One advantage you have - this forum. You can troubleshoot and fix ANYTHING
on these cars with the advice and experience found here. And the internet parts houses are amazingly cheap on most parts.
If you kinda like to play with fine machinery, and have a little skill, then an older MB is a rewarding hobby and driving experience.
If you have to hire a mechanic to do everything, just buy a brand new one, and save money in the long run!

DG

If you find a nice one, that's been maintained, and you like working on your cars, they can be annoyingly trouble-free for extended periods, to the point that it's a problem.

You can't go wrong with a W124. And my 190 was the only car I ever regetted getting rid of...

I'm quite good at MB repair at this point....I work on 4 of them, but they are all diesel and W126/W123....is it much harder to maintain a gasser?

W124s are fantastic beaters... lol.



I put 15k miles on mine a year, and I beat the living crap out of it. Its been to the track, been to an auto-x or 5, been camping, etc.



Its like any other Mercedes. Find the right one, and you will not be dissapointed.




Heres a pic of my TE.

http://www1.pacific.edu/~jwrocklo/08Meet/106_1883.JPG



Great cars!



(Although, I am beating hattie in terms of moneypit status. :D )

I bought these things called "spark plugs" today, ... almost forgot what those are. You'll be fine Paul. A little more maintenance than a diesel, and it's a bit wierd to hop in and turn the key without waiting for the yellow light to turn out.

Well....as tomorrow I am looking at a 300CD....maybe I can avoid the gasser MB's just a little bit longer. :D :D If it doesn't pan out then I'll be back to looking for a 300E though....

Great cars,buy the best one you can find.
Although I work as a mechanic the 124's that I have owned have been almost trouble free.But being such a great car that are also safe to drive, fixing whatever goes wrong is fine with me.
Working in an auto shop and seeing what other cars are built like ,these cars really are not to bad to work on.And parts are not too expensive.
The few really pricey parts can be had at the bone yard.
BUT Start With the best you can find,which should include paint.
Thanks
Rich

Agreed! I usually do my own work, but lately I haven't had much time.

My indie has my W124 for repair or replacement of a number of items I usually replace myself. So far, I'm staring down a $1072 bill! :(

Over the last couple of years (especially with the head gasket), I've easily exceeded the car's net worth in repairs...but I'm not sending monthly checks to the bank either, so you choose your poison.

What repairs were included in the bill?

Oil change, secondary wiring harness, flex disc, neutral safety switch, brake pads and some body clips...also emissions inspection.

I'm still on the lookout for one, the 300CD was nearing parts car status. Though it did have a BLOWBY FREE 617 turbo in it. :eek: :o I've decided a W124 needs to join the stable.....and my wife would probably be happier in a gasser....so why not. :D

Do M103's need timing chains replaced like this guy states in this ad? http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/cto/904397365.html

It looks like an exceptional car, however a 4matic....dun dun dunn....also, if it did need a timing chain, how hard is that to do yourself? :D :D

Walk away from the 4 matic. Its a nightmare when something goes wrong.

http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/cto/903242121.html




Thats a good little car. Bought my sister one, and she loves it. Se said about 24 in the city, and breaks 30 easily on the highway.