[MMH]

I am interested in getting a MB diesel. I'm looking for a good value, but reliable vehicle that I don't have to sink a ton of $$$ into. Thinking about a 98 or 99 E300 don't want a non turbo). I have heard good things about the E300, but they seem pricey. Most cars w/ under 150K miles are close to $15K. Finding higher milage ones cheaper, but not sure if I want to get one w/ more than 200K miles. How risky is it to pick up a high milage car (more than 200K miles). What kind of mpg can i expect from these cars?

From a value perspective, how does a 98 or 99 E300 diesel compare to a early 90s W124 diesel?

 

[C_R]

I would not get a diesel with 75-100K miles if it doesn't have any maintenance history. However I would buy one with 200K miles if it has a good maintenance history. DO NOT take the maintenance history lightly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are just too many of these cars out there to fall in love with a particular one. NEVER BUY SIGHT UNSEEN (EBAY). Buy one close to you, have a PPI done at a reputable indy or a good MB dealer.

DEFINITELY read as much as you can about these cars on this forum before you actually start the hunt.

Try to buy a one owner DIRECTLY from the owner! Try to avoid dealers unless it is a Mercedes dealer and is offering a substantial warranty.

Read as much as you can, do all your homework, and then go out and start looking and look within an area that you can easily drive to several times if needed.

 

[nickdub]

Hi,
If you can have a good look near the load bearing points for rust. There are some good photos on this site of problems some members have had. In a few cases paint can look intact but has actually come away from the surface and rust has eaten away a lot of metal behind. Unless you're very handy with a welder repairs of this sort can be expensive. In fact I thank you need to be fairly handy at doing mechanical work if you want to run a 10 year old merc for not too much money.

Good luck

Nick

PS reading other people's experience and advice on this site is invaluable.

 

[MMH]

I would not get a diesel with 75-100K miles if it doesn't have any maintenance history. However I would buy one with 200K miles if it has a good maintenance history. DO NOT take the maintenance history lightly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are just too many of these cars out there to fall in love with a particular one. NEVER BUY SIGHT UNSEEN (EBAY). Buy one close to you, have a PPI done at a reputable indy or a good MB dealer.

DEFINITELY read as much as you can about these cars on this forum before you actually start the hunt.

Try to buy a one owner DIRECTLY from the owner! Try to avoid dealers unless it is a Mercedes dealer and is offering a substantial warranty.

Read as much as you can, do all your homework, and then go out and start looking and look within an area that you can easily drive to several times if needed.

Agree w/ what you say 100%. Although I would not buy sight unseen, I don't know about a local purchase as I would rather get a car that has seen minimal snow/salt. Would not be interested in anything that has ANY rust, as there is always alot more that rust that you can't see than what you can.

 

[Musikmann]

I would look harder at the E300 turbodiesels than the earlier ones (W124) but don't rule them out completely. They were well built and a lot of people claim much better than the W210. Agreed that you should look for either car that has seen little or no snow/salt.

 

[C_R]

I would look harder at the E300 turbodiesels than the earlier ones (W124) but don't rule them out completely. They were well built and a lot of people claim much better than the W210. Agreed that you should look for either car that has seen little or no snow/salt.

I have never had a diesel in the w210 series and would not want one as I don't like the pre-face lift look at all. I however had a 1995 E300D (the last year of the W124s) and absolutely LOVED it.:thumbsup: Was a wonderful car in ever aspect. I liked it a lot. It would be a toss up between my 2000 E320 and that 1995 E300D. I hope I can find a cherry 1995 E300D one day with very low miles. I'd all over one if I could find one that I like.:thumbsup:

 

[Kajtek1]

