There can be no definitive answer to this, obviously, just looking for subjective knowledge.

Years ago I was at our dealer, Sears Imports, they had the car in question, an 83 300 SD, out back to be wholesaled out, and I was able to buy it at their wholesale price. It wasnt a bad car, just past the age and quality they wanted on their lot. It was a bit loose in the steering and the trans shifted wonky, clock was reading 130 some K as I recall. I just liked it and wanted it and brought it home. It became my third diesel Mercedes, and our fourth MB overall.

Over the time I owned it, I spent so much more time wrenching on it than driving it I called it my mechanical therapy. And it became a love hate relationship. I loved the car, but hated that it had so many worn out parts, and it seriously made me question if I was being blinded by the star on the hood.

While the chassis was clean, no rust to speak of, virtually everything that moved was needing replacement. Most of the suspension/steering play was in the control arm bushings, and most of that was the track rod bushings, they were totally gone. In the end I put in ball joints, rebuilt the idler, virtually replaced or overhauled the entire steering system. I also learned that the engine didnt match the chassis, and neither did the transmission. Which also made me question both the mileage as well as the quality of the car. Then I started trying to get the trans to shift properly, and more fun ensued.

In the end I had the transmission out three times and twice had completely disassembled it. It all started the day it sat in the garage and refused to move. Nothing. Nada. It wasnt worn out, it was just the valve body was gunked up, and I eventually had dropped the body out about 4 or 5 times to clean it. It was never perfect, but I eventually had it shifting well enough no passenger would know it was wonky and I gained confidence in it. In the meantime I played with the fuel system.

Never once, in all the time I owned it, did it ever boost. And I never found the cause. I cleaned the injectors and had them tested, I cleaned the tank, I replaced every filter including the tank screen, pressurized and vacuumed the lines to prove they were good, rebuilt the turbo (replaced the bearings/seals), even drove it without the exhaust connected. The car not only wouldnt boost, it would often slow down if you held the pedal down, and wouldnt gain speed until you eased up. I got it down to where the next part to play with was the IP and I never did.

Eventually I became so frustrated with the car I sold it, I just couldnt continue hacking away at that thing, and it really left a bad taste in my mouth. But I was at the dealer one day and started talking to this guy that had one in for service, and noted it was reading over 400K. He said he had three more at home, two with even higher mileage. I told him about mine, and he was surprised, he said that particular car he had bought new, and had never replaced all the parts I mentioned. I also recall a conversation with one of the parts guys. I was in buying yet something else for that car, and he said something about how many miles were on it, that I was ordering some parts they never had sold.

Now I had sold the car before carfax ever existed, and even after I was never able to find anything, other than I found it had spent 10 years in Hawaii, registered in Honolulu.

Being on this site the last week or so, and doing a lot of reading, I wonder if that car didnt in fact have many many more miles than I could even imagine. And wonder if maybe it isnt time to try out another one, perhaps one not so worn out. I really loved that car when it was out on the interstate rolling 90. It seemed to belong there.

Odometers fail in both the w123 and w126 cars. Miles unknown is classic unless you have a well documented service history.

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daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

Dad used to talk about the days before I was born, how before 1960 odo's were always rolled back. It was just common knowledge. You couldnt sell anyone a car with more than 30K, that was just considered junk. But 29K was acceptable so, like he said, all the cars on the used lot read 29K something. And of course the stories, Salvation Army Minister, only driven on Sundays, never over 30 MPH. Owned by a widow, etc.. Then the rear diff was filled with sawdust, and the oil light was appropriately inop. So those old cars were often put down as not being very well made, when in reality they were probably built exceedingly well. There are still some old flatheads around that havnt had the heads off since Truman was President, and they still run.

So I grew up aware of all of that, but in my 30's, I just didnt imagine it happening on Mercedes, Ferrari, etc.. Why, I didnt, I dont really know. I know it today though. Its a known fact that a Ferrari with over 30K is almost unsaleable.

