Winfred-Bill R./Anyone who knows Mercedes:

[E34 530]

Well I've been trolling around on the internet trying to find a cheap beater e30 or something along those lines to get me back and forth to school when I came across a 1968 Mercedes 230 with a manual trans.

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/217886761.html

What say you??

[632 Regal]

For parts or restoration. idonno man, better off getting a honda or a yugo. maybe even a used E34? it looks like a great restoratiion project tho

[E34 530]

For parts or restoration. idonno man, better off getting a honda or a yugo. maybe even a used E34? it looks like a great restoratiion project tho

yeah man. You're probably right, but the car looks so sweet. I only need it to get me to school about 60 miles away about once a month, so it's so tempting. Looks almost like a Bel-Air. btw, good luck with the e31. Looks great.

[winfred]

unless you wanted a long term project avoid it, nothing will ever be instock for it anywhere and they are so old used parts would be almost impossible, 110s are neat looking and old enough to be simple but it's not going to be a daily driver, maybe not even a weekend driver for a while depending on what caused them to park it long enough for the tires to go flat

[E34 530]

unless you wanted a long term project avoid it, nothing will ever be instock for it anywhere and they are so old used parts would be almost impossible, 110s are neat looking and old enough to be simple but it's not going to be a daily driver, maybe not even a weekend driver for a while depending on what caused them to park it long enough for the tires to go flat

damnit. Are there any good benzes that are somewhat reliable that could be had for relatively cheap. I heard the 190e's are pretty realiable, but what do you think.

[E34 530]

what about this 280.

http://www.autoshopperonline.com/viewfull.asp?ID=1591042&FromSearch=Yes

[winfred]

id buy the 110 for a daily driver before i would take a 201 for free, whoever said a 190e was anything but a buzzy little piece of trash was telling tails, if you really want a beater benz get a 77-85 123 body diesel 240/300d they are the least likely to **** on you, but avoid the 77-80 300 with it's very expensive and horible climate control system unless you want to spend around $650 (well over a grand at the dealer, close to 2) every couple years to get the vents working when the servo shits again, 81 and up turbos are actually not too bad, 240s are a rolling road block but trudge along till around 300k then just won't start till you rebuild the engine (which exceeds the value of the car by a factor of two or more) 300s crap at around the same time but are not as pricy to build (still a grand or two to do right, just not much machine work for someone to **** up) as they are sleaved blocks, 240s and non turbo 300s will suck oil at modern highway speeds but this is fairly normal


damnit. Are there any good benzes that are somewhat reliable that could be had for relatively cheap. I heard the 190e's are pretty realiable, but what do you think.

[winfred]

115/114 bodys are rust magnets but can be fairly simple, same boat as the 110 on parts avalability though, if it has a sohc motor it may be ok (just thirsty and maybe bitchy depending on what carb it has), the dohc motor is a boat anchor of the finest quality and probably the only benz motor that consumes valve train parts faster then a 190e


what about this 280.

http://www.autoshopperonline.com/viewfull.asp?ID=1591042&FromSearch=Yes

[E34 530]

so basically continue the search for an e30, e28, etc. As always, thanks for your help man.

[Mr._Graybeard]

Want a cheap, dependable Mercedes? Get a diesel from the early to mid '80s. No ignition. Easy to work on. Incredibly durable The only problem: they can run on vegetable oil, so a lot of cheapskates have been bidding them up lately. I've put 120,000 miles on W123 chassis Mercedes diesels (1982 model year) in the last six years.

The 240D's are the simplest -- many have manual climate controls and stick shift. But the engines are dogs, almost dangerous on the freeway.

The 3-liter turbo diesel is better, but you've got to live with Merc's dodgy old automatic transmission -- they're robust but finicky. Many drivers manipulate the throttle to reduce shift harshness, flaring, etc. You learn to live with the occasional clunk and jerk.

The only other Mercedes you might find worthwhile as a beater is the W124 300E gasser from the late '80s. Some of them have accumulated enough miles that they might go cheap. Their primary failure points are the A/C evaporator (no big deal for a winter car) and in early '90s models, a wiring harness with biodegradable insulation that is biodegrading *a little early* for some folks.

