going to view a 300se on Saturday (what to look out for)

[sefton1275gt]

Hi,

I'm going to view this car on Saturday.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C88450/

The car will be my daily driver so reliability is top of my list.

any advice on what I should be looking for & looking out for would be a massive help.

I'm told the body & interior is A1.
It has a full service history (all MB but 1)
the car has only covered 3000 miles from 2002 (so could have been stood for long periods).
The car has no MOT but the owner will put one on once sold.

Thanks in advance
Craig.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Hi,

I'm going to view this car on Saturday.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C88450/

The car will be my daily driver so reliability is top of my list.

any advice on what I should be looking for & looking out for would be a massive help.

I'm told the body & interior is A1.
It has a full service history (all MB but 1)
the car has only covered 3000 miles from 2002 (so could have been stood for long periods).
The car has no MOT but the owner will put one on once sold.

Thanks in advance
Craig.

Hi Craig,

Looks lovely and I am sure others will give advice. Bearing in mind the age of the car and the fact it has little use recently, I would be keen to examine for failure of the seals around the front and rear windscreens and any evidence of water ingress. Readily corrected, but could have done damage.

Low mileage can also make a car feel a bit "lumpy" when you drive it at first - tyres have sat in the same position for a while, and suspension has got out of the habit of flexing and moving. Regular use will transform all that at no cost.

These cars were well made and are very robust. At this mileage it is a juvenile in terms of the use it has had, but others will advise on wiring looms, ball joints and other things that can fail in cars of the "124 generation".

We look forward to hearing your news. Good hunting.

 

[Sam.slc]

Hey Stefan

Hiya W126 are great cars, for Many the best S class ever made. I was lucky to travel around europe in one with a friend who loved them. The 300 engine was introduced much later and is a far better engine than the 280, which seemed to under power the car.
As Alex mentioned Seals are everything, Open the boot and look under the rear parcel shelf, if the rear window seal is bad then this area will tell you. Lift up the spare whell and have a good look the area should be completley dry and no indications of corrosion.
Have a look at all the wheel arches thankfully this one has not had the cursed chrome arches arrrgh...(sorry clam down) follow the Mileage in the book on servicing and who serviced it. Check all the Transmission postions, lights including instrument and operate every electrical switch, try the cruise control and Air con.

Check the Oil and look carefully at the engine the car is nearly 20 years old and will show a few signs of ageing. These cars do need to be driven regulary sitting around even in a garage can be very detremental.

When driving look at Temp gauges and listen for any unusal knocking from the engine the 300 is a great smooth engine. Revs etc should not be that high. Follow your heart as well if you think no then be prepared to walk away. Good luck

 

[simon_wall69]

Head gaskets can go on these. Check the parking brake as well as these can go. Also, brake heavily to check that the car pulls up in a straight line; check the atf fluid and changes.

Other than that, check all the electricals work.

Seems like a fair price, as others have said, these w126s are one of the best cars and you won't regret buying it.

 

[sefton1275gt]

Hi,

I viewed the 300 today!

the body is great, the seals look a1 & the boot area has no signs of rust. Under the arches are showing small signs of bubbling.
Everything worked & it drove great.

however I have a few questions:

1) I pressed down on all 4 corners of the car & the corners rose up & down a few times until it settled. does this mean the dampers are not working correctly? (I ask because I'm not sure how stiff these cars are supposed to be).
2) How much are tyres?

Thanks
Craig.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Hi,

I viewed the 300 today!

the body is great, the seals look a1 & the boot area has no signs of rust. Under the arches are showing small signs of bubbling.
Everything worked & it drove great.

however I have a few questions:

1) I pressed down on all 4 corners of the car & the corners rose up & down a few times until it settled. does this mean the dampers are not working correctly? (I ask because I'm not sure how stiff these cars are supposed to be).
2) How much are tyres?

Thanks
Craig.

Good to hear that it is generally fine. How did the damping feel when you were driving it? Bounce like that may well indicate soggy shockers - it is a heavy car. Worth inspecting them for evidence of leakage.

I don't know the tyre size off hand, but would suggest that you will be in the range £60 to £125 per corner, depending on the tyres chosen. You can benchmark them on line at www.blackcircles.co.uk or any of the national outlets. Most local tyre fitters will price match - some offer 4 for the price of 3 off their retail price.

 

[sefton1275gt]

on the test drive the car did feel a little wollowie However it could just be because I'm not used to a large luxury cruiser like this.

there was also a little slop in the steering & the back was a little lower than the front.

How much do you think a damper would cost? & is it someting I could fit myself (with basic tools)?

 

[The Crooner]

I would advise you to think very carefully before buying this car, or any car like it. I'm not being disrespectful, but you evidence a lack of understanding about basic mechanics which will mean either a very steep learning curve, or large bills.

