Hi all, I've been a lurker for a while in this forum trying to make my mind on to buying a w126. Short story, I need a car to drive my parents both are elder (70+), they are getting old and my cars are all very uncomfortable. For example, I have a BJ70 SWB with 35" tires and mostly stock suspension as my daily driver, full 3" pipe etc..

I've had new cars, actually, I'm still paying for one that I used for 2 years and lost almost 90% of its value, had a minor crash, and its scrap now. I don't like sedans or small cars, but I've always been in love with the w126 and the 300D from the 80's.

In my country, you can find a lot of 300D's and a few w126 around, mostly in regular shape but never mint, except these two:

1. V6 light tan SEL with normal aircon 140k km and electric seats in the front and back - around 13k USD
2. V8 dark gray SEL with auto aircon, 60k km with no electric seats in the back, just the front - around 20k USD

Both are IMO mint, no rust, if any a minor scratch in the front bumper for the V6, everything operates fast, correctly, they run fine, no leaks and both 1 owner only.

My country has a lot of mountains (Costa Rica) and the fuel price is ridiculous, that's why I always prefer diesel, but in this case, I don't mind keeping a gasoline car because it will not be a daily and at the end, its a luxury I'm willing to pay for the comfort of my parents.

I would like to ask for your opinion:

a) Would a V8 be that much expensive in gasoline vs the V6? normally I find big cars struggle less with the v8 to start moving and going up hills, putting less stress on the engine and making it more durable. or do you think the V6 is enough to move around with no problems?.

b) I prefer the Dark Gray but I also want the electrical seats in the back, are these seats prone to failure? I didn't really felt them since I only tested the front seats when I drove both cars.

C) KM, is it really important to keep low milage? TBH when I see low mileage (km) , all I can see is a car that was kept in a garage and never really replaced or maintained anything, as nothing ever broke. Is this the case for MB and especially for w126?.

Thank you in advance, btw 20k its a lot of money for me, so if I'm going for it, I better be goddam sure about it, that's why I'm asking for your input.

 

A = Research their original Fuel economy has to be website with old info like that on it...

B = Electric seats in back? you drive in front and normal seats are pretty comfy... and when they break.. well you have what the other car has FIXED seats and yes it is one more thing to fail and require service

C = I do think the one with less mileage has a huge potential benefit of BREAKING less.

I think for your case why not look at any other cheaper sedan or long wheel base SUV..

Long wheel base makes for comfy ride

 

Sooo, I end up buying the straight 6 103 engine with 140k kilometers in the ODO, it has all of its service done by MB distributor in my country. but it has been sitting or used less than 3k km since 2007.
In case someone has the same questions that I did, I will reply to my concerns here:

1- I used to have a Mitsubishi 2008 v6 and the w126 has a better economy, both highway, and city and it weights the same, the shape and aerodynamics heps a lot.
2- In my country, V8s are not very common, it would have been very difficult to find parts. I end up asking for the same parts for both engines, and I only found ones for the 103.
3- Low Milage is a trick, I bought one with 140k even if it's in better condition overall(body and interior) mechanical issues for being stopped are more expensive. If someone ends up reading this, I would suggest, find one that is used daily or at least every month for long trips.
4- The 6 liters engine is not fast, mine is doing 90km close to 3k RPMs but it pulls just fine in hills and winding roads, it will downshift hard and stay in gear longer than you will think, but it does the job just fine.