Which Mercedes?

I used to work for a used Benz dealer, and my parents owned a pair of W126 diesels. They run forever. Even when you want them to die and just go away, they keep on running. They average 27mpg on the highway, 24ish around town. Avoid the 350SD as those tend to bend rods..

Diesel costs 10% more than 87 octane, but they get greater than 10% better mpg compared to the gas cars, so you would still save money.

Personally, I want a 190D with the 2.5 turbo and a 5 speed.

Brotus7 wrote: I used to work for a used Benz dealer, and my parents owned a pair of W126 diesels. They run forever. Even when you want them to die and just go away, they keep on running. They average 27mpg on the highway, 24ish around town. Avoid the 350SD as those tend to bend rods.. Diesel costs 10% more than 87 octane, but they get greater than 10% better mpg compared to the gas cars, so you would still save money. Personally, I want a 190D with the 2.5 turbo and a 5 speed.

I hear ya on the 190 turbodiesel w/5sp. That's a sweet little car. And yes, diesel is more expensive, but you don't have to use diesel. Veggie oil works just fine. If there was another 1973-type fuel shortage situation, I still should be able to at least get back and forth from work without having to sit in mile-long fuel station lines.

Here's a pic of my W124 w/6 cylinder turbodiesel shortly after I bought it. I have different wheels and headlights now (never liked the originals) but I don't have pics of the updates, yet.

I run veggie oil in mine. It's great. I got 2700 miles out of my last full tank of diesel.

Where's the updated pics Carzan?

ccrelan wrote: Where's the updated pics Carzan?

It will be a few weeks before I can post pictures of the finished product. Progress has been slowed due to a tough winter and a family pet that blessed us with a massive vet bill. Luckily, I had most everything before the disaster.

As stated earlier, I never liked the original headlights. They are not only ugly to me, but they are also weak. The aftermarket headlights available for the early W124s don't look different enough to be worth it, to me. So, the only option is to go to the '94-'95 style which means changing the hood. Luckily, it's a straight-forward bolt-in swap, so now it's just a matter of finishing it up.

Wheels...17" to replace the original 15":

I'll post more when it's done.

Maybe I have different but my experience with a W124 was a journey to hell.

93EXCivic wrote: Maybe I have different but my experience with a W124 was a journey to hell.

... says the one sporting an avatar containing a British car

I'd be interested in hearing your experiences and imagine the OP would, too. My experience is that they are very well-built and reasonably easy to service. There are some known issues like those I mentioned in a previous post, but like most cars these days, there is support through forums etc. that can talk you through darn near anything.

One issue that is not exclusive to W124s (proving newer isn't always better since it doesn't affect older W124s) is the cars built between '92 and '96 had biodegradable insulation on their wiring. Once the insulation starts to fall off, all kinds of weird stuff starts to happen. Basically, the entire wiring harness has to be replaced on these cars.

More info click here.

Interesting read, I'll be reading it more since mine is a 1992. I found this interesting
"If it wasn't his idea to put eco-wiring under the hood of every Mercedes, at least he should have known about it as a professional electrical engineer in the employ of Mercedes-Benz. "
Yet again, another story where it proves engineers are often the most intelligent folks with the least amount of common sense.
This comment isn't directed any anyone here since I've not worked with any of the engineers on this board, I'm only commenting on the ones I've worked with.

That's interesting. I had heard about that on the v12 ones, but I didn't know they all did it. I guess that answers the question of whether the w140 is worth looking at.

I think my experience was more due to bad maintenance. The damn thing felt like it was about to fall apart all the time. The A/C didn't work. Two of the windows didn't roll down. There was a good amount of rust. Also the oil pans hang low so watch out.

93EXCivic wrote: I think my experience was more due to bad maintenance. The damn thing felt like it was about to fall apart all the time. The A/C didn't work. Two of the windows didn't roll down. There was a good amount of rust. Also the oil pans hang low so watch out.

Yeah, sounds like a poorly maintained car bearing in mind that the newest W124s are 15 years old now.

I would stay away from the W140s.

The W124s come in many flavors with several choices in engines both gas and diesel. They were also available in AWD.

Sedan:

Wagon:

Wagon Hoonage :

Coupe:

I also understand there was a convertible, but I've never seen one.

Then there's always someone who feels the need to get a little crazy:

Not my style, but to each his own.

If it's not already apparent, I've become quite a fan of the W124s and would recommend it to anyone considering an older Benz provided they are capable of doing their own repair work/maintenance and avoid models with known issues (like the aforementioned wiring).

.

carzan wrote: I also understand there was a convertible, but I've never seen one. .

I've seen a half dozen of them. They all seem to have those chrome wheels.

The stock wheel choices for this car were really bland or ugly (or both).

My Uncle had a 300D, I think it was a 1987. I remember he had to have the turbo and cat replaced on a regular basis. Something about the exhaust housing being ceramic and when it would break up the pieces would clog the cat. When it would get slow he would take it to the dealership and they would replace it for free, MB warrantied the cars for life for this problem. His car was finally taken off the road when he was rear ended by a guy at stoplight that was going 45mph. No skid marks at all, the trunk was crushed up to the back window and the glass didn't even break. The rear doors even worked!

