w126 380

[bigevs]

good afternoon, new to this site so hope im posting in correct place

i am considering purchasing a 1983 w126 saloon that is coming up for sale in a classic car auction. the car has a FSH, and only covered 66000 genuine miles from new in the hands of only 2 owners, and would appreciate some advice on common faults what to look out for etc

any advice welcome

thanks very much
Dave

 

[merc85]

Rust around the Jacking points, Chassis Rails underfloor by the tunnel, Rust around the top drag links under the arches, Rust tops of the doors where the rubber weather strip fits, Milkyness around the base of the rear screen Weather strip bottom of the front windscreen, Corners of front wings, Rust on the very rear arches where there's the water drain as these become blocked. Rusty bumper chromes, Perished Sunroof rubbers.

Camshaft wear as the oil feeds can break causing premature wear of the cams, Timing chain rattle, Will need head work/conversion eventually as they use leaded fuel. Box should be smooth and not take too long to select reverse.

Check for Play in the Steering box, Awesome cars I've and around 6 w126's and 2 of them were 380's.

I may have missed some things its a long time since ive had one. 66k it should be lovely

 

[219]

Dave , the good things are that W126's are superbly engineered and comfortable cars .

Due to their age , the main problem is corrosion - the most visible of which will be front wings and all four wheelarches ; inner wings and floorpans can rot too . That lovely chrome in the bumpers can rust too , and is frighteningly expensive to repair - it can look OK on the outside but just be a skin of chrome plate with nothing underneath ! Later cars are more prone to this with pre facelift cars like the 380 less susceptible . Most serious rust area is under the parcel shelf and along the bottom of the rear window - look in the boot and under the parcel shelf - if the car is rotten there , give it a miss .

Mechanically , these cars are all pretty much bullet proof . Engine wise there are big differences : the two best engines are the 300 and the 500 , the choice depends what you are looking for . If performance is uppermost , go for the 500 : it is smooth , reliable and strong on performance with good torque for relaxed cruising ; fuel economy is decent for a 5 litre car in the mid to high 20's , if you take it easy . The 300 will keep up with traffic and if driven carefully will return high 20's economy , but lacks the overtaking power of the 500 - it is still a smooth and refined engine .

Sure , the 560 offers ultimate power if you want to race Porsches on the autobahn , but the power is at the top end and fuel economy suffers .

The 280 is an older engine , and thirsty with it , expect sub 20 mpg , and thrashy at the top end , also with 185hp hauling 1700Kg performance is limited .

Then we come to the 380 . I'm sorry , but like the 350 of the previous W116 series , the smallest V8 is just about the worst choice . There's barely more power than the smaller six cylinder , more weight up front so none of the nimbler handling of the six cylinder cars , and since it shares the taller gearing of the bigger V8's it is actually slower than the sixes , but with all the thirst of its bigger brothers .

If you just want to cruise sedately down to the pub on a Sunday afternoon , without being in a hurry , it will waft just as smoothly as a 500 , but if you want to use it for transport , you will find it lacking .

If it is in good condition , you won't lose money on it , but they can be expensive to maintain , and it all depends what you are looking for .

 

[merc85]

Derek did the Saloons suffer the parcel shelf issue? I thought it was only the Sec's that it effected.

All my Saloons were good in that area. But the Sec had a new one.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Chain tensioners on the 380 and 420 are plastic and go brittle. Mileage is unimportant, age is the key. Can lead to the timing chain seizing and valve damage. Oil feed pipe to cams is held on by plastic fixings which also go brittle, leading to oil feed pipe detaching and no oil to cams. Witnessed both recently.

 

[219]

Derek did the Saloons suffer the parcel shelf issue? I thought it was only the Sec's that it effected.

All my Saloons were good in that area. But the Sec had a new one.

Yes , my 280 was quite flaky there when I bought it , and my 500 , fine when I bought it was pretty far gone after five years .

 

[bigevs]

many thanks for all the replies guys, very informative, cheers

 

[ianrandom]

Some 380's were 201hp.
There were some 380s I've heard had the single row thinking chain. That was corrected though apparently.

It's often said to buy a W126 on condition rather than model. Rust etc. A nice 380 will be a lovely car I'm sure and have torque advantages over the six. 500 would be optimal though.
Personally I like the 280 too but definitely a very different drive.

 

[golfer19]

Great cars.
We bought a 500 with a very good history last year to take around Europe.
Bought the car over the phone without seeing it.Had it picked up from outside Bournemouth and delivered home to N.Ireland.
Needed a few things sorted.
Replaced the shocks with Sachs originals.
4 new tyres which really made a big difference.
New steering damper along with a full service including ATF change.
Drove over 4000 miles around Europe in the summer without any problems.
I think no matter what you buy it will need money spent on it to leave 100%