No need to enable, I'm picking up the car this week 
. What am I getting myself into here?
It's a 1989 Mercedes 300SE with ~156k. It's from the south (TN title) so the paint is faded on the top sides, but the body is very straight and clean. The inspection sticker is from 2014, so I presume it sat for 4-5 years before arriving at a friends shop under its own power a few weeks ago.
I have no idea what I'm going to do with it but a project thread will follow one way or another.
Always been a fan. Very well-built, reliable, and smooth to drive. More of a “classic car” vibe than other sedans from that era: BMW 750i, Lexus LS400, etc.
You got the the w126 with with the inline 6 slowness but has the v8 gas mileage lol. 89 was near the end of the w126 run so it hardly compares to the 90s generation luxury cars which were a lot more complex. The last of the mechanically simple S class.
They're slow but reliable and easy to work on. Parts are cheap and can be found anywhere.
The w126 forum on benzworld is super helpful and you'll find me there often lol.
Not much to be said about these. Clean it up, tune up, get euro headlights, some nice wheels then daily drive it.
I've owned a w126, w126 coupe, and now I'm trying to bring back a w140 s600. I really miss the simplicity and affordability of the w126 and w126 cars.
Also, pray the HVAC stuff already works!
Well, that sounds encouraging. I've long had a soft spot for old M-B's, just couldn't walk away from this one for $500.
The M103 engines are solid and take boost very well if you're into that sort of thing.
The valve stems seals might be dry, which will cause oil consumption. They can be replaced with the engine in the car and the parts are like 15$.
If it shifts hard check if the vacuum line to the transmission is still connected.
The W126 don't share suspensions with the W124 and the W201.
Rebuilding the front suspension will be complicated and expensive, but necessary to get it to drive properly. Avoid cheap aftermarket parts as much as possible, because they are mostly horrible and don't even work at all sometimes. Otherwise if its not rusty they are mostly pretty good.
If it's been sitting, chances are pretty high you'll have at least one stuck or dragging caliper. No biggie, but Mercedes did use calipers from ATE and Girling (I think they were the other, could be wrong, as mine had ATE), so check for that.
Depending on mileage, the front seat will most likely sag. There's some interesting fixes for this using pool noodles.
The rear window leaking is a common problem on the W126. Check underneath the rear package tray to see if there's rust. You'll be able to tell rather quickly upon opening the trunk if moisture has been in there.
As an aside, I am envious. The later model short wheelbase W126s are my favorite.
Bendix was the other caliper brand.. The ATE ones are much cheaper to rebuild too. I forget what year they changed but the last couple years the seat springs are much stronger and are interchangeable with the earlier ones.
In reply to Tk8398 :
Ah, Bendix. That's right. Forgive the Girling comment, I had E30s on the brain.
Picked it up today. Here it is after a significant scrubbing.
Looks awesome. Love those cars.
In reply to thestig99 :
Looks great. Congrats
I've always like those cars. And I like inline-6 engines. I vote for megasquirt and a small turbo delivering six or seven pounds of boost. Just enough to wake it up, not enough to stress it.
Looks really nice. I miss my euro 500SEL.
Is it smoke silver??
Gosh those are nice. I was lucky to drive a w126 300SE and I loved it. Felt pretty similar to my W116 300SD as far as comfort and handling but with more power. Probably my second favorite looking MB chassis too(after the w201).
Very cool
That thing looks great!
Great looking car.
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