I guess what I was really asking, is if anyone had a guess how many miles it would take to wear out a 126 chassis underpinnings. Or more specifically, track rod bushings, ball joints, idler arms, suspension bushings, motor mounts, shocks, things like that.

and not only do they fail, they are extremely easy to change and modify...
could have had over 500K on it, or it could have seen some serious rough service in 200K...
hard to say.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I have an 1981 300SD with 260k miles and am the original owner. I have never replaced anything like the items you call out. It has been the most reliable car I have ever owned, better than my Lexus. And I do not think Mercedes produced even one lemon in those days - the automobiles were just too good. I wonder if your car was frankensteined together out of a bunch of individual junked cars? The SD is just too good a car for you to have experienced that many problems.

I believe cars can have the heck beaten out of them and neglected. Same thing as some ppl - some of them age terribly for various reasons - usually self-imposed more often than not. Your car sounds like it was a very worn piece of merchandise where maintenance and parts replacements were not kept up with. Perhaps it had never been garaged as well. All this can age a car. I bought an 8 yr. old one-owner, carported '83 300SD with 93K miles on it. I drove it to 305K over the next 8 yrs. It wasn't neglected under my watch, and it was a well running car on the day I sold it to it's new owner. It's speedometer-odometer remainied in good working order all the while I owned it.

Very old/neglected and worn cars are just not of interest to me unless I have need for a parts car to cannibalize. That's how I feel about 'em. I like to keep most of the stuff on my car in working order. That takes time and money to do. One more thing, for the past 26 years, every car I've owned has been garaged at my residence when not being driven.

Well, I didnt get to Mercedes number 9 without having some confidence in them. I know when it ran good and we got it out on the highway, I cant think of a car that was more comfortable while inspiring as much confidence.

I was just about there with the car. I had ordered a rebuilt transmission from the dealer, $1700. But when I opened the box at the dealer to inspect it, and saw that it was without a converter, and they wanted another $900 for a converter, I balked. One of the mechanics I knew said if I didnt get the converter I could probably kiss any warrantee away. Same thing if I had mine rebuilt. Felt they had me by the short hairs and I wasnt going to play. If I could have a got a good tranny in it I would have went after the IP and they car would have ran. But I just could no longer justify it. I still miss that old car though, and would like to try one again. I tried out a few 560's. Nice hot rods but guzzle too much gas.

Thats the thing, the car didnt appear to be beat or poorly taken care of, just tired. The underside was clean, the paint was very nice, interior was decent. Lots of dirt roads would have been evident in paint chips and undercoat damage, and it just didnt exist. I believe it was a high mileage car that had the odometer rolled back, perhaps considerably, or more than once. I just needed some of you guys to help confirm it.

Mercedes are weird. A lot of people who never owned one are afraid of them. They hear how reliable they are, but the expense thing scares them off. So they buy a POS Volvo for slightly less, and then outspend the cost of the car keeping it running 10 years. But I must admit that even after a handful of them, and having been treated very well by most of them, that old SD really tested my patience. It certainly proved the theory there are no cheap ones.

MB Tex interiors almost always look good. The leather interiors need some work to stay nice, but the Tex is nearly indestructible. The nice looking interior often fools people into thinking the whole car is as nice as the interior.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

If you've gone through "9 Mercedes'" looking for a reliable one, you might want to consider buying an example that has complete records, including a valid Carfax. I've only owned 2 Mercedes' in 23 years, no need to start buying several when the one I have is reliable, with an iron clad history.

Good luck finding a better one.

I feel for the OP. He is describing my '83 SD, and my experiences with it, more or less to a T.

I purchased it on eBay from a reputable seller in Hesperia, CA. He was closing up family import repair shop and this car was out back. He made no claims about it... it had been signed over to him by a someone who didn't pay a bill and he said he had never seen the car prior to that encounter. Had been out back for 4 yrs or more.

He made it clear it was rough: Mexican $250 paint job, badly sun damaged (black), mismatched front seats, tops of door panels and dash top burned from the sun, scrapes on the bumpers, etc.

Showed 180k. Carfax was inconclusive (car never showed until a minor collision two years prior, when it had 170k).

