13th Jan 2010, 10:02

Of course it will be slower than the 300 24v.

The 280 is lighter, smaller and the engine has lesser displacement and is not a high performance motor, like the 24 valve 300.

29th Jun 2010, 11:56

I live in Chile, and I'm ready to purchase a Mercedes. I'm not sure about a 93 300E or a 95 C280, although it's smaller, it's lighter and more powerful, and 2K US$ more expensive.

Would someone help me?

Thanks.

29th Jun 2010, 14:04

I think the 300E (W124) is a better car -- it's one of the last few of the over-engineered Mercedes cars; the C-class which came after the 190E's were the start of Mercedes' quality decline. Of course, at the end of the day, have your mechanic check both cars out. A trashed 300E is worse than a well-kept C280.

27th Jul 2010, 06:44

I think the build quality will be the same besides one thing... rust! I've seen very few of the 300s with this problem. For me, I like the C280, although the 300 is arguably the better car. Either way, you're getting a lovely straight six engine, so you can't go far wrong with either.

5th Sep 2010, 23:35

I have the C280 with 97000 miles. I bought it used from a family member that treated it like a baby; and I do too.

I agree with the original poster. Exactly the same with my car and all minor. Great car, excellent cruiser. Just do the routine service.

Only thing I would add is that the back-seat is not built for adults.

9th Sep 2010, 03:00

I bought a 1996 C280 in 2009. Low mileage-57k. Beautifully maintained, all credit to the last owner and the selling dealer. I bought it mainly for good old style classic looks and, hopefully, longevity. Hoping for at least another 100k from her over the next few years.

For those living in the UK, I can recommend Andy Gayle at Oldbury in the West Midlands for maintenance. Great service. Had major one done a couple of months ago and very reasonable prices.

3rd Nov 2010, 20:32

I own 1995 C 280 I purchased in 1997 with 4 miles. It now has 170,000 miles. A few repairs along the way and it's still running great!

10th Apr 2011, 04:58

Hi.

I am looking at buying the same model and year as the car you have, and I am wondering if there were any parts of the car that went wrong, as my uncle who was a mechanic has said that the suspension will be a problem.

Also, what kind of mileage can you get around town, as I live in London, and would be doing mainly town driving.

8th Aug 2011, 22:20

The front lower suspension arms are hollow and water collects inside them. Due to this design fault, they will eventually rust through and need replacement. I had mine replaced a few years back, and it cost me around £400.

Here are the problems that I believe are common with this particular model:

Rust.

Head gasket.

Wiring harness.

Suspension arms.

Other than the above, I really rate my old Merc. The m104 2.8 inline six is a lovely piece of engineering, and the understated nature of the design really does it for me.

I hope this helps.

8th Oct 2017, 19:30

Exactly.

Also since the RedBlock (engine) RWD Volvos... 240, 740, 940... which sometimes went to 500,000+ miles, Volvo's reliability has gone down the TOILET, since they went FWD in 1993, with the s**tbox 850.

The S60 is one big s**tbox... I know a girl who couldn't wait to get rid of hers; always in the dealer for unknown crap... she bought a Toyota Matrix and is a lot happier.

Another kid owned a Volvo S70 850, it always broke down... he now has a Ford Fusion, and feels much more relieved, he doesn't have to worry about traveling far away.

Mercedes are far more reliable and safer than Volvos, in the REAL world.

8th Oct 2017, 19:33

Lincoln had ABS in the 70s??

On the floaty Mark IV??

Why didn't they patent it or market it, then?

Pictures of the article... Or, it DIDN'T happen.

Keep it real.

9th Oct 2017, 12:21

Yes, Lincoln did have ABS, beginning with the Mark III. It was called SureTrak. Just because YOU never heard of it doesn't mean it didn't exist.

10th Oct 2017, 03:24

Probably that commenter should've been a bit more tactful in asking. I know that for example the Jensen Interceptor had an earlier form of ABS in the 1960s, fully-mechanical, but while the Jensen has frequently been mentioned in ABS articles, Lincoln never came up. Interesting.