I won a 1988 300 SEL at a golf tourney. The car seems to be in great shape. The former owner is a obsessive about upkeeping everything he owns. But, he is in his 80's and wanted to start getting rid of things.
The car as 50,000 miles but has not been driven very much in recent years. It rides like a dream.
My question what should I be aware of mechanically with this model. What are the parts that seem to be more deficient than others, and how much should I budget for those items.
What should I do from a preventive maintenance standpoint. i.e rubber and seals. and how much would that cost.
Or should I just sell it and let other people worry about it.
The '88 300SEL was my very first car/mercedes... so I like them
Congrats on winning the car, and a low mileage one that seems to be taken care of
The car you will find to be easy to work on, lots of room in the engine bay and the engine is shared with the 190E (2.6's) and the W124 chassis (300E's and 300E 2.6) so parts for the engine are not difficult to get.
Due to age (20 years), you may have to look into suspension pieces.. and all the rubber bits. Ball joints, track rod guides, etc... and I'd also replace the vaccuum lines in the engine bay for just insurance purposes so you don't have any funny things happen. You can either purchase these online via a site like azautohaus.com or through one of our senior members who owns a shop and contributed to this forum... like jonathan @ blueridge MB.
The car maybe a bit "slow" due to its weight... but does well on the highway were it shines. It revs higher at highway speed... so don't worry about it reaching the 4k mark when going around 75-80mph.
If you like the car, I'd keep it and maintain it. However, if you see yourself neglecting it by not maintaining it and using it as a "beater".. I'd sell it as there are less and less low mileage cream-puffs out there.
__________________ 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL soon to be Euro-spec clone AMG (summer of '09) 1991 Mercedes-Benz 190E AMG (Factory-installed AMG kit, wheels, suspension, steering wheel, accessory trim, exhaust... + Brabus headers)
Vehicle: 1985 500SEC, 1991 190E 2.6, bought 07/08 with 50k original miles.
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 10,522
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pittst90
Newbie to the board.
I won a 1988 300 SEL at a golf tourney. The car seems to be in great shape. The former owner is a obsessive about upkeeping everything he owns. But, he is in his 80's and wanted to start getting rid of things.
The car as 50,000 miles but has not been driven very much in recent years. It rides like a dream.
My question what should I be aware of mechanically with this model. What are the parts that seem to be more deficient than others, and how much should I budget for those items.
What should I do from a preventive maintenance standpoint. i.e rubber and seals. and how much would that cost.
Or should I just sell it and let other people worry about it.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Welcome to the forum. To take advantage of all the forum features, please make sure to read the 'Welcome to the Forum' tutorial sticky on top of the W126 page.
It will show how to search the forum etc.
The archive and the DIY stickies have a wealth of information.
Please click 'User CP' on the top tool bar, and complete your profile with a location and model of your car.
It makes it easier for members to offer advice. MB produced different, and region / Country specific versions of our cars.
Cheers
Nice win.
Distributor cap, rotor, spark wires, non resistor sparkplugs, fluids, hoses... You know, just about what every other car needs to keep it in excellent running condition.
A nice 50k mile example should keep you running for quiet some time if you care for it properly. If the owner was obsessive then I don't think you'll have a problem with the thing. Just make sure you care for it yourself.
If you want to sell it I'm sure somebody around here or where you live would like to pick up a nice 50k car.
good luck and enjoy it.
__________________
1961 Chevy Impala Bubbletop (restored) - SOLD
1981 Nissan 280ZX
1987 Mercedes 300TD
2000 Mercedes E320 The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but the wise so full of doubts.
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