Reliable 260E

[R W]

I have owned a 1988 260E here in Russia for about 2yrs now. Appart from a noisy diff the car has been 100% reliable & dependable. I like the old 260E so much I was thinking about buying an E Class in UK for when I am at home on vacations. I was thinking about a E300td as I like diesels & maybe a 99 or 2000 model.
After reading through many letters in this forum recently about rust & auto box problems I am begining to have second thoughts about buying a MB. MB seem to have lost there reputation for building quality/reliable cars like the 124series seem to be.Are they any better/reliable now than the average Ford or V/hall.
I understand there will be many thousands of very happy MB owners that we dont hear about, & its maybe the bad percentage of cars that we do hear about. But MB seem to have more than its share of unhappy owners.
A friend of mine works for a Jag dealer & they are getting many people that have owned MB for years, now looking at alternative cars.
I took a test drive in the XJ with the new diesel in it & it is astonishing how the diesel engines have developed in the past few years.The car is very quiet,refined & the performance is excilent with 35mpg.( Pity I cant afford one)
Regards
RW

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

If your looking at 99-00 cars its worth considering the E220 and 320CDi's. The engines are in another dimension to the earlier diesels and give more petrol type reponse.

I've owned my E320CDi fo 14 mths now and it has been trouble free. I'd certainly have another and the performance and economy for such a big car are outstanding.

I would advise taking your time choosing the right car for you, good spec cars do move off the forecourt quicker than base but for not much more money.

If you do a search on the forum for rust, and are prepared to check this out when buying you will not be diappointed.

Good Luck!

 

[tom7035]

I have owned a 1988 260E here in Russia for about 2yrs now. Appart from a noisy diff the car has been 100% reliable & dependable. I like the old 260E so much I was thinking about buying an E Class in UK for when I am at home on vacations. I was thinking about a E300td as I like diesels & maybe a 99 or 2000 model.
After reading through many letters in this forum recently about rust & auto box problems I am begining to have second thoughts about buying a MB. MB seem to have lost there reputation for building quality/reliable cars like the 124series seem to be.Are they any better/reliable now than the average Ford or V/hall.
I understand there will be many thousands of very happy MB owners that we dont hear about, & its maybe the bad percentage of cars that we do hear about. But MB seem to have more than its share of unhappy owners.
A friend of mine works for a Jag dealer & they are getting many people that have owned MB for years, now looking at alternative cars.
I took a test drive in the XJ with the new diesel in it & it is astonishing how the diesel engines have developed in the past few years.The car is very quiet,refined & the performance is excilent with 35mpg.( Pity I cant afford one)
Regards
RW

It stands to reason that you'll hear all the problems on this forum, after all it's what it's for.
However I do honestly think MB is nowadays nothing more than the the average overpriced prestige model like any other marque's 'prestige' model. The electronics seem to me to be the main bugbear, no-one seems to be able to keep up. You can't see it, feel it or hear it (electronics) to be able to diagnose a fault without huge expense having to go back to a dealership techy who is one of those unable to keep up! Vicious circle! Worse still IMO is the continuing policy of 'sealing' this, that and the next thing so an owner can't even choose to keep it in good order himself. Someone recently mentioned 'soon have sealed-for-life' engines' - are we not just about there? - no dipstick, drain plug .............
Looking forward to a few years yet with the faithful old W124!
Cheers, Tom.

 

[R W]

Thanks for your advice. I am not in a hurry to purchase a car in UK so I can take my time & find the right car. I will have a look into the E320 & E220.
Or maybe I should look for a good 124series that dont seem to have any problems.
As fare as the rust is concerned maybe if buying a car 6yrs old the rust may have been dealt with before & reading the forum once it is dealt with by MB it doesnt seem to come back. I can understand MB having occasional gremlins in the electronics as many new models of cars have similar problems.But the rust isnt something I would expect from a MB. They have been making good cars long enough to avoid the rust problems.
Modern technology seems to be making cars more complicated than they need to be & therefore there is more to go wrong.However I do welcome the technology put into modern diesels as they have been transformed in the past few years to almost petrol performance & refinement.
I would just like to mention I can fill the old 260 up with petrol here ( In Russia)for about 15pounds, filling my car in Uk is the best part of 60pounds.
Thanks again
R W

 

[cubicincubi]

I would look at a facelift W124.