Im about to buy a 300E, Im a recent college grad and loved these old benzes when growing up and wanted to know what to expect in common repairs for a 1989 300E with about 76k miles on it. Is there anything to look out for??? Thanks!!

 

Hi Haris,

The 89 300E is fairly bullet proof, But at that age it is possible to need a headgasket, water pump, air cond hoses,Distributor cap and rotor button, radiator and valve stem seals just to name a few (But not necesarily). You may be better off to spend a little more and get something a little newer. The extra repayments for a newer car are sometimes better then having to spend the extra money on repairs. Plus the latter models are more economical, which, If you are doing a lot of driving, can also be a huge benefit with the current price of fuel.

But this is just my opinion. Others are free to express theirs too........

 

I bought a 89 300E with 45,000 miles on it about a year and a half ago. I am thoroughly enjoying the vehicle and plan to keep it for a very long time. The list of potential problems listed by Dondas are very real. Out of this list, I have had to replace a radiator. However, I beleive I caused the leak by not being careful to not lean on the end cap with the upper rad hose connection. I have had to replace the flex disks. Get a mechanic to check the car before buying it. Some common sense is needed though. During a recent check-up, I was told that the head gaskit needed to be replaced due to oil leakage. It turned out the oil leakage was due to spillage at the filter during replacement in at a recent oil change and the head gaskit was fine. If you buy the car, I hope your experience with it is as good as mine!