Questions about 300ce/First time buyer
06-20-2015, 02:16 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Questions about 300ce/First time buyer
Hi guys,
Always loved the W124 chassis, but in particular love the 300ce/e320 coupe, I have had many Mercedes models but currently have a c43 AMG which I will be keeping. I am looking at a 1993 300ce which seems like a bargain price. I should state I don't mind throwing a couple thousand into the car but just want to get some opinions here to see if its worth going for. I will list the details below. considering these are getting hard to find in decent shape I feel this may be worth it, not to mention its my ideal color combo. Any help you guys can lend is greatly appreciated.
Here are the Ad details:
1993 Mercedes Benz 300 CE
Rare 3.2 liter 24 valve engine 188 thousand miles
A great platform that deserves the rescue I can't give it
1000$ flat and firm
THE GOOD:
Smog and registration good til January 2016
Solid body straight all way around
Black pearlescent paint, black on black, shiny no peeling
Clean interior
All electrics, buttons, switches, and gages function
Fully fuctional H vac
Tight transmission with new flex line
Recent water pump, hoses, battery
THE BAD
Needs new shocks
Needs oil and brake fluid chane
"Typical" WI24 oil leak at cylander head
THE UGLY
Check engine light on
Sun roof works but has broken struts
I love this car but I need to go buy a horse trailer. Price firm.
Always loved the W124 chassis, but in particular love the 300ce/e320 coupe, I have had many Mercedes models but currently have a c43 AMG which I will be keeping. I am looking at a 1993 300ce which seems like a bargain price. I should state I don't mind throwing a couple thousand into the car but just want to get some opinions here to see if its worth going for. I will list the details below. considering these are getting hard to find in decent shape I feel this may be worth it, not to mention its my ideal color combo. Any help you guys can lend is greatly appreciated.
Here are the Ad details:
1993 Mercedes Benz 300 CE
Rare 3.2 liter 24 valve engine 188 thousand miles
A great platform that deserves the rescue I can't give it
1000$ flat and firm
THE GOOD:
Smog and registration good til January 2016
Solid body straight all way around
Black pearlescent paint, black on black, shiny no peeling
Clean interior
All electrics, buttons, switches, and gages function
Fully fuctional H vac
Tight transmission with new flex line
Recent water pump, hoses, battery
THE BAD
Needs new shocks
Needs oil and brake fluid chane
"Typical" WI24 oil leak at cylander head
THE UGLY
Check engine light on
Sun roof works but has broken struts
I love this car but I need to go buy a horse trailer. Price firm.
06-20-2015, 02:30 AM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
Well, it looks like that car has the later m104 with HFM instead of CIS-E, so it should be a lot more reliable/less temperamental than the earlier m104.980 which I have.
That being said, I think that generation of the m104 had the biodegradeable wire harness that the other w124 cars in the 94/95 era were stricken with.
As someone with a 300ce, I can say that it really only has stranded me twice: Both times the alternator was crudded up with oil being flung out of the engine (so that leak mentioned in the ad is certainly a reality).
That aside, it does nickel and dime me, though at this point, I've stopped the insane attempts to get it "factory fresh" and just triage things as they come up. It has made driving the car a lot less stressful now that I can just say **** it to every new issue that comes up.
I have a 1990 with 171k on the clock. It has done many autocross events, about 20 laps of Watkins Glen, and a 350-mi off-road dirt rally (Pine Barrens Express), as well as a number of other TDS rallies in NJ.
I've yet to need to replace the control arms or the trans (fluid/filters only). The car, overall, is built pretty ****ing solid. It is really quite a shock to see my friend's Caliber needing its second set of control arms at 100k when all that car sees is the driveway and the road.
If you're handy or have a good mechanic and the car checks out sound, then I think you'll absolutely love the car.
Get a nice set of shocks/springs/swaybars in it (I run Koni Yellow + H&R Sport + w124 Limo Front \ 500e Rear) and it'll handle very competently and will be fun, though a tad rough on crappy roads (all we have out East).
As long as you don't expect a 23 year old car to have less issues than a 3 year old car, I don't see how you wouldn't enjoy it. There is something so confident and easy about the way these cars drive. They're a joy to drive, despite whatever headaches mine throws at me.
That being said, I think that generation of the m104 had the biodegradeable wire harness that the other w124 cars in the 94/95 era were stricken with.