Even though its a well built, top of the range Mercedes, at the age of the car, and given its complexity - but nowhere near as complex as a new one - you must expect to perform regular running maintenance and a structured programme of dealing with age related issues which will occur.

Its also for your daily driver, which implies a need for it to routinely start, go and stop.

In your position I would not be thinking of buying this car.

Hope this gives you food for thought.

Tony

 

[sefton1275gt]

Thanks for your advice Tony (No offence taken).

I've never owned or worked on a Mercedes before. I do have a 73 1275gt show car which I carry out all the maintenance myself. However I do appreciate there would be a huge difference in working on the two cars. I do have basic tools & feel confident I could perform basic services & some maintenance, For anything else I would have to use a specialist.

I'm trying to gauge how much the car would cost me to make as safe, reliable & put right these issues.

Thanks
Craig.

 

[brianbrian]

There's better cars out there, they are asking to much money. No alloy wheels no leather seats. 20mls to the gallon,the 126 is a good car, but the 124 diesel for every day use is better 35 to the gallon , more reliable, you can pick up a nice one £1500 to £2000

 

[Sam.slc]

Hey Stefan

Firstly it was good that you viewed the car if for no other reason, just the experience.
Great that you noticed the corners and the stance. The rear should no way be lower in fact when viewed from the side it should seem slightly higher. For the Money that you are wanting to spend you will get a great W126 but have you considered a (90's) W140 Coupe, (google them) this was the next generation S class after the W126. They are not as fashionable but were very over engineered great reliability. The cars are very cheap at the moment with great spec, ideal as daily drivers.
What would be beneficial is to visit a few Merc Classic dealers have a look at their cars, test drive them (no need to buy) and gauge what a nice car should be like.

Get yourself a copy of Mercedes Enthusiast Magazine as well, they are full of great reviwes of these classics and good classified section.

This is the ideal forum to ask all the questions you want nothing is trival. It is what we're all here for, bit of fun education and a laugh. Enjoy.

Sam

 

[simon_wall69]

on the test drive the car did feel a little wollowie However it could just be because I'm not used to a large luxury cruiser like this.

there was also a little slop in the steering & the back was a little lower than the front.

How much do you think a damper would cost? & is it someting I could fit myself (with basic tools)?

Sloppiness in the steering is to be expected to some degree, they are all like that.

The car should settle in one and half bounces and should be pretty much level.

I would ask the seller to fix the suspension and then buy it.

 

[sefton1275gt]

Thanks for the feed back guys.

As these cars had self leveling rear suspension what would be involved in replacing them with new units (I'm guessing it would be a bigger job than the front units)?

Whould new rear dampers solve the sagging rear end problem?

Hopefully some new steering bushes & an ajustment to the circular ball steering would take up a little slop in the steering.

could anyone advice the best place to buy parts & service parts from?

Also the nearest specialist to me is peter michaels in bolton. Has anyone used this place?

thanks in advance
Craig.

 

[television]

You do need to have the engine running to test both the steering play (25mm at the steering wheel,wheels straight ahead) and the same with the suspension it should rise and level out if you push the rear down

 

[sefton1275gt]

I noticed the play on the test drive probably 2-3cm each way before wheels turned.

The back end was also lower after the drive.

 

[sefton1275gt]

I'm due to go and have another look at the 300 tomorrow. however I have just noticed this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1988-MERCEDES...ms=66:2|65:7|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

I would prefer to buy private & the seller seems trustworthy. But this new one is half the price! think I'll go and view this one for a comparission!

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I'm due to go and have another look at the 300 tomorrow. however I have just noticed this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1988-MERCEDES...ms=66:2|65:7|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

I would prefer to buy private & the seller seems trustworthy. But this new one is half the price! think I'll go and view this one for a comparison!

Looks very nice. The velour upholstery looks good and was an extra on this model - more expensive than leather IIRC!

Good to lift the floor mats and boot mat to check for any ingress of water if the windscreen seals have perished, but it would be obvious and if bad, you would smell it.

We look forward to hearing more!

 

[sefton1275gt]

found this buyers guild!: http://www.s-klasse-club.de/gb/kaufberatung.html

 

[Alex M Grieve]

found this buyers guild!: http://www.s-klasse-club.de/gb/kaufberatung.html

Well that is a result. Hard to improve on the wealth of information there.

 

[Sam.slc]

Look carefully at the dings on the wing

Stefan take a good look at the dents on the wings and how they may have occurred.
If it is the front wings then you also need to check the steering very carefully, Does it drive in a straight line etc. I have heard of cases on Mercs where a scrape had damaged the steering system but only thing visible was small dent in the wing. There may be a reason for car being so cheap

Sam