Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong so far except for the battery, which is normal for a diesel.

The car is a 6 cylinder car. 1 glow plug was blown, so it was a bit smokey on cold starts.

General Comments:

I've driven a lot of Mercs - 190D, 190 2.5, 250D, and a 300D turbo, but the 300D is another world; the 300D turbo 1988 was much, much faster, but the turbo has problems. The 300D is a much more reliable car, basic and easy to fix (D.I.Y.), and the performance is excellent. Fuel consumption is about 9 to 10 litres city per 100km, but it's worth it. I would recommend it to 250D users, because when you shift it into 5th gear, it stays there no matter how high your climbing is. The 250D would have to downshift to 4th or 3rd gear uphill. The engine is so powerful that if sometimes you stick it in 3rd gear instead of 1st when you are crawling, it still doesn't stall and you don't even realise that it is in 3rd gear. I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of buying one.

If you are having cold start problems, check your glow plugs or heater relay; it's either that or your battery. The original battery is a 12 volt, 105 amp by the way. If you have a 90 amp battery, you might have problems starting in very cold weather.

Fill the tank and relax - it's a basic, powerful driving machine.

Faults:

Leaking injector gaskets repaired at 310000 (garage).

Rear shock absorbers replaced at 264000 (DIY).

New glow plugs needed at 270000 (DIY).

General Comments:

I bought the car after it was hardly used for about 9 years. The few problems I had with the car were probably caused by this too long sleep.

I almost drove 50.000 km in one year and it never let me down or even gave the impression it would ever do so. The reliability is excellent, it's comfortable, it's very economic (1:18) and it uses less than one liter of engine oil in 10.000 km. The only occasion I had to bring it to a garage was last month, when the injector gaskets began to leak. The annual safety inspection and smoke test were passed with ease.

It is incredible, but it doesn't feel like a 27-year old car at all. It still feels and drives like it is brand new. No noises, trembles, leakages, worn materials, smoke or smells. The bodywork feels like it's made of massive concrete, the doors click into the locks as if the car just left the factory, the gearbox feels like an electric switch, the clutch and brakes are soft as silk. It has never heard of bad roads or crosswinds.

An incredible quality car, and nowadays it's still available for little money. If you find a good one, do it. You won't regret it.

Faults:

Driver's side seat bolster worn through.

Clock not working when the car was acquired.

Slipping gearbox at 115k miles.

Front wheel bearings, ECU at 120k miles.

SLS pump at 130k miles.

Sunroof stuck at 130k miles.

Rusted exhaust, air-conditioning compressor and blower at 150k miles.

ABS, brake master-cylinder and foot-brake cable at 180k miles.

HT box at 185k miles.

Tailgate struts and speedo cable replaced twice over the years.

Rust on base of C pillar.

General Comments:

Although uncommon, this S124 model is probably the most numerous of any of the MB wagons in Malaysia

Elegant, practical car with novel seating for 7. My younger children (then) found the folding 3rd row seating fun to use.

I was the 3rd owner in Malaysia, where the car was brought in as a used UK import in 1989 with 40k miles on the clock.

Although not abused, the car appeared to be neglected by the last owner, so some TLC and $$$ was required to bring it back to some of its former glory - full service, clock repair, sunroof service, air-conditioning vents replaced, upholstery and dashboard repaired, new floor mats, etc..

Soft front spring seats but classic MB ride, stable round corners and on the straight due to the SLS and hydraulic rear suspension.

At 60mph, the single valve 2.3 engine turns over at 3k RPM and feels like it needs an additional gear. The car starts in 2nd gear.

Fuel consumption ranged from 22 MPG town use to 25 MPG in mixed driving. On a couple of runs KL - Singapore, it averaged 28 MPG at 60mph fully loaded with 6 on board with luggage.

Parts were easy to find, as the majority of parts are shared with its saloon counterpart, of which more than 2 million were built.

Even the tailgate struts were available off the counter. A ready supply of used and Taiwanese OEM parts keep ownership costs bearable.

The rather large steering wheel took some getting used to; later replaced with a smaller used MB steering wheel.

Over the 7 years, plenty of reqular maintenance and parts replacement, mostly age related, were needed to keep the car going.

Although the maintenance and repair costs over the years approached the initial purchase cost, it was still cheaper than the depreciation of a new car. The car sold for 60% of purchase price after 7 years.

Interesting (read busy) ownership experience educated me on the (potentially costly) requirements of MB ownership, the parts network, independent service options and prepared me for my current ride, a 1997 W210 E230.