WOW. Is my diesel really worth that much?
I was under impression that 15 grands can buy me high mileage 2005 E320cdi what is much more advanced vehicle. So maybe I will stick to the old beast for another decade? Just passed 200k on January 2.
Those diesels are real workhorses and I dumped non turbo one for the reason OP already figured out.
They don't require lot of maintenance, but being rare engines on US market are subject to mechanics fooling around them with no experience.
Typical sample is that almost all of them run with leaks in fuel tubings, while $80 in parts cost and about 1 hr of labor should not be a big deal.
I was pretty uncomfortable with leg room in w124 while with the same fuel economy the 5 cylinder offered much less kick. Than W210 is much more sophisticated vehicle. Those cars are 35 mpg rated, but I am burning 20 gallons in 7 hr drive. That makes about 28 mpg at those speeds.
Welcome to the forum MMH. Looks like you are on right track and even the car you would buy might have some issues, with help of this forum you will have it fixed in no time and spend just pennies. I was buying diesel MB with 300k on them with no problems.

 

[Musikmann]

I have never had a diesel in the w210 series and would not want one as I don't like the pre-face lift look at all. I however had a 1995 E300D (the last year of the W124s) and absolutely LOVED it.:thumbsup: Was a wonderful car in ever aspect. I liked it a lot. It would be a toss up between my 2000 E320 and that 1995 E300D. I hope I can find a cherry 1995 E300D one day with very low miles. I'd all over one if I could find one that I like.:thumbsup:

Agreeing about the looks. That's the only pre-facelift W210 I would want to own and only because of the turbodiesel. Good luck finding another 1995 E300D!

 

[MMH]

WOW. Is my diesel really worth that much?
I was under impression that 15 grands can buy me high mileage 2005 E320cdi what is much more advanced vehicle. So maybe I will stick to the old beast for another decade? Just passed 200k on January 2.
Those diesels are real workhorses and I dumped non turbo one for the reason OP already figured out.
They don't require lot of maintenance, but being rare engines on US market are subject to mechanics fooling around them with no experience.
Typical sample is that almost all of them run with leaks in fuel tubings, while $80 in parts cost and about 1 hr of labor should not be a big deal.
I was pretty uncomfortable with leg room in w124 while with the same fuel economy the 5 cylinder offered much less kick. Than W210 is much more sophisticated vehicle. Those cars are 35 mpg rated, but I am burning 20 gallons in 7 hr drive. That makes about 28 mpg at those speeds.
Welcome to the forum MMH. Looks like you are on right track and even the car you would buy might have some issues, with help of this forum you will have it fixed in no time and spend just pennies. I was buying diesel MB with 300k on them with no problems.

Thanks for teh welcome! One of the attractions of the E300 is that it is a low tech diesel. Don't get me wrong, I love the performance of high tech common rail diesels (like my 2004.5 Ram w/ Cummin diesel - w/ a chip I'm getting 400 hp & 800 ft.-lb. of torque while getting 22 mpg on the highway - not bad for a 8000 lbs. 4x4 truck). Also, one of the other attractions of the E300 is it's suitability for a dual tank SVO/WVO conversion - also a result of 'low tech' due to relatively low injection pressures. Is the W210 that much more sophisticated than the W124? Are the engines less reliable?

 

[Skid Row Joe]

I am interested in getting a MB diesel. I'm looking for a good value, but reliable vehicle that I don't have to sink a ton of $$$ into. Thinking about a 98 or 99 E300 don't want a non turbo). I have heard good things about the E300, but they seem pricey. Most cars w/ under 150K miles are close to $15K. Finding higher milage ones cheaper, but not sure if I want to get one w/ more than 200K miles. How risky is it to pick up a high milage car (more than 200K miles). What kind of mpg can i expect from these cars?

From a value perspective, how does a 98 or 99 E300 diesel compare to a early 90s W124 diesel?

These cars can cost you a ton of money in parts and labor - to think otherwise is naive. If you can do all the labor yourself, fine, but most people cannot change the difficult parts failures on them. If you're looking for cheap, this isn't the model for you. If you want cheap, go to a W123 diesel - that's as cheap as there is on price and reliability. They are out there. The W124? Still pricey for it's breakdowns.

