Correct jackstand placement 300E
 

I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm gonna need to start working on my car myself to save $$$'s, and so I'm getting a pair of jackstands.
Where are the correct points to place them on the 300E (near the jacking points?) and any nuggets of advice since this is is my first jackstand purchase?

Place the jackstands under the jacks points, which are the rubber cushions under the rocker panels. If the jackstands don't have a large enough cup to spread the load, you can use wood blocks between the jackstands and lift pads. Just use your head and make sure what you rig up is stable.

Always using a wood block on the jack cup, I lift the front end with the cross member and the rear with the bottom of the diff. I belief some have reported damage to the diff mounting lifting the bottom of the diff, but I have never had that problem.

Duke

There was a very long jackstand thread a while back. Got pretty far afield though...

The short answer is that jackstands with a flat top work better under the jacking pads, if you can find them.

Of course, stands with a concave top work better for front suspension work where you need to support the control arm...

I'm still using the concave ones with a sacrificial block of wood until I get around to fabricating something better.

I got a rubber saddle for my floor jack, which is great. More useful for general purpose use than the metal cup saddles. Hardly ever take it off...

thanks for the advice.
excuse my ignorance, but i take it i'll need to get a floor jack as well to raise the car initially (can you tell I'm new to car maintainence?:-)
Where should this be positioned on the 300e?

You could use the flimsy original spindel-type jack that is supposed to be in your trunk, but i would not recommend it. A floor jack is way better for the job. -And you will need the floor jack on lots of other occasions if you plan on becoming a DIY'er.

Duke 2.6 answered your question about where to place the jack..

Freestyler

Get a 'real' floor jack with a big saddle and fat pipe handle.
Not very expensive on the low end, and an excellent investment is terms of convenience and safety.