I've never owned a car that didn't need special tools and had some tasks that were a pain if you had never done them before.

The late eighties/early nineties 124, 126, and 201 sedans are probably some of the best cars Mercedes ever built, and some of the best sedans ever built by any manufacturer - strong, solid, superb touring cars - relatively light and gadget free cars that offer good performance and fuel efficiency and comfortable and durable interior accomodations. Like all cars they have some weak points - head gaskets on the inline-six, drive shaft flex disks, A/C evaporators on the 124s, and though the KE III fuel system works well, it can be a bear to fix if something goes wrong because it is rather complicated to someone who lacks system knowledge of its operation. On the other hand, I've never owned a car that allowed the coolant to be changed so quickly, easily, and mess-free.

Best to seek out a car that has maintenance records, and check that basic recommended maintenance, particularly all fluid changes (including brake fluid and coolant), have been done over the life of the car. High mileage is not necessarily bad if the car has been maintained and properly repaired as things go wrong. Also, go for a car that is not modified in any way. Attempts to turn these cars into hotrods are more likely to detract from their overall goodness than enhance it. When things go wrong stick with OE or OE equivalent parts from quality manufacturers.

Duke