Buying a W126 420SE

[bigbadbilly]

Hi everyone, I'm new!

I'm thinking of buying a w126 and would be grateful for any tips, what to look for, if it's a good choice for a daily driver etc? I have other cars so it won't be covering big miles.

Thanks,

Billy

 

[IanA2]

Wonderful cars, I miss mine. Do a good search on here, you will find that most of the pointers have already been covered. Do you have a particular one in mind?

 

[jamesfuller]

Welcome to the forum. A 420SE makes a very good daily runabout.

I use mine daily, very comfortable and it has all the luxuries I want but nothing too fussy or complicated. I can also leave it for a couple of weeks in a car park without the battery going flat. Reliable and surprisingly economical.

 

[bigbadbilly]

I'm going to look at an 88' 420SE that's been in the same garaged ownership for 15 years, little used for 10 of them and under 100k miles.

 

[bigbadbilly]

Thanks my friend!

 

[jamesfuller]

Sounds like a good one. Mines just rolled over 190,000 miles and is very dependable.

 

[MPG]

I used to run one of the very last W126's. A 1991 500SEL. Bought it with 106k on the clock & sold with (I think) about 130k. During that time it was used as a daily driver & was totally reliable except for a new radiator as the neck to the expansion bottle snapped. Easiest rad change I've ever done (admittedly the only one!) 45 minutes end to end - those cars are so well designed just a basic toolkit keeps them going. I miss the graceful lines & acres of space that car had. When I sold it, everything (electric seats, steering column, A/C, central locking, windows) still worked just fine. Only downside as a daily driver comes in snow as it just doesn't have enough weight over the back wheels.

 

[ianrandom]

Full tank of fuel and they are great in snow

Love my 420SE, its used mainly for long journeys but it's been a pleasure to own and drive. Lovely to work on too.

Check for the parcel shelf rust under the rear window.