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Most Reliable Merc

7K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  HILander65 
#1 ·
What would you say the most reliable Mercedes ever made is and about how much you would spend a year on it.
 
#5 ·
The cheapest annual maintenance cost in family stable belongs to 1998 ML320.
The truck spend 13 years/130k miles in the family generating about $350 in necessary parts. Make it about $28 a year.
Firs service at stealer was $48 at the time.
But it takes luck to have that kind of reliability and now I rather drive 40 mpg E250 Bluetec than 15 mpg ML.
When you can compare couple hundreds in wear parts, don't forget those thousands spend on fuel.
 
#7 ·
I had a 98 w163 as well. It was solid. Great vehicle but quirky. I wish I still had the maintenance records for it to see specifically how much and what repairs were needed. But to the OP question, in order to answer your question you have to specify some criteria.
How new? Do you need all wheel drive due to weather conditions? Do you plan on DIY? If not, your location will determine some of the cost.
The w123 was and still is a great Mercedes. I am partial to the w126. I have to say that my 2009 E350 4matic has been great. Very dependable. Really had no issues with it.
 
#9 ·
Preventive maintenance is the key to reliability of any vehicle. I work at a wholesale auto auction and see cars of all makes in all states of repair. That includes Mercedes junk and pristine Kia. There is however a difference between Reliability and Durability. The Mercedes simply seem to last longer with fewer component failures and rust-through issues.

I have a 2008 W211 and a 1983 W123. Both are reliable and I would take either on a cross-country trip with little special preparation. My personal preference is the W123. It is much cruder than the W211 but is a joy to drive, perhaps because of the attention it gets whenever I stop and perhaps because of it's straightforward mechanical honesty. It does however require more fiddling, probably because of it's age and 356000 miles.
 
#10 ·
I have to join W123 gang. I had 1982 300D and used it daily in rural areas, rough roads, dust, bad diesel, etc. The damn thing was immortal, it had nine lives I swear. It would rattle all day long, rusted through, covered in mud and sh!t but it ran!
Another one was W124 260E - bought it with 180k miles and itr an another 120k without big issues.
Now I have W124 S500 and it is considered the best and the most reliable of all W140 - we shall see how that goes.....
 
#11 ·
When the 3l diesel in W123 was an "anvil" and I still see them as daily drivers in California, the engine was design "to leak oil" and I sold my lovely wagon simple becouse after fixing 20 small leaks, I still could not trace about 5 more engine had.
Than on my visits to junk yards, I found several W123 who look in good shape, but ended on JY. Closer look reveal that the car was "worked on" and they forget to reconnect actual oil pressure gauge back to the lane.
Diesel oil can do nasty things to the interior.
 
#14 ·
It's nice to see all the love for the W123 in the previous comments. I'm a W126 guy myself (the 300SD has been my main mode of transportation for the past 24 years), but at the same time, my all-time favorite is the W123 240D. You mentioned in a comment that you want airbags. My beloved bride totaled my "beloved" 1983 240D (no airbags), and walked away with a little seatbelt rash across her chest, and her shoulder bothered her for a couple weeks. Otherwise, she was fine. Car was destroyed. She hit a patch of ice on a bridge, took the bumper off of a Jeep, crossed the northbound lanes, hit the concrete wall (that's when the frame bent), came back across the northbound lanes, hit two more cars, went off the road, and rolled down the hill into a tree. Airbags are all fine and good, but having a car built out of steel is more important to me! At least she didn't have a broken nose to go along with that sore shoulder and seat belt rash. Not bad-mouthing airbags. They're good to have. W124 if you have to have them. Those were good cars too. My eldest step-daughter's third Mercedes was a 1987 300D. Couldn't kill the thing. She finally sold it at 390K miles, and it ran great. Then she bought a Hyundai, and I stopped talking to her (just kidding, lol!)
 
#15 ·
The many responses here pointing to the W123 are the correct answer. No, it has no airbags, nor any of the other [expensive to repair] fancy features. But I drove a 240D for 28 years, and only sold it because it still looked and ran like new with 297,000 miles on the original motor and clutch, and a collector wanted it. I learned to do brake jobs and even replaced a starter and adjusted valves because the car is made to be fast and simple to fix anything. I did have a ‘71 220D as my first car, and saw it years later doing great with 780,000 miles on it, but the W123 is modern in its road feel.
 
#16 ·
Oh, absolutely. That was the beauty of the 240D. The simplicity was the reason they lasted so long. All the 80's diesels were that way. I've driven 300SDs mostly; still have one as a daily driver that I paid a premium for a few months back with just 132K miles on it. I still have a 1980 240D with unknown miles (I suspect someone monkeyed with the odometer). So easy to work on, manual windows, manual seats, manual mirrors, the "poor man's Mercedes" when they were new. I just love them! I've driven W126 cars for 24+ years, and I don't care how old they are. I'm not out there to make an impression on strangers. I'm out there to drive a good car that you can maintain yourself, and NO CAR PAYMENTS! My 1983 240D had 374,500 miles on it when my former bride totalled it. Best car I've ever owned. She tore that poor old car all to hell, but the car gave its life to save hers. I'm thankful for that. Built with steel, not fiberglass and plastic. Oh, and the 220D. I had a chance years ago to buy a 1970 220D four-speed manual for $500. I've been kicking myself for years for not buying it! Cool old car!
 
#17 ·
I have owned many mfg. Of cars. The 1993 300E 3.2 (w124) I bought 5 years ago is by far my favorite, and with 185000 she is just getting broken in and has airbags. I bought her for 2k and one year later needed a transmission. That cost less than 2k. Other than that, my daily LA driver needs nothing but standard maintenance. If it ever dies or gets wrecked I will go buy another, or a W123. Highly recommend.
 
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