Best bet if you are intent on a W210 is one with less than 100K miles on them. They exist, mine has 120K on it, bought new, and two friends of mine have 84K and 85K on theirs respectively.

As for mileage? I've averaged 27 mpg combined driving mine. Some bullshippers here and other MB diesel forums claim 36 mpg on the E300TDs - all the time - that's a bunch of BS. You won't exceed 32 mpg on it's best tank fill. I've clocked every tank I've ever bought since buying mine new.

Use the Internet to find a low miles one. The high mileage ones are a suckers bet. Do not buy a high-mileage one or one that's been ill-maintained or looks like crap thinking you are saving money - you won't.

 

[Kajtek1]

The W210 are drive-by-the-wire with MAF sensor, what gives not only fuel saving with better performance, but less pollution as well.
Also they have fuel heater what I heard helps in using veggies.
Unfortunately all those sensors don't raise reliability, but I don't think you would replace your computer with very reliable crank operated calculator?
Joe is right that very primitive W123 have the most reliable engines. Not much there to fail. But find me one where original AC, CC and tachometer still work?
Automatic transmission was weak point on them as well while the mpg are about 30% lower.

 

[Skid Row Joe]

I would not get a diesel with 75-100K miles if it doesn't have any maintenance history. However I would buy one with 200K miles if it has a good maintenance history.

^^^
That's the dumbest thing I've ever read here. You can't be very bright writing something like that. And you're certainly not an MB diesel owner.

I bought an 8 year old W126 '83 300SD 93K on the clock. It had zilch records and I ran it to 305K in the next 8 years. It was the cheapest and best car I've ever owned. It was in superb condition when I bought it.

 

[MMH]

These cars can cost you a ton of money in parts and labor - to think otherwise is naive. If you can do all the labor yourself, fine, but most people cannot change the difficult parts failures on them. If you're looking for cheap, this isn't the model for you. If you want cheap, go to a W123 diesel - that's as cheap as there is on price and reliability. They are out there. The W124? Still pricey for it's breakdowns.

Best bet if you are intent on a W210 is one with less than 100K miles on them. They exist, mine has 120K on it, bought new, and two friends of mine have 84K and 85K on theirs respectively.

As for mileage? I've averaged 27 mpg combined driving mine. Some bullshippers here and other MB diesel forums claim 36 mpg on the E300TDs - all the time - that's a bunch of BS. You won't exceed 32 mpg on it's best tank fill. I've clocked every tank I've ever bought since buying mine new.

Use the Internet to find a low miles one. The high mileage ones are a suckers bet. Do not buy a high-mileage one or one that's been ill-maintained or looks like crap thinking you are saving money - you won't.

Looking for good value more than cheap. Yes, I would be doing most of the work myself. While I see ones out there w/ less than 100K miles, they tend to be north of $13K. If I get one w/ 220K mikes for $6K, and it is free of rust, interior & exterior in good shape, and private owner has service records should I still run away? I'm not familiar w/ MB, but as I stated before, it is a low tech diesel. I figure I can go to a industrial diesel shop & get a set of injectors(or mine rebuilt) for $1K, an injection pump (or mine rebuilt) for $1K, and the cylinder head rebuilt as well for under $2K. I can't rebuild the auto transmission myself, but figure somebody can for less than $2K. The MB specific stuff, I don't know. For instance, a vacuum pump, electronic components, etc.

 

[Skid Row Joe]

WOW. Is my diesel really worth that much?
I was under impression that 15 grands can buy me high mileage 2005 E320cdi what is much more advanced vehicle. So maybe I will stick to the old beast for another decade? Just passed 200k on January 2.
Those diesels are real workhorses and I dumped non turbo one for the reason OP already figured out.
They don't require lot of maintenance, but being rare engines on US market are subject to mechanics fooling around them with no experience.
Typical sample is that almost all of them run with leaks in fuel tubings, while $80 in parts cost and about 1 hr of labor should not be a big deal.
I was pretty uncomfortable with leg room in w124 while with the same fuel economy the 5 cylinder offered much less kick. Than W210 is much more sophisticated vehicle. Those cars are 35 mpg rated, but I am burning 20 gallons in 7 hr drive. That makes about 28 mpg at those speeds.
Welcome to the forum MMH. Looks like you are on right track and even the car you would buy might have some issues, with help of this forum you will have it fixed in no time and spend just pennies. I was buying diesel MB with 300k on them with no problems.

