I am new guy and I may buy a used Mercedes - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

pinecone · #1 05-28-2009, 02:43 AM

Hello.

My name is pinecone. I was refered to this site by a person that was going to trade his 300SD Turbodiesel and some cash for my BMW R1200GS (motocycle). The deal didn't work out because a local person bought my bike for cash.

He got me excited about getting a used Mercedes. Looking at the part prices from the sponsors of this site, a 20 yo Mercedes is actually cheap to keep on the road.

Like the BMW bike I sold, mileage isn't such a big deal. Maintainence is. Right now, I am looking at a 88 300E for less than $2k. Yes, it's 21 years old. Yes the seller has some receipts of service work. According to the ad, it also passed a mandatory smog test last year.

Here's the car.

http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/cto/1190737448.html\

I've been a mechanic since 1987. I got laid off and burned out of doing it for a living. I can fix stuff but I have no Mercedes experience (Asian car experience, BMW motorcycle experience, Volvo experience).

Is this a good car? Is the price too low? Any issues with this model?

Thanks for your help.

1stimer · #2 05-28-2009, 02:55 AM

I am not an expert, but I believe 2 big issues with that model are head gaskets and evaporators, with the latter being something like 20 hours of labor. Some members have done this repair themselves. I have never owned a 300E, but it sounds like with your experience the mercedes will be easy to work on. The ad is gone.....maybe sold already??? The most active part of this forum is with the diesels, and many prefer the W123, but the W124 body style you are looking at is very well respected regardless of the type of engine. I happen to own a W124 with the V8 engine....I have only owned it a short time, but so far I am very happy. I owned a W123 300D Turbodiesel for a few years, and am looking to get another diesel for my short commute. Many people will tell you that the most expensive mercedes is a cheap mercedes, but I think if you do your homework you can find a good one for not a whole lot of money. Use the search function on this site and read as much as you can.....when the right one comes along, you'll be ready. Good luck and welcome aboard.