lokobreed

I have not yet purchased this car, but my cousin had it for 12,000 miles and before that it was owned by my Grandfather.

I am wondering how long this Mercedes will/can last me?

The car is in Great interior condition and exterior looks good too, just you never can tell how the engine is, how long it still has etc... Or is there anyway of telling... The Price tag on this car is 4 K

How many miles have any of you gotten or heard someone has had on a 92 300 D?


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My cousin has had the car for abouta year and has drove it for 12,000 miles and has gotten the oil changed between 3-4 times he said and got a new alternator... HE is a rough rider but kept the interior in good condition. He said the people who changed his oil and put the new alternaotr he does not think are good mechanics, he just went with them because they were customers of his restaurant.

What should I do to check out if the alternator itself and the installation is good and the oil changes are good? Also I want to know if it is ok to take this car to Triple AAA before buying it and having them run a full Diagnostic test to see if anything is wrong with it... is that ok to do with a Mercedez, you recommend me doing this before purchasing it??

Anything else I should check out?

Thanks

pa28pilot

The W124 diesels may be some of the best cars ever produced. I would say you probably have less to worry about than if it were a gas engine. I bought an '87 300E (gasoline) with 104k miles on it 8 years and 106k miles ago and am only now moving to a new E320CDI. I would have bought a 300D back then, but I couldn't find any, probably because everyone was still driving theirs and didn't want to sell them. Even though I'm excited about the new car, I don't think I will ever find a car that feels as solid as the 300. The taxicabs in much of the world are 300D's and I can't begin to imagine how many miles they've collectively racked up.

Be sure to read over the W124 Forum on here, as it specifically pertains to this model. There are also some diesel articles at the Mercedes-Benz Club of America's site.

I would definitely have a mechanic take a look at it before you buy it, no matter what kind of car it is. As far as price goes, you might use Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book to see what the book says for a price on a sale by a private party. Edmunds is saying $5300 for a typical '92 300D. You can put in the specifics and see what it says for this car.

For big safety concerns, you can go to recalls.gov and see if there were any recalls for this model and year. Then check the service records to see that all of the recalls were done. (Sometimes they are called "campaigns").

My issues with the W124 have generally revolved around the ECU/ignition computer (which might not be quite as much of an issue with a diesel), engine seals and gaskets/oil leaks, and interior switches.

Good luck with your research.

lokobreed

What if they never sent it back on the recalls? Am I still able to do that of no charge?

Also is TRIPLE AAA ok to take the Mercedes to just to see how the car is running and make sure everything is ok with it?

And then take it somewhere else for an oil and filter change?

Thanks

sosh

If you like the car take a shot at it. All you have to possibly lose is 4K. Thats not a lot of money today

lokobreed

Thanks for the help and I would appreciate it if you could answe this tonite because I have to make up my mind what I am going to be doing tommorw early in the AM.

There is a guy who works for the Mercedes dealership here who my parents are friends with and he said to not take it up there for the checkup and to just take it to him and he will drive it around and check a few things and tell me what he thinks...
SHould I do that or you recommend still going to the dealership place?

Also ther are a few recalls I see located here (http://www.alldata.com/TSB/35/92355017.html) Those are all the recalls, will the dealership be able to tell if they have been recalled? and if it hasnt will they have to take my car for a while or what will they need to do? and will they do the recalls for free?

- Also when doing oil changes and new filters should I go to a mainteneance place that can handle European cars or still go to the dealership for that?

pa28pilot

Any dealer can do the Vehicle Master Inquiry and look at all service that has been done at a dealership, as any recall should have been.

For older cars, I tend to like local independent mechanics who specialize in Mercedes-Benz. For oil changes, you can go almost anywhere, though I shy away from the "quick change" places. That's just a personal preference.

If you know someone who works at a dealership, they should be able to tell you pretty quickly what shape it is in.

Let us know what you decided...