Going to check out a 300E

hey yeall im gonna go check out a 87 300E with 58K miles on it.. it has also been updated to a 95 bodystyle with the bigger lights.. and i was wondering what i should look for when i go check it out..
is there anything specific that i need to make sure.. or anything..
thanks
-jivesh

[Crowe]

Big ticket item to check is the AC system. If it is not working you could be facing $$$$ repair cost. Otherwise I would highly recommend the vehicle, just be sure to check it out top to bottom as you should with any used car.

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Tony

1988 300E Metallic Blue Black/light Gray interior

MBCA Member

If it were me, I'd want to know that the valve seals have been upgraded. Try to find out about oil usage.

And I will definitely ditto the a/c comment.

Good luck,

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Larry Bible
'84 Euro 240D, 523K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

[Ed Richardson]

If it is from a dealer, get a computer copy of all servicing. In addition to valve seals and AC, check the top radiator fitting. The originals will fail, see if it is updateded. Also verify the trans. has been serviced on schedule, if not get it done post haste.

[ctaylor738]

Crowe and Larry have said it all.

I would re-iterate that if the AC is not ice cold, either walk away or offer $2,000 less than you would otherwise pay for the car.

I would also "finger check" the brake rotors to see if there is much wear.

Great cars - good luck!

Chuck

[jc300e]

an '87 with 58K !!! Wow !
I just sold my '87 as she turned 220K+..
Good advice so far. AC..Huge ticket item if problems exist. With mileage so low on a 13+ year old car, watch for leaks. Those seals are pretty old and probably brittle if they are orginal. Also check the coolant system. Hopefully you will find a new radiator in its history. The plastic neck on originals always break...sooner or later.
Oh ! run carfax on the VIN...good insurance especially on an old car with ultra low miles. Good Luck

[A. Rosich]

W124s are great cars, although be careful of 1986/1987 models. The first years of production were not kind at all to this series. I owned an 1986 300TE (Euro version) which had several jobs performed by the dealer (most under warranty) because of upgrades or modifications that were later issued (mostly between 1987-88)by the factory. The worst and most impressive repair was done in 1996, due to several miniature cracks on the rear axle.

After research, I found out the 86/87's tended to develop this problem after 80,000 kms. Also, I found out that Mercedes-Benz provides a 10-year warranty on the chassis, so I applied my rights on the dealer and the problem was fix (about a $3,500 job including parts and labor). The cracks were discovered during a rutine x-ray exam which my local dealer performs on all cars reaching 100,000 Kms.

On my 300TE the A/C always worked perfectly, although do not expect it to be as ice-cold as a luxury Japanese or American car.

Other regular problems on 86/87s were power window failures, vacuum assisted problems (door locks and headlight aim adjustable angle -Euro versions-). Models 200/230E were a nightmare come true because of the distribuitor chain.

Most of these problems were fixed on production lines after April of 1988.

Good luck with your new car!