New to Mercedes

[laurelleoz]

Thinking of buying a 1990's Mercedes. Which engine is best - 2.3 4 cylinder or 2.6 6 cylinder? What are their characteristics, reliability and performance, includingt miles per gallon? There seems to be a lot of 230's for sale but not many 260's. Is this because the 260 is better, a more desirable car, worth holding onto? Which model would have leather interior as standard? Would you have a list of members cars under £2,000 we could view please?

Thank you for your kind assistance, Nigel and Laurelle

 

[flagstaff]

since you mention 2.3 4-cyl and 2.6 6-cyl i'm assuming that you mean a W124-bodied E-class ... in which case, don't buy a 2.3 as it will be underpowered. the 2.6 would be a good compromise, but the engine of choice in this model would be either the 2.8 24V or the 3.0 diesel. reliability is second to none in either car, as long as you don't pick a 94-96 model year car that hasn't had its wiring loom seen to (the loom insulation was made from some sort of organic material that broke down and exposed the cores - a 2000 quid job to rectify). as for fuel economy, obviously the diesel would be better. expect low 20s from the petrol in town, mid-30s with a light foot on the longer roads. add 50% to each for diesel, at least. always get an auto - and, if you can, get a model that had plenty of extra equipment specified at time of order; leather didn't come as standard in *any* car, and the 'base' model with no extras could be pretty spartan. get one with leather, air con, electric heated and movable seats, electric headrests, front armrest, alloys, etc & etc. and don't forget the service history. also, have a good look at the headgasket on the petrol engines - any sign of bleeding oil from where the head meets the block and you should budget for major work - as this was a known weakness. wheelarch rust could be a problem. someone else will be able to add more, i'm sure.

 

[Geoff2]

I agree with comments above, the 260E was a superb car, I owned a 1988 model from new for a number of years. Plenty of performance, I think it was replaced by the 280E. In my 260, I towed a caravan, it was a superb tow car. If I were to look for one now, I would also consider the 300E, 6 cylinder smoothness. Best of luck