My dad had a 1989 300SEL and I don't remember it being slow. I do remember that at wide open throttle the trans would shift about 200rpm over redline. It seemed to get good mileage too.

i have nothing to add

bluesideup wrote: My Uncle had a 300D, I think it was a 1987. I remember he had to have the turbo and cat replaced on a regular basis. Something about the exhaust housing being ceramic and when it would break up the pieces would clog the cat. When it would get slow he would take it to the dealership and they would replace it for free, MB warrantied the cars for life for this problem. His car was finally taken off the road when he was rear ended by a guy at stoplight that was going 45mph. No skid marks at all, the trunk was crushed up to the back window and the glass didn't even break. The rear doors even worked!

Back then, those were the safest and most over-engineered cars on the road.

if I wanted I could get a 380sec for almost nothing (less than $300), it has probably been sitting way too long to be worth it though, although I don't think anything in particular was wrong with it to cause it to be parked. It does have a nice momo steering wheel and lorinser wheels on it though.

bluesideup wrote: My Uncle had a 300D, I think it was a 1987. I remember he had to have the turbo and cat replaced on a regular basis. Something about the exhaust housing being ceramic and when it would break up the pieces would clog the cat. When it would get slow he would take it to the dealership and they would replace it for free, MB warrantied the cars for life for this problem. His car was finally taken off the road when he was rear ended by a guy at stoplight that was going 45mph. No skid marks at all, the trunk was crushed up to the back window and the glass didn't even break. The rear doors even worked! My dad had a 1989 300SEL and I don't remember it being slow. I do remember that at wide open throttle the trans would shift about 200rpm over redline. It seemed to get good mileage too.

Mine is an '87 300D. The issue you are talking about involves a device called a "trap oxidizer". It serves. sort of, the same purpose as a catalytic converter, but it's not a catalytic converter (my understanding, anyway). Yes, there was a recall and they would be replaced along with the turbo that it would trash when it failed. The latest recall involved replacement of the entire manifold and installing a true cat downline from the turbo. That's what mine has in it now.

The thing that scares me about the diesel w124s is the cost of engine parts. With a gas one, it would be like opps, there is a big hole in the side of the block, well that sucks, which of the 10 $200 engines in the junkyard 5 minutes from my house should i buy to replace it. With a diesel one, it would probably mean months of searching for a $2k parts car, or $5k for a used one at a dismantler. Unless I really hate them after driving one I am probably going to get a w126 sedan of some type, probably a om617 diesel or 6 cylinder gas one..

Travis_K wrote: The thing that scares me about the diesel w124s is the cost of engine parts. With a gas one, it would be like opps, there is a big hole in the side of the block, well that sucks, which of the 10 $200 engines in the junkyard 5 minutes from my house should i buy to replace it. With a diesel one, it would probably mean months of searching for a $2k parts car, or $5k for a used one at a dismantler. Unless I really hate them after driving one I am probably going to get a w126 sedan of some type, probably a om617 diesel or 6 cylinder gas one..

LOL You are right, you aren't likely to find a lot of cheap, serviceable OM602/603 diesel engines laying around in junkyards, but they aren't that bad. The forums I frequent often have affordable parts and I've found several entire rusty cars for $500 or less. It's just a matter of what you are looking for. The W126 is a nice car. The OM617 is a great engine. I prefer the extra refinement and power of the W124 with the OM603 six. If you can find a decent example of a W126 and are happy with the way it drives, I say go for it.

What year is the SEC? If it has the updated m116 with double roller time chain it might be a decent car. The 380 is an all alloy V8, mercedes first large scale use of alloy engine block. It should also give you decent gas mileage for a V8 sedan. Might not be fast though.

I'm sure this applies to all of the MB line, but the LSD in my W124 is amazing. I've owned quite a few cars with limited-slips but this one just works great!
I have a question for those in the know. I noticed on my diff housing there is a brake bleeder screw on the housing, above each output but there are no hydraulic lines going to it. What are those bleeders for?

I'm not sure what year the sec is, you saw it when you came to my house to buy the seats though. I think it may be a bit too far gone to be worth it, but I havent really looked at it. It has probably been 3-4 years since it has been started.

So I am planning to go look at a 87 w124 300D, and a 1982 w126 300SD this weekend if one of the 3 people interested buys my milano. Are there any specific things I should be looking for? The w124 is rather high mileage, but has a replaced vaccum pump and turbo. The w126 I couldnt really figure out much from talking to the owner, but they seem simple enough that it should be hard to tell in person whether its in good enough shape or not.

I also saw a nice 350SDL, but all of those have the engine that should be avoided right?

I didnt have any luck yet finding a 300SE, they seem alot more rare and expensive that the other w126 cars.

For the W124, ask the owner if it has the #14 casting head. If so, skip it and go on to the W126. The #14 head isn't a "sure-failure" item as there are plenty with 300K+ miles on them, but it is a gamble.

The 350SDL is prone to engine failure (usually just starts to use a lot of oil) if it is an early 3.5 with the original style rods. If it has been retrofitted with the newer style rods or the car has had a 3.0 installed with a later casting head, the engine should be fine. But, I personally would steer clear just from the standpoint of complexity.

How do you tell on the head? I get the feeling from the add that the owner doesn't know much about it.