Looking for info and opinions on a 87'260E
 

Hello All,

I might have the opportunity to purchase an 87' 260E with 130,000 mi., but in good condition (PPI pending of course) for $2500.
I have no M.B. experience so, basically I am looking for information or opinions about this model. Are there any regular or irregular problems or issues related to this model? Is it an overall car that would be worth buying for $2500 if everything checks out?

I presently own a 85' Porsche 928 and only take it to a shop if absolutely necessary, mainly because if I didn't, I couldn't own the car. What I'm getting at is that I can do most of the mechanical repairs my self if that is an issue.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Check the baby for oilleaks, oil consumption (valve stem seals..), A/C function, Automatic function and wear of sway bars and rubber bearing of the rear axle. If this is all acceptable and you can perform most of the small "repairs" DIY get it. I have two of those with well over 180kmls and still running great. The items I mentioned are important

My aunt had an '87 260E and she put 280K on it with few expensive repairs and it still ran like new when she sold it.

Thanks
 

Bramberg- Thanks for the things to look for. I am going to have a M.B. dealer do the PPI and will double check the things you mentioned. I became extremely empressed with M.B. about 4 months ago when my friend purchased a 73' 450SL and he took it in for some repairs when the shop he was using could not get the problems fixed right and the dealership did $1500 worth of repairs for free because it was part of a recall. WOW, you don't hear of that happening to often.

davis449-Thanks for the input, its replys like that which add that little bit of extra piece of mind.

Thanks again,

Dave,

I had an '87 260E with 310,000+ miles on the clock and it too needed few repairs. Expensive or otherwise. But what it did have replaced was the following:

-R134 a/c conversion, this can run about $1,200
-valve job, they say about every 120,000 but mine had over 180,000 miles on the one and only valve job. It did however consume 1 quart every 1,000 miles or so. MB specs allows for 1 quart every 800 miles, below that, valve job needed.
-smaller miscellaneous repairs like the "fan actuator"(?) telling the low and high speed fans when to come on I believe, OVP relay, alternator. But it sounds as though you can do these type repairs.
-radiator, 1 in 310,000 miles
-fuel regulator (I think)

It still had the original muffler and tranny when i traded it in. The car was very well built and your example for $2,500, 130,000 miles and if it is in good condition sounds like a very good deal to me. I really enjoyed driving this car, you could still get many very good years of driving out of this car.

As earlier mentioned, you can take your time and completely go through the suspension components to breathe life back into the ride or do a $2,500 sportline conversion and have a really nice riding car that handles great.

Either way, I have to say a very well built, virtually care-free type car.

Hope this helps a little and good luck.

Sorry for the late reply
 

brianw,

Sorry for not replying earlier, but as I stated before I own a Porsche 928 and have been fighting cooling and starting gremlins for the the past few weeks. I appreciate the information, it may have been to my advantage to be slow moving on this car, because the seller has lowered his price to $2000. So, I think I am going to go ahead and get it. I figure at that price I should have enough value room to invest some money into the car and end up with a nice car.

I do have another question though, I know the tires are in need of replacement and my question is what are my options on going to a larger wheel and tire? I don't want to have to make any modifications to make them fit, just curious what size wheels will fit and what other models are interchangable with the 260E?

Thanks again for yours and everyones help and information.

For the tires/rims setup just go to the Tire Rack and checkout their rim selection. It will show you a picture of your car and then you can choose the rim diameter of your choice and it will give you the tire options as well.

$2,000 sounds like a hard price to pass up. Especially if you are in the market for one of these cars. I can't say enough good things about the 124's I've owned. '87 260, '88 300TE, '90 300E, '92 400E were all very good quality cars.

Best of luck!

Thanks again Brian, I emailed the place and they say they don't allow PPI's on their cars. So, even though it is only $2000, that sorta tells me something about this place. Although, I will probably go down and check it out myself.

That's interesting, no PPI's? That would be a large red flag for me, but you will definitely want to check it out yourself. I would tend to believe you cannot get hurt too bad on $2,000 even if you had to sink some extra money in it, but it would all be predicated on how long you plan on keeping the car. A 130,000 mile W124 still has some good life in it if it has been well maintained.