Hopefully some folks can answer these questions I have.

I'm looking at at an 88 126 300SE with 139K miles on it for $4.300:00.

Engine and interior seem in excellent shape and I like the idea of the simplicity and accessibility in the engine bay of the straight six.

From stationary or low speeds - using the kickdown there is a rattling shudder that feels like shot engine/tranny mounts and I assume I'd have to replace them along with the flex disc. Not particularly expensive and I'm not worried about that.

However there are some other issues I'm more concerned about.

1) At idle the temperature reaches 100C. During the test drive it never went above that but I've never had a Mercedes which even reached that temperature ever so I'm a little concerned. Can anyone with one of these cars tell me if that is normal?

2) The climate control did blow cold air but only very feeble thru the center vents. The owner said that if you give it a lot of gas for some time the vacume comes on and the air blows strongly from the center vents. I know the system is vacume operated. Does this sound plausible? Or am I likely to be stuck with a large repair bill to tear into the HVAC stuff behind the center console.

3) The interior of this car is incredible. It's like you're in a time warp. Perfect dash with no hint of a crack. Perfect wood too. And everything works, seats, windows, sunroof and antenna. But there is a remarkable amount of squeaking and rattling coming from the interior which I assume is from the seats, door panels and other interior panels such as the pillars etc. Is this normal for a 126? I've only ever been in one before briefly about 10 years ago and can't really recall what that was like.

4) The car did not seem as smooth to me as I assumed a 126 should be. Seemed to have some vibration in the ride the origins of which I could not ascertain. I've seen some other threads here that go on at length about 126's being extremely prone to vibrations. Is that really true? I don't want to wind up with an S-Class where I'm forever chasing elusive vibrations. I have owned a 108 and 116 and I recall them being smoother than this car.

Is there anything specific to these cars I should be aware of. I have no 126 experience myself. They have always been cars I've admired from afar.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S