As someone with a 300ce, I can say that it really only has stranded me twice: Both times the alternator was crudded up with oil being flung out of the engine (so that leak mentioned in the ad is certainly a reality).
That aside, it does nickel and dime me, though at this point, I've stopped the insane attempts to get it "factory fresh" and just triage things as they come up. It has made driving the car a lot less stressful now that I can just say **** it to every new issue that comes up.
I have a 1990 with 171k on the clock. It has done many autocross events, about 20 laps of Watkins Glen, and a 350-mi off-road dirt rally (Pine Barrens Express), as well as a number of other TDS rallies in NJ.
I've yet to need to replace the control arms or the trans (fluid/filters only). The car, overall, is built pretty ****ing solid. It is really quite a shock to see my friend's Caliber needing its second set of control arms at 100k when all that car sees is the driveway and the road.
If you're handy or have a good mechanic and the car checks out sound, then I think you'll absolutely love the car.
Get a nice set of shocks/springs/swaybars in it (I run Koni Yellow + H&R Sport + w124 Limo Front \ 500e Rear) and it'll handle very competently and will be fun, though a tad rough on crappy roads (all we have out East).
As long as you don't expect a 23 year old car to have less issues than a 3 year old car, I don't see how you wouldn't enjoy it. There is something so confident and easy about the way these cars drive. They're a joy to drive, despite whatever headaches mine throws at me.
06-20-2015, 03:09 AM
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks for you help Saijin,
I'm ready for some refreshing if I buy this car, it sounds as though the oil leak is a common issue, that's really the only issue of concern for me as of right now, the other items seem pretty standard and I know any Mercedes this age will need some TLC. I want to try to keep the car as stock as possible aside from some 500e or amg wheels and refreshed suspension, with maybe bilstein sports. I am planning on using it as a daily driver and keeping my C43 parked for the most part. I am pretty handy and have a dedicated Mercedes tech I go to if its beyond my skill set. Based on the info stated and your experience, what would be a reasonable amount I can expect to pay to get this car back to top working order? Thanks
I'm ready for some refreshing if I buy this car, it sounds as though the oil leak is a common issue, that's really the only issue of concern for me as of right now, the other items seem pretty standard and I know any Mercedes this age will need some TLC. I want to try to keep the car as stock as possible aside from some 500e or amg wheels and refreshed suspension, with maybe bilstein sports. I am planning on using it as a daily driver and keeping my C43 parked for the most part. I am pretty handy and have a dedicated Mercedes tech I go to if its beyond my skill set. Based on the info stated and your experience, what would be a reasonable amount I can expect to pay to get this car back to top working order? Thanks
06-20-2015, 04:33 PM
#5
MBWorld Fanatic!
Top working order? I couldn't even begin to estimate what that would cost. That means different things to different folks, you know? I've long since given up on getting my car anywhere near its factory stated 7.8s 0-60 (runs a solid 12-14s at the moment), for instance.
Currently, to keep my car running at a sane level of "nice", I budget 2-3k a year. This includes any gotcha repairs that come out of nowhere as well as keeping up with the oil change schedule and the extra oil I have to feed my car every 300mi or so.
For instance, this year I had a 1.6k repair when my exhaust got ripped out of my car by the lovely NYS Thruway as well as another $500 repair for when my air injection pump seized a bearing and roasted my idler pulley and belt.
I'm praying the rest of the year will be just standard nickel and dimeing from excess oil consumption.
If the car was well maintained, it shouldn't cost you terribly much to keep it going nicely. I abused my car when I was a young and ungrateful ****, so now all of that has come home to roost and I'm paying for it.
Currently, to keep my car running at a sane level of "nice", I budget 2-3k a year. This includes any gotcha repairs that come out of nowhere as well as keeping up with the oil change schedule and the extra oil I have to feed my car every 300mi or so.
For instance, this year I had a 1.6k repair when my exhaust got ripped out of my car by the lovely NYS Thruway as well as another $500 repair for when my air injection pump seized a bearing and roasted my idler pulley and belt.
I'm praying the rest of the year will be just standard nickel and dimeing from excess oil consumption.
If the car was well maintained, it shouldn't cost you terribly much to keep it going nicely. I abused my car when I was a young and ungrateful ****, so now all of that has come home to roost and I'm paying for it.
