventory either in the local paper or you can look at http://www.mbusa.com then go through "Pre-owned" and follow the link to where you enter your Zip code, and it will take you to your local dealer's web site. From there you can browse the inventory.

------------------
Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 165K miles




[This message has been edited by Robert W. Roe (edited 08-16-1999).]