I have owned a mercedes for a little over a month now and this is a question that I am asked often.
The vehicle: 1989 te230 Estate, Mileage - 160,000.
Cost: Ebay 411 GBP

I have owned a variety ofvehicles from new sports vehicles, to 4WD's. But I love this car.
The comfort, smooth ride, power, everything about it cannot compare to vehilces I have paid ten's of
thousands for in the past.
Problems:
Had to replace front wing and respray Cost 250
Full service and new brakes all roundCost 240
Now the Head Gasket has blown and the estimate to repair is between 300 and 400. I am wanting
to replace the whole engine with a remanufactured one estimate about 1000 and my mechanic, wife, best mate, five year old are all calling me bark raving mad?

Ok the rear wiper doesnt work, and one rear passenger window motor makes a noise. But I think its completely sensible to renew the engine.....

From people that own mercedes please tell me...... Am I Mad?

 

No your not mad, you just bought a old mercedes with 160K miles on it. I wouldn't replace the engine until I pull the head and see what the inside looks like, perhaps all it needs is a head gasket. Mercedes engines are tough and there are folks out there with 300K on some cars. A blown head gasket doesn't necessarily mean the engine is shot.
I own besides my 99 C280 a 79 450SLC now with 118K miles. The engine runs very, very strong considering it is in need of new rods on the right bank, but they are inexpensive and with the proper valve spring compressor not a hard job. The car doesn't burn a drop of oil, the 3 speed automatic shifts like it is new. BUT the HVAC has haunted me since I bought the car. I finally got the AC working, but still no heat. I have replaced all the parts that should make the heat work, the ETR, Climate control amp, the in car temp sensor. One thing I haven't replaced is the small 2 1/2 amp fuse that is almost impossible to get at without dismantling a lot of the passenger side dash parts. But the fuse probably is the culprit.

These cars are built tough, but as with anything mechanical parts wear out. If the body and frame are rust free, I would make the necessary repairs only. I don't know how much you paid, but the few problems you seem to have are worth the expense. The esitmate for the head gasket you have is very cheap, a dealer would charge you twice plus then what you were quoted. The rear passenger window noise might be fixed with some grease at the joints of the window's movingparts. The rear wiper could be a fuse or a bad or dirty electrical connection. My front wipers on the 450 stopped one day. I took a look and found the electrical connection to be very, very dirty I sprayed it with some electric cleaner I got a radio shack and now they work fine. Wose case the motor is shot.

One other problem I had, the engine fan bolts back off the block one day when I was driving, what a terrible noise, Every blade of the fan was sheared off. I found a used fan for $50 installed it and now the car even runs cooler. As the new fan has slightly wider and larger blades than the original. The used fan came off a 74 SLC. I was lucky no damage to the crankshaft.
I had to replace the rear brake disc and pads and one rotorand up front pads only. These are normal wear parts. Also had to buy new tires. The car is presently in the body shop having all the rubber gasket for the doors and rear window replaced. . Considering what I paid for a rust free car and the money I have invested in it I am still ahead of the game as they say.

This car is probably one of the better "oldsters" I have bought over the years. considering all of the above repairs and the cost of the repairs I am still ahead of the game. As the value of the car, to the right buyer, would still bring me a good profit, if I decide to sell it someday.

Keep in mind when you dabble in older cars, there will be almost constant upkeep and repairs, some small some large, that just how it goes.

 

Maybe, Maybe NOT!

Old cars go wrong / need to go to the garage more often than new ones. FACT.

However if this car meets your needs and you are happy with it you have got yourself a good deal at £411.

How long will it last? In the UK RUST is the problem with all cars due to the salt used on the roads and MB is no different to the rest. Is there any bubbling in the paint on the wing eyebrows, the tailgate, bottom of the doors etc. If not it looks like the body will last a good few years yet.

If so it is worth spending some money to keep the car roadworthy. Question is how much money you should spent.

Old cars are best maintained by an enthusiast thus keeping the cost down. Go to the main dealer and you will pay more for a "Service" (in which they basically just change the oil and check the fluids and lights are working!) than you paid for the car. So you need to keep costs down.

Usually parts can be repaired or replaced with used parts. You need to be creative.

Best bet to find out what might be wrong is the DtP MOT test. £40. You will need an MOT but if you get it from a main MB dealer they will also tell you what is Advisory i.e. What needs to be looked at but is not mandatory for a test PASS.

Does the engine use oil.

Yes? IF the engine is TOTALLY SHOT then you will have to replace it but as C280 says why not change the head gasket. You may need to get the head planed if it has warped.

If NO repair it.

Just be sensible. How much are you prepared to spend each year to keep it running.

Mmm. I could do with a bit of work in my spare time. Where do you live?

Stuart.

 

Thankyou for your replies.

I guess it is basically a matter of common sense.

Rust - Some surface, been addressed.

I live in Newcastle and I guess the main reason for wanting a new engine was reliability and peace of mindmore than anything. The estate is ideal for family touring and with a newborn and two young children its just the peace of mind to venture on a long journey (Disney Paris, Loch Ness etc). But as you say the engine runs fine. (Only notice of head going was use of water and smoke).

With other cars in past have had some bad experience with mechanics so don't really trust them a great deal as I am yet to find a mechanic that doesn't work on the'do the bare minimum approach'.

Thanks for your replies, Much appreciated.

 

Sounds like you've been bitten by the bug. As you're probably aware, for some, cars are simply appliances; for others, they are engineering wizardry deserving of adoration. When I purchased my first Mercedes, I had the expirence of thinking, "all the cars until my Merc were pale imitations of what an automobile should be." I worried I might not be happy driving anything but a Merc for the rest of my life.
In my opinion, one of the strong arguments for sticking with your Merc, is when you've made the repairs, you'll have a durable, hard working vehical. Of course, there are less expensive routes to go. But , hey, you only live once.
Oh, and you may be mad-I've never met you-but you have good taste in cars!