Were I advising a new MB diesel buyer, looking for a pre-owned one, I would advise them to buy the best condition 2005 - 2006 W211 CDI that they could find/afford. The straight-six configuration, coupled with lots more legroom than my W210, and the improvements over the W210s would be the focal points. These can be had in the high teens to low $20,000s - but the creampuffs are still $30,000 or so.

I may weaken Kris, and start shopping for an '05 - '06 CDI, one of these months. I would happily sell my '99 E300TD in super condition for $10,000 or so.

 

[C_R]

^^^
That's the dumbest thing I've ever read here. You can't be very bright writing something like that. And you're certainly not an MB diesel owner.

I bought an 8 year old W126 '83 300SD 93K on the clock. It had zilch records and I ran it to 305K in the next 8 years. It was the cheapest and best car I've ever owned. It was in superb condition when I bought it.

I have driven ONLY diesels all my life with the exception of my current car. Before jumping the gun, please re-read my statement and at least try to understand what I am emphasizing.

 

[Skid Row Joe]

They exist, mine has 120K on it, bought new, and two friends of mine have 84K and 85K on theirs respectively.

Do not buy a high-mileage one or one that's been ill-maintained or looks like crap thinking you are saving money - you won't.

The two friends of mine that own the E300TDs.......one is as immaculate as mine - always garaged in Dallas, Texas, and the other was recently brought down from Chicago, IL - previously a two-owner car owned by doctors - and looks like crap - it has had rough treatment inside and out - and has corrosion from salt in Chicago and cannot be too far from rusting out.

Mine has been treated as the Dallas, Texas one, always garaged, never having spent the winters in the northland of salt.
Under the hood, mine is immaculate - under the hood of the one from Chicago, it looks like crap. He's a buddy of mine and he brought it over to my place to learn how to maintain it - so I got to see what poor shape it is in. He was amazed at the condition of my car when I popped the hood versus his car.

My point is that you look at the condition of the car to guide your purchase, not records, or necessarily miles.

 

[Skid Row Joe]

I would not get a diesel with 75-100K miles if it doesn't have any maintenance history. However I would buy one with 200K miles if it has a good maintenance history.

I read your dumbunny statement. It's still the dumbest thing I've ever read about buying a used MB diesel.

Apparently you're not able to comprehend my testimonial post about the superb condition W126 with 93K miles I bought with no records - and drove 210,000 damn near trouble-free miles, to 305K miles. All with no records.

No wonder you don't own an MB diesel.:thumbsup:

 

[Kajtek1]

Joe has very valid point about corrosion. I used to live in 4 seasons where 3 years old car had rusted holes in the fenders. Now I really enjoy CA where 20 years old cars have no rust.
Just took some pictures of my car yesterday. The 12 years old car is still mistaken for a new one. Here is the picture of spring perches, that give other members headaches. Even my car is originally from East, there is no sign of rust anywhere.

 

[C_R]

I read your dumbunny statement. It's still the dumbest thing I've read about buying a used MB diesel. Apparently you're not able to comprehend my testimony about the W126 I bought with no records - and drove 210,000 damn near trouble-free miles. All with no records.

No wonder you don't own an MB diesel.:thumbsup:

What an extremely rude person you are. This kind of attitude tolerated in OT section.
BTW you are giving one example which pertains to you which is not always the case.

I am emphasizing that a maintenance his is crucial. What you are tellinh the OP is nothing more than Russian Roulette.

You are acting and speaking like a teenager. very rude, very sad. Take this behavior to BWOT

 

[Kajtek1]

I know Joe for long years from different forum.
He didn't change much