He started the auction at $1 and at the time, w126s had just hit their peak on eBay so within 24 hrs it was going up$ fast. I had been back and forth with the vendor with questions and he was very open that the car was rough and he had little hard info, apart from the fact it ran okay and drove fine, but needed injectors and front end work.

When it got just under $800 he sent me a message and asked if I was serious about the car, as he was uneasy about how fast the bids were ascending. He said I was "the only guy asking the right questions about the damn thing" and he foresaw big problems if he allowed it to get into the $2-3k range... the purchaser would blow back on him for sure when he saw the car.

He offered to end the listing right then if I pushed the bids over $800 -- bear in mind this was barely into the listing -- and sell to me at that price... not sure if vendors can even do that now, but back then it could be done.

Rest of the story: just insert yours, apart from the lack of boost. I got to the point where I suggested the local import parts shop just order in an entire w126 inventory and keep it in stock, as I'd be getting to it presently.

I came to conclude it had 800k ++ on it. The driver's and rear passenger door hinges were worn out. EVER seen Mercedes door hinges wear out? I wonder if it was used as a gypsy taxi.

When I got it, I found the strip fuse in the GP relay had been replaced with tinfoil. (The relay melted one morning.)

I fought the good fight with that car for four years, and eventually sold it to a friend with what I thought was a bearing knock in the replacement 617 I had put in a year before. Turned out to be the injection pump. Car is still on the road now.

Of course, my friend has hardly had any issues with it... GRRRRR.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Maybe you havnt read all my posts. My first was a 79 300D, taken out by a broadside. Number 2 was a 76 300 a neighbor gave me, it was a parts car. Number 3 was an 88 300E, very beautiful car. The SD was in there somewhere. Traded off for a 380 SL. Nice car but not crazy about it. Sold it. Have had several 190D's, etc..

So no, I havent gone "through" them.

In retrospect mine wasnt that bad of a car, I just didnt have enough knowledge or experience at the time to know where it was going. You know, Fords being "fix or repair daily", this car wasnt confidence inspiring for me at the time, having needed so many parts. I ordered the new transmission, it was when it showed up at the dealer without a converter that I turned it down. I always wished I had bit the bullet and went for it.

But yes, the next one (theres always a next one) will have some records, at least recent ones, and everything will work.

I remember my Dad and I, after the 300D had been gone a while (after it was wrecked), we were driving one day and almost in concert said how much we missed that car. I think we bought the 300E within the week after saying that.

I read of the problematic car you got rid of, etc.

Unless you can verify any used car's history (by any number of means), don't touch it. It may be as simple as finding one in the price-range that equals reliabilty. That's what it may come down to. A lot more money. More money == better examples. It's that simple. At least that's what I've experienced. Near pristine, verifiable history cars, are what saved me tons of money + time, in the long run. Unlike as you've experienced on that 300.

Good stuff, John.....

A lot of a car's past can be forensically learned by close inspection. It's not all in the miles, but also in a car's age and whether it's been stored inside (garaged) when not in use. Then again - there is such thing as advanced aging because of climate (salt/chemicals) that a car has come in contact with. A buddy of mine brought his '98 E300TD with only 80K on it's clock for some routine maintenance at my garage a couple years ago. He does computer repair, etc. so we traded-out our talent expertises. What a complete POS! It had almost 50% fewer miles on it than my '99 E300TD, but was trashed inside, outside, and under the hood! The inside of the engine compartment looked like a advertisement for salt! It had been in Chicago, IL since new, and OMG was it a crap-wagon. I popped the hood on my Texas E300TD with a lot more miles, and he was simply in awe of the engine compartment and the paint/interior of my car. Lesson learned!!! If a car is too aged, or in POS condition that although low-miles are claimed, it doesn't jibe - then it may just be an endless problem of repair. My '83 300SD w/305K miles was the best example I've ever seen with that many miles on it for it's age on sale day. It was also the best example on the day I purchased it with 93K miles on it's clock. ALL with a verifiable record kept on it. The highest price Mercedes, is more often than not, the cheapest one to keep in good repair and reliability.