We went down to the dealer to look at the 420SEL and 280E. A little
about the dealer. He buys auction cars, rebuilds and then re-sells them.
MBz's seem to be his specialty and from what I could see, he seems to
know what he's doing.

The interior and drive train of the 420SEL look and sound like they are
in pretty good shape, but the exterior is trashed. This would probably
be a good project car for someone who was willing to put in the time,
effort and money needed to restore the exterior, but I'm not that guy.
Not to mention that it is far to big for what we needed. Still ...

The 280E was donated for charity and he bought it at auction. He said
when he got it the rear end was shot and the front brakes needed to be
completely replaced. He installed the rear end from an '85 300 Turbo
Diesel that has a lower gear ratio. He claims the car runs smoother,
particularly at highway speeds. The replacement front brakes came off
another 300.

It was obvious the 280E hadn't been waxed or detailed, but the silver
paint was in very good condition, with little oxidation. The interior is
black cloth and except for a tear/hole where the driver gets in and out,
was also in good condition. We didn't test drive it, but we did start
the engine and let it warm up. There was some lifter noise, especially
when it first started that got less as the engine warmed up, but it
never completely went away. I didn't see any smoke from the tailpipe,
even when it was first started and it seemed to run pretty smoothly. I
haven't checked the fluids yet. This car was originally sold in Europe,
it has a dash mounted key switch and the thin Euro bumpers. All in all,
the car looked damn good for being 24 years old. And yes, it still has
the MBz hood ornament.

I did see something that raised a flag, but I don't know how serious it
is. It was obvious the car had been in the same spot for at least a week
or 2, so I checked the ground for fluid leaks. I didn't see any, but I
did notice that the engine had a thin coat of oil that got heavier
towards the bottom end. He said it was probably the valve cover gaskets
leaking and that would certainly be plausible. There's no oil on the
valve covers themselves, but it starts right below them.

I'm planning to go back tomorrow evening for a test drive.

How can I put this mildly? Um, "are you out of your f.cking mind?"

420's have a better than average history of cam tower failures and
you's almsot certainlyhave great difficuly regsistering a salvage
title car. that's a parts car, dude. the 420 in this case describes
what they were smoking when they designed the left cam tower librication
system.

I've had great luck with $1850 cars. I'd take the 90 300E to
somebody that knows the car, I mean works on them every day,
ie, there's some in the parking lot,  not "yeah I can do that"
and ask him what it needs. It'll need "stuff"
find out what then make a judgement call from there.

Offhand: brake hoses, belts, rad hoses, maybe shocks and
tires, pads, maybe rotors, standard 16 year old car stuff.

Then next year you can do the suspension bushings, radio,
interior etc etc.

"Average condition" means "running parts car".

The 124 chassis in the 300E is the best one of the lot there. The
126 420 would be better for highway driving (but I'd get a diesel,
those vergassers are pretty thirsty)

<snip>

<snip>

Personally, I am no MB expert either.

I do own a 1986 190e that I bought with 110K miles on it ($2700 US).

It has performed flawlessly for me, and is a very sold and comfortable
car for what it is.  It would be perfect for the use you describe (ie
short trips).

I replaced the tires, replaced the serpentine belt tensioner and some
of the front of engine accessories (water pump+), and had the front end
looked over by a pro.  Total cost for all of the previously mentioned
items about $1000.

I personally grew up in a used car family, my father owned a used car
lot for over 40 years.  He NEVER bought a single car at auction.  Every
car was a new car trade in. Auction cars are a crap shoot at best.  
Buying from a dealer who specializes in them is an act of faith.

Personally I recommend finding a private owner that obviously cared
about the vehicle for sale and has some service records to prove it.  
This way you get a sense for how the car was maintained, and if you're
friendly,  you might even ask questions later...

Good Luck,
Marty

I would look at 300 diesels from the late 70's thru the mid 80's....you see
these models on the roads all the time, they are dependable.  My first benz
was an '84 300TD (turbo diesel) with 136k miles.  Young for a diesel.  I
sold it at around 250k miles to a young kid for a song.  I'd recommend
something like that to anyone, but there is one caveat...you need to like
diesels.  If you're ok with a little slower acceleration, you will be
alright.  Reason I mention this is that you can also buy these cars all day
long for a couple or so thousand dollars.

Don't buy any of these for her limited use. Consider a Honda Accord or
Toyota Camry - both are very reliable and well suited for her purpose.
The first time one of these old dogs doesn't start at the train station
she'll call YOU because you talked her into the car.
She ought to get what she wants and that's not some lousy old used car.

Go for the 1990 300E. Its a mid-series W124, without doubt the W124 is
the best MB ever made (I'm on my 4th W124 and cannot fault them). At
$1850 , the price seems a long way off low to me in the UK. This would
be high to me over here. I've just bought a 1994 7 seat E220 Touring
(station wagon) for less than the equivilant of $1500. Start worrying
about milage at about 200K if it doesnt have a Full Service History, if
it has a F.S.H then no problem.
In Nov last year I went to Munich and the taxi I took into the centre of
the city was a 1987 230e with over 400K on it.
A Quarter of a million european taxi driver cannot be that wrong.

Davor