W124 Estate owners - 230, 280 or 320

[merkyworld]

Hello all I'm new to this forum. I'm on my second W124 estate, my first 200 was stolen, so I plumped for a 230TE. I love it but feel like I could do with some more guts.

Trouble is, finding a decent 280 or 320 that isn't priced like it's a ming vase is quite difficult.

Has anyone here owned a 230TE and upgraded, if so, your thoughts?

 

[Stempies]

Just bought a 1989 300TE 4matic with very long MOT for £350, it's oh so smoooooooth & pulls like a train!!!!

 

[d w124]

Just bought a 1989 300TE 4matic with very long MOT for £350, it's oh so smoooooooth & pulls like a train!!!!

You did not buy the one near Heathrow did you?

 

[d w124]

Hello all I'm new to this forum. I'm on my second W124 estate, my first 200 was stolen, so I plumped for a 230TE. I love it but feel like I could do with some more guts.

Trouble is, finding a decent 280 or 320 that isn't priced like it's a ming vase is quite difficult.

Has anyone here owned a 230TE and upgraded, if so, your thoughts?

Hi and welcome to the forum
Do you mean about engine upgrade?

 

[dinoy]

Just bought a 1989 300TE 4matic with very long MOT for £350, it's oh so smoooooooth & pulls like a train!!!!

very nice and very cheap be careful with 4matic as parts not readily avail

320 280 have wiring loom problem so watch out for it

300 24v careful with gearbox problems

300 te is a good powerful workhorse or if u r like e36 but u need ton on money

or e 300 24v diesel facelift model is also good, i do prefer the older non 24v version diesel as it is bullet proof engine

 

[Deleted member 11979]

Owned a 200TE, 230TE, 280TE, 300TE and E320 wagon.

The 200TE 8V was excellent, very economical (it was manual) and quick enough for our needs (general load lugger for DIY). The 230TE was also a manual and was not much quicker than the 200 IIRC and thirstier. 280TE was very thirsty, and the wiring loom went which costm e big time! Very smooth and quite quick. The 320 was a bit quicker and not much thirsier if at all, and it's head gasket went, cost me big time. The 300TE was bullit proof, fast enough, a bit thirsty but not in the same league as the 280 and 320 for power deliver, although maybe torquier low down?

The difference between the 4 and 6 cylinder engines in terms of driving experiance is huge, they sound much better and give the car a completely different character, more "luxury" Merceds than "utilitarian efficent" Mercedes. If you can afford the fuel go for it, but beware of head gaskets, wiring looms and 5 speed autos that don't go into top. A good 300TE might be cheaper to run in the long term if you're on a budget

 

[merkyworld]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not really bothered about the 4matic, although it could be handy in the snow, I guess. Good for £350 though...

Calvin thanks for your feedback, I agree the 200 is a good motor. So would you say the upgrade from a reliable 230 to anything with a bigger engine is not worth the risk/effort?

If anyone else has driven the 230, 280 and 320 I'd be interested in your opinions.

 

[d w124]

I`ve driven E200 16v 230E 8V and now have the E320
My last one was the 200 so going to 320 was a huge difference,had a smile for a long time
I still do when I feel like it

 

[Deleted member 11979]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not really bothered about the 4matic, although it could be handy in the snow, I guess. Good for £350 though...

Calvin thanks for your feedback, I agree the 200 is a good motor. So would you say the upgrade from a reliable 230 to anything with a bigger engine is not worth the risk/effort?

If anyone else has driven the 230, 280 and 320 I'd be interested in your opinions.

For me a nice 300TE would be the best option, they are less trouble and give you the premium feel, but it's finding one now. The multivalve 6's (280 and 320) are better, but it's more of a gamble in terms of running costs.

Drive one and see what you think.

 

[merkyworld]

Thanks for your feedback. I'll go and take a look at some 300TEs. Any good places to sniff them out other than eBay?

 

[Deleted member 11979]

Autotrader sometimes has some, pistonheads, ones on classic sites might be pricey, the Mercedes mag and Gazette sometimes have bargains,

 

[bolide]

Most of the time the car itself is more important than the engine that's in it. By that I mean that if you find a really nice car buy it - whatever the engine

In my experience the 300 is the thirstiest engine, the E280 is the best all-rounder and the multivalve diesel blows the old 603 engine out of the water. I prefer post-facelift cars in general, though, so you can see where my loyalties lie

Nick Froome
the independent Mercedes Estate specialists

 

[312 Sprinter]

I've driven most of them over the years. Like Nick I prefer the facelift cars, but I certainly wouldn't reject a good pre facelift car. Nowadays you've got to buy on condition. The diesels are OK, but good ones fetch big money and they are very leisurely. I think they're a bit overrated for what they are.

I find the 320 fustratingly thirsty. Don't get me wrong, they're a crackingly nice car but if you do lots of miles their fuel economy can start to grate.

I've had a 280 and I think it was the car I liked the least. It doesn't have the effortless performance of the 320 yet it uses damn near as much fuel. For me it never made sense on any level.

Personally I like the 4 cylinder cars, they tend to be a bit cheaper than the 6 pot cars. I've just done an E220 for my brother in law. The 220 offers acceptable but by no means blistering performance. John reckons it is turning in an average of 29 to the gallon. I've had a 230 but I think the facelifted 220 is a better car. I liked the 230 a lot hough.

I think if I went to buy one for myself I'd end up with either a 220 or 320. Which I'd choose would depend on the mileage I envisaged doing, the mood I was in on the day and what I could find that appealed. There are an awful lot of dogs out there nowadays.

When I was looking recently I had several people proudly tell me these cars are so good that they don't need servicing! Joy......

 

[Biglips]

E320 is a lovely car if you don't do a huge mileage. There are a couple of E36 estates for sale at the mo. Even better cars, but even thirstier.....

 

[Stempies]

You did not buy the one near Heathrow did you?

Nope which one was that?
Found mine in the Friday-Ad in Dorking, Surrey!!

 

[Stempies]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not really bothered about the 4matic, although it could be handy in the snow, I guess. Good for £350 though...

4matic can be turned off if not required!!!

 

[dinoy]

have tried most of the w124 models expect e36, i believe pre facelift build quality to facelifted ones, as this was the start of mercedes forey into consumerism and products that went downhill.

each of us has the opnion on engine and models, generally e280 e320 300 24v all were used in sl models too hence the speed and better performance,but the tradeoff is maintenance and known problems with these.

the estates i believe the diesels are most reliableand the 300 te non 24v is very good workhorse.

as will any car mileage is subjective but generally 300 te i try avoid over 170k, as engine lifespan is 250k. diesels another ballgame non 24v will last forever, 24v has gearbox problems which they reach 250k.

but if serviced correctly and well these figure can streach a little higher.

 

[219]

300 24v careful with gearbox problems

My 300TE-24 did 430,000 miles on its original gearbox , the engine had to be replaced at 380,000 miles though , due to high oil consumption .

My 300TE suffered failure of the ASD diff at 198,000 miles , but engine was still fine , after 150,000 miles in my ownership .

Oh , and my W123 280TE was a great car - though finding a good one these days will not be so easy , nor cheap .

All models suffer from rotting SLS pipes underneath .

 

[219]

Here's a W123 estate going cheap

1979 Mercedes Classic 123 series 250T in Royston, Herts

 

[d w124]

Here's a W123 estate going cheap

1979 Mercedes Classic 123 series 250T in Royston, Herts

And look at that mileage