The W124 (1987 and later) would deliver a driving experience a little closer to that of a BMW than the W123. But the W123 is the cult car (sorta), largely because of the diesel engines.

[E34 530]

Want a cheap, dependable Mercedes? Get a diesel from the early to mid '80s. No ignition. Easy to work on. Incredibly durable The only problem: they can run on vegetable oil, so a lot of cheapskates have been bidding them up lately. I've put 120,000 miles on W123 chassis Mercedes diesels (1982 model year) in the last six years.

The 240D's are the simplest -- many have manual climate controls and stick shift. But the engines are dogs, almost dangerous on the freeway.

The 3-liter turbo diesel is better, but you've got to live with Merc's dodgy old automatic transmission -- they're robust but finicky. Many drivers manipulate the throttle to reduce shift harshness, flaring, etc. You learn to live with the occasional clunk and jerk.

The only other Mercedes you might find worthwhile as a beater is the W124 300E gasser from the late '80s. Some of them have accumulated enough miles that they might go cheap. Their primary failure points are the A/C evaporator (no big deal for a winter car) and in early '90s models, a wiring harness with biodegradable insulation that is biodegrading *a little early* for some folks.

The W124 (1987 and later) would deliver a driving experience a little closer to that of a BMW than the W123. But the W123 is the cult car (sorta), largely because of the diesel engines.

thanks man. To be honest with you, I wouldn't even give a **** if the ac/heat went out on the car if that's its main weak point. I barley use heat, let alone AC.

[Mr._Graybeard]

Here's a wikipedia link that describes the engine used most widely in the early Mercedes W124 chassis, the M103: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M103_engine
I forgot to mention that some complainants have had oil leaks at the head gasket -- but I wonder if that isn't common to a lot of engines with early iron block/aluminum head combinations, like the BMW M130. As long as they're running right, a couple oil spots on the driveway is the cost of ownership.

Here's the wikipedia link that describes the most popular diesel engine in the W123 chassis, the OM617.952 (check the torque): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM617_engine#OM617.952
A big part of this engine's longevity is the iron head, IMO. It's old technology, but perhaps the height of that obsolete design.

BTW, I saw your post asking for info on the 280. The M110 was a wear-prone engine, often with carburetor issues. And ignition! this was a troubled time for a lot of marques, with goofy hybrid ignition systems that didn't wear well.

And even when they're running right, these little cars are thirsty! You'll never see 20 mpg in a Mercedes gasser of that era. More like 17 on the highway.

[E34 530]

Here's a wikipedia link that describes the engine used most widely in the early Mercedes W124 chassis, the M103: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M103_engine
I forgot to mention that some complainants have had oil leaks at the head gasket -- but I wonder if that isn't common to a lot of engines with early iron block/aluminum head combinations, like the BMW M130. As long as they're running right, a couple oil spots on the driveway is the cost of ownership.

Here's the wikipedia link that describes the most popular diesel engine in the W123 chassis, the OM617.952 (check the torque): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_OM617_engine#OM617.952
A big part of this engine's longevity is the iron head, IMO. It's old technology, but perhaps the height of that obsolete design.

BTW, I saw your post asking for info on the 280. The M110 was a wear-prone engine, often with carburetor issues. And ignition! this was a troubled time for a lot of marques, with goofy hybrid ignition systems that didn't wear well.

And even when they're running right, these little cars are thirsty! You'll never see 20 mpg in a Mercedes gasser of that era. More like 17 on the highway.

interesting articles. I think I'm going to stick with BMW at least until I'm out of college so Ican afford to operate more maintenance-intensive vehicles. The only Mercedes I would every buy no matter what kind of maintenance it required in a heartbeat would be the 560 sec. One of my favorite cars ever.

[Mr._Graybeard]

I'm with you on the 560sec. If I ever manage to empty out the garage a bit I'd like one myself.

One thing about the beater BMWs, specifically the E30s: I'd set aside a few bucks for snow tires if you fine an old 3er you like. Ask a guy who smashed one up after an early, unexpected snow. Throttle lift can put you into the ditch, even when you're traveling in a straight line.