As far as gas (non diesel) engines go, I am a little confused about which cars have the srtaight 6 and which have the V6. I am thinking maybe they changed over in the early 90's? I have always like straight 6's in general. Does anyone have any opinion on the Mercedes engines? I think I would really like a C or E class car with a straight six and a stick and sport suspension. Does such a thing exist in the used car market? I am thinking maybe a 93 E320/300E or maybe 2001? Please help!!

Thanks,

Mike

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Straight 6's were used until 1997 in all cars except the W140 S classes, which continued to use the straight 6 until the end of the model run in 1999.

Thus, with the exception of the above mentioned S class, all MB's have been using the V6 starting in 1998.

The 300E was available with a 5 speed stick, but is was only for two years early in the model run, I think '87 and '89. Very few were imported into the U.S.

Larry Bible has one.

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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".

The stick shift 300E's were sold only in 1986 and 1988.

Both the straight and the V's are great engines. The straight sixes do sometimes have head gasket problems, but they are very smooth, tractable and long lived engines.

The V6's are even better engines. They are an absolute masterpiece of an engine. I have seen one torn apart so I've seen firsthand the construction and features of thise engine. A few years ago I was surfing around looking for information on the V6 engine and found a site where they had chosen the top 10 engines in the world. The Daimler Chrysler V6 was number one on their list.

Beyond having outstanding construction features and being picked by someone as their top choice, these engines have proven to be unbelievably reliable as observed by the MB techs at the dealerships that I've talked to.

Have a great day,

Wow,,, that surprises me Larry, as I am an old die hard straight six proponent. I should have known.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

Unless you consider the harmonic balancer part of the engine or exceed the FSS oil change interval with dyno oil.

Aside from the faulty harmonic balancer design, I have to agree with Larry's comments. My 98 E320 V6 has been very reliable, the only problem I had is minor oil leaks from the valve cover gasket and oil filler neck.

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Ray
1998 Mercedes E320, 200K Miles
2001 Acura 3.2TL, 178K Miles
1992 Chevy Astro, 205K Miles

The V6s seem to be noisier, not as smooth. The techs at the dealerships have not seen that many high miles cars yet. I think the jury is still out on the question of longevity.

Part of what has always attracted me to Mercedes is that they stuck with the Inline-6 design long after many other manufacturers gave it up. The sound of an Inline-6 accelerating, and the lack of vibration associated with it, sends chills down my spine.
I hope they bring them back at a time when I am affluent enough to purchase a new Mercedes.
~D.J.~

The ninety degree V6 configuration has both first and second order rocking couples. The first order couple is balanced by a counter-rotating balance shaft, but the second order couple remains. A 60 degree V6 lacks the first order couple, but still has a second order couple.

The inline six configuration is inherently balanced. There are no shaking forces or rocking couples below fourth order, so if the crankshaft is sufficiently robust to prevent torsional vibration problems, an inline six is inherently smoother than any V6 configuration.

Since both the V6 block and head are aluminum, it is less likely to have longer head gasket life than the iron block/aluminum head inline six. Also, the V6 has cast in high silicon alloy aluminum liners, which have a lower wear rate than cast iron as long as they don't score.

Duke