So the lady of the house just inherited a MB 300D. It was her father's so lots of sentimental value. However, not sure if the car will be a burden. We want to balance sentimental value with having a car we can actually use. Drove it for maybe 100 miles. Acceleration takes forever (common on this model) Almost 300k miles on the odometer. Automatic transmission shifts rough. Tachometer not working. AC is not working. Power seats not working. Cant unlock the car from the driver's side. Suspension is probably shot. Very basic spray paint job. Some rust and duct tape on the trunk holding something mysterious together. On the plus side, most of the other electronics work, the interior is in amazing condition with zero cracking on the dash, seats, etc. And it's a very cool car. I think that if I can get the power door locks and the power seats working (and maybe a good paint job) , this car can be good enough for the occasional commute, and quite a looker. My concern is what problems may lie hidden in the future.
They're built like a tank and every part for them is still available (at a price). Don't fix the AC, replace it with an after market system. Mercedes air-con from that era was terrible anyway. The door locks were a problem ... and I'm trying to remember why ... we're they vacuum actuators? The diaphragms in the actuator fails. If it opens from the other door and just not from one, it's probably the actuator on that one door. Turn the key in the lock that works and watch the locks pop up .... I'll bet a beer that the driver's one is slower than the rest.
I find old cars an endless money and time wasting pit.At 300k how long will the transmission last? We all like old and sentimental things here but a watch and a car are two different animals.
Gotta say ... it’s not that special. Just cause it’s a merc doesn’t mean it’s worth the endless repairs.
Change the transmission fluid and see if it helps at all. Probably best to start familiarizing yourself with MB forums, and begin the hunt for a used/ rebuild transmission. And find a local indy shop that specializes in older Mercedes -- that will give you the best bang-for-the-buck. I agree with Larry. It's just not a great car to keep running, insured, registered, etc. in the name of sentimentality.
Interesting! W124 model line, some say the last „build by hand“ Mercedes Benz. Great car when they are trouble free and well maintained. My grandfather had one of those, not the 300d though but the 230e. Spare parts are plenty, at least in Germany, not sure if the same is true for the US. New parts are still available from MB but expensive. If you can wrench your self I‘d keep it. Future classic. If you intend to keep it, have someone check the wiring harness. Those tend to fail after 20-30 years, especially in the trunk lid as parts of the rear lights are integrated into it. I just recently talked to my mechanic as I‘m also looking into buying a w124. A new wiring harness plus install is around 3k€. Rust is also partially a problem, the door sills tend to rust and around the gas filling lit is a well known problem, but can be easily taken care off. (Also not cheap if done right). Cheers, Max Edit: just an FYI : good maintained (by enthusiasts) 6 cylinder w124‘s trade for upwards of 7k € in Germany. Repair costs can easily outreach the value. Have to agree with the others, old cars can be a money pit.
Read the headline & thought ooh vintage car , wonder if it's pre 1930s. I must be older than I think I am, I remember these new in the showrooms
Some people want these but they tend to wrench themselves on them. If the paint, body and I assume the indestructible mb Tex interior is good I might have a buyer as is.
I agree with @BlackTalon and @Larry S - it will be a hassle to own it with all those small issues. I do have w201 Avantgarde Rosso which i like but sometimes it is a pain to own
I think people gravitate towards the cars they grew up with. For myself, these MBs were the cars that I was ogling at while I sold cigarettes and candy at the street intersection while growing up (a bit of an exaggeration). More seriously, I still have vivid dreams of my father's 1970s TE37 Levin (sold in the 80's) (car above could have been it's twin)
Love vintage cars. Yours has possibilities. If you determine to adopt it permanently please let us know how the rehab is coming along. Must remember though ...
There is mine as she sits this moment in all her unwashed glory! And that’s a few nights ago. For reference, I am twenty-seven. I am, however, an unrepetenant car guy. It makes a small amount of objective sense but also a lot of objective nonsense for me to own this. I load it up with kids in every seat, and today it was taking a dog to the vet in addition. It’s an E320, and it had all the important and expensive stuff - harness, transmission, top-end rebuild - about 20,000 miles before I got it. It’s been a litany of small issues, none of which have been notably hard to deal with or expensive...I just have marginal income levels and so they’ve been very disproportionate. It’s not hand-built, that’s not remotely true. The W123 wasn’t either, it’s all a myth, Mercedes ha been heavily automated for a long time and you have to go back to maybe even the late sixties, early seventies for the S-class equivalents... What the W124 represents is the last of old-school design, where they were built to a quality not built to a price, and everything afterwards represents an accountant-run company trying to duke it out with the Lexus coup. But every bit of it shows an attention to detail, and they drive...not ~well~ because they ain’t sports cars but they drive with an abundance of confidence. a So they’re durable as shit. And they are complicated, make no mistake, but it’s all normal can-be-worked-on stuff just it takes more work and time to get to it. So if you hire a mechanic for everything, (aside from a few particular things) you’re making a mistake, but if you have some basic skills and the daring to take on the challenge. I think they’re worth it. I love the dang thing. That said, if you’re a member of this forum and you’re not ~me~ you can probably afford to run it twice around the moon. EDIT: For addition: The transmission is naturally not exactly smooth. Pretty firm, assertive shifts. It could not be a problem, could be operating as intended. Mine also has a similar driver’s-side lock issue. It could be just a worn-out lock instead of the power system.
@Mark D. Stroyer I was thinking the same thing about the transmission. They are not as smooth as what we expect now. Also agree about the hand built comments.
if you can wrench it yourself, old cars can be a lot of fun. If you have to pay someone else for your wrenching you'd best have deep pockets
