I am looking at a 1991 300SE, with 122,500 miles. The miles don't scare me. I have an '83 240D with 123,000, and an '91 Olds Ciera with 258,000. What I'd like to know is:
Is this 1991 300SE a durable engine? Will she run for another 10 years if maintained properly. Minor repairs are acceptable.
Any comments, good or bad, would be appreciated.

Search for "M103 engine" on this site. It's a good engine; will need a head-gasket and maybe valve-stem seals at 120K-150K but it's totally ironclad. One of MB's better overall six-cylinder engine designs, IMHO.

-Sam

Thanks Sam

I agree. I have the M104 engine. I love the power, but they seem more problematic than the simpler M103 engines.

But be sure to get a good ppi by a Mercedes mechanic. so that you know what you're getting into.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Ditto > Good car, good engine.


.

__________________
1979 300D 220 K miles
1995 C280 109 K miles
1992 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe 57K miles SOLD
********************
1979 240D 140Kmiles (bought for parents) *SOLD.
SAN FRANCISCO/(*San Diego)
1989 300SE 148 K miles *SOLD

Thanks Sam, Paul and unkl300D
I'll start looking at these models
I found the list form this website
M103 1986-1993 300E/CE/TE
I appreciate the heads up.
Chao.

Don't include 1993's. The 1993 300E's have the 3.2 liter M104 engine. For some reason, Mercedes didn't change the name to E320 from 1993.

Fwiw, they've done this a lot. 1992 and 1993 400E's were 4.2 liters. In 1994 and 1995 they called it an E420, even though it's the same engine...

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Okay, thanks, I'll exclude the '93's.
I'm looking for something like a 1990+,
so that narrows my search, which is good.

You're looking for an M103 engine, and considering the sedan, coupe, and wagon, right?

Well, it's more complicated.

1990-1992 300CE's got an early version of the DOHC M104 engine. It didn't have variable valve timing. It has the same HP as 1993 and later M104's, but at a higher rpm (217 hp @ 6,400 rpm, as oppossed to 217 hp @ 5,500 rpm). This engine also developed less torque ( 195 lb/ft @ 4,600 rpm as oppossed to 229 lb/ft @ 3,700 rpm). Variable valve timing really made the power curve longer and flatter.

So, if you want the M103 engine in the 300 CE's, you're going to have to look at 1989 and older models. The problem is that MB sold relatively few coupes - about 2,500 / year, so they may be hard to find.

I also got all this info from the following page on MB USA's website. It's impossible to navigate to this page from the home page, so if I were you, I'd bookmark it:

http://www.mbusa.com/brand/container.jsp?/overview/overview_engine.jsp&yearModelCode=88_E300S&class=88_E&rnav=024568&menu=2_2

1990 - 1992 300 TE's all used the M103 engine, but I think there'll be few to look at - they only sold 1,174 wagons in 1990, 1,196 in 1991, and 1,492 in 1992 in the U.S.

So, your best bet will probably be the 1990 - 1992 300E's. They sold from 9,600 to about 12,000 cars / year so you should have no trouble finding nice examples. Coupes and wagons will be few and far between.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

I don't need a wagon and it's not necessary to have a coupe. A sedan is fine with me. I'll try to find 90-92 300E's.
Excellent. I have searched the Kelly's Blue Book site, but only very briefly. It helps to know exactly what I'm looking for.
It looks like I will have to travel toward NYC to get what I'm looking for, but I may be wrong. Hey, thanks again.

Don't forget your original question, it was regarding a 300SE. It's a bigger, heavier car so the performance would drop, but you should drive these too just for comparison.

__________________
NOW: 2017 C43 AMG, 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 1966 230SL, 1980 450SL (for sale!)
PAST: 2006 C230, 1997 E300D, 1994 E420, 1994 Neon Spt Cpe, 1984 300ZX, 1983 Celica GT, 1976 Electra Limited, 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650, 1979 Suzuki PE175, 1978 Suzuki DS100
www.mbca.org - www.sl113.org - www.ohio4x4.com

I recently bought an 89 300E (low mileage) and settled on 89-92 300e from my search, based on a blend of appearance, cost, reliability and performance. I didn't like the 6 cylinder engine in the heavier models and for performance decided on the E or CE. (I sometimes haul a few kids, wanted 4 doors). Not only was the 93 model a different engine, but from what I heard not as reliable as earlier ones. I love my car, (he says blushing.. )
Gary

Okay great...I'll keep an open mind and consider the 89 as well. I found a 300 turbo Deisel. Thought that might be a reliable one too. Lots of options. I love my 240D. Just thought I might get one newer with a little more oomph!