Does anyone have one? Are they good? Or are they unreliable crap? I still see tons of them around, and I have heard mostly good stuff about them so I was just curious. I kinda want to get one to use for a daily driver so I dont have to drive my milano so much.
I don't have one, but they are well built -- probably one of the last "over-built" Mercedes that actually lived up to the marque's (now undeserved) reputation for reliability.
The downsides are they are difficult to find with a manual and it's really more of a luxury car than a sports sedan. Check parts prices. IIRC, they can be expensive and difficult to work on (but I'm far from an expert), something to consider now that they are older and will need more attention.
I imagine parts prices cant be any worse than my alfa, Im not sure about difficult to work on though. I havent spent alot of time looking at them. I see them under $2k all the time, I dont know how scary they are for that price though.
You mean like this?
One of my favorite style MB's.
Yep, thats the one. If I got another car and kept my milano, a luxury car would be fine. Those are supposed to handle pretty well from what i have heard anyway.
FWIW, I had a similar car, a 92 190 2.6 ltd ed. Probably the best car I've ever owned dollar for dollar. Mine was easy to work on, ran like a top. It ate a few window switches which were pricy as I remember. Sold it two years after I bought it for the same price.
Wow.....I likey too.
I had an 84 diesel that was slow and boring, but for cripes sake you couldn't kill it. My wife has a 99 E300 diesel now and its a very refined car, but the fragility rating has gone up a touch. Still better than her Toyota, but not like the 84.
I had a 1986 or 87 300e with a stick, smoke colour. Nice car, went well, comfy. With a $75 distributor cap, I pitched it to the curb when the head gasket puked. Probably have to mortgage the house or something for that fix.
Dan
You could get the 300E in stick? Whoa.
I thought only the 190E 2.3 Cosworth had the stick. Nifty. I wish you hadn't taught me that. I always loved those cars, just don't do automatics for any reason.
93celicaGT2 wrote: You could get the 300E in stick? Whoa.
Hard to find, I think it was only the first two or three years.
DO IT! Seriously, my dad had a 93 300E (by that time it had the 3.2 litre). He still hates himself for selling it, best car he has owned bar none (including an E30).
190e 2.3 and 2.6, and 300e all came with stick.
The 86-87 300E with stick was actualy a 260E in America. As for the 300D get a 86 stay away from the 87 as it has a trap oxidiser that is "troublesome" it comes apart after a few thousand heat cycles and destroyes the turbo housing and impellers. Might be covered under warranty to an original owner but I doubt it. The trany is the weakest part of the drive train.
Buy the way I was a Mercedes line tech when these cars were new and they are quite tough if maintained.
The 300e has the next generation of the I6 engine I have in my car. Not as interesting of an engine but better economy for sure. I drove one once while my car was in the shop, i'd describe it as pretty unremarkable. The thing to watch out for is electrical issues with some of the 90s model mercedes, but who knows how verifiable stories are. The good news is I've seen plenty of them in the junkyard. These cars pretty much signal the end of mercedes build quality, they don't compare to the older models as far as pure aesthetics but they are well built. I actually like the 190 models more because it is a smaller and more efficient car. I'd keep an eye out for a 2.3 16V with a manual. Most people who buy a mercedes aren't looking to shift gears so cars with a manual transmission are rare. But they sold more of these than any other model so you may have luck and the prices are way down. Good luck!
benzbaron wrote: I drove one once while my car was in the shop, i'd describe it as pretty unremarkable.
After daily driving a Milano, something 'unremarkable' might be a welcomed change 
I like the 2.3 16v, but there is no way i could afford to keep one running. Is the 190e 2.6 faster than the 300e? I imagine its the same or pretty close. Id kinda be afraid to get a manual one, becasue they are so rare you wouldnt ever find a replacement if the transmision broke. I did see a manual 300e for sale one time for $1k.
Note to self, Dont try to post coherently after drinking 4 Guiness 
Any way to continue my post, It wasnt the 260E it was a 280E. If I remember correctly the 124 chassis was one of the most torsionaly rigid 4 door chassis when it was first released. It would reward strong steering inputs with suprisingly good cornering ability. I have long considered getting one with a trashed engine to put an LS in witha T5 or similar. The stock trany on the 300E and 300D are the weak point in the drive train. There wer atleast 3 different valve body updates in the time I was working on them.
The 190E 2.3 16 Valve with a 5 speed was only .2 seconds faster 0-60 than a 190E 2.6. I dont remember on the 190E2.3 16Valve with the rare auto box.
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