[miki6]

Hey all, I've been on the market for a MB diesel for some time now. I'm 31, and have wonderful, vivid memories of spending hours in my dad's 1985 300TD when I was a child. I love MB diesels.

I would most appreciate it if anyone could weigh in on a car I'm interested in. I'm going to check it out tomorrow. If it looks good, runs well, and has all records, I may buy it. (I'm handy enough with cars that I can asecertain on an examination and test drive whether any trouble areas jump out.) But, I welcome input from people here on whether anything looks problematic. It is a 1999 MB 300TD and has 181K miles, but I don't believe that mileage is significant for this car and engine.

Thank you in advance. Here is the link:

1999 Mercedes Diesel

 

[Musikmann]

I would want to see the areas bulged out due to corrosion. Otherwise it looks pretty good.

 

[mr.xpowerseller]

I wouldn't buy a used car out of a Northern salt climate, let alone one that is showing 'bulges'. That means the metal is toast and you will end needing to replace body panels ($$$$$$$$$). While the engine is good to 500k+ miles, how about the rest of the car? The pictures are small, but the interior looks beat. Its overpriced for the amount of work it needs. You could easily be talking about $1000's in body rust repair.

 

[DrJfrmLA]

I'm with Musikman about the rust. Beauty may be skin deep, but rust goes all the way to the bone.

Aside from that, I encourage you to take a nice LONG test drive to make sure the performance of the car suits you. Your childhood memories of your Dad's car probably don't include the relatively slow acceleration from stop and the iffy merging and passing power of the car. A TD is certainly better than a non-turbo, but these cars are not for getting in a real hurry. As a (relatively) young man, you may find the grunt of a diesel to be a little on the short side of your thrill-o-meter.

Good luck on your hunt.

 

[Kajtek1]

WoW. Really good price unless the car is a rust bucket. Other member in W210 section just complained that those diesels run for $15k.
The add is giving some BS like 45 minutes of rest cycling or newer wheels. Those wheels are older ones, but come from different model.
Read in W210 section about common problems with fuel leaks on those cars, so you can check them on the car. Otherwise I would jump on it right away.

 

[Musikmann]

The add is giving some BS like 45 minutes of rest cycling or newer wheels...

And what about the conversion to run on ULSD fuel? You are the diesel guy, so how is that possible? Or is that more BS?

 

[DrJfrmLA]

I'm not a diesel guy, so the particulars of what Kajtek1 and Musikmann said are off my knowledge plate--but my "B.S.-o-meter" is running in the red. Either the seller doesn't know much or he's counting on you not knowing much. If it's the first, just make sure he isn't saying something that isn't so out of ignorance. If it's the second, look for deeper problems than he is saying there are.

As a matter of due diligence, I"m sure you are going to get a CarFax and a complete mechanical inspection by a competent Mercedes mechanic. What you know about cars will get you through the superficial stuff, but pay someone to check the mechanical condition. It's just prudent, and it may help you not buy a white elephant.

 

[miki6]

I truly appreciate everyone's advice. Correct -- I should not "rush" into buying this, and if the "bulging" is problematic, I certainly will not do so. Any sense of urgency that I feel (and that came across through my post) was driven by the relatively good price of this vehicle.

Again, thanks. I will let you know what I think after I see it.

 

[Musikmann]

For what this is worth, and to which Kajtek1 alluded, we were just discussing the relative merits of the 1998-1999 E300 Turbodiesels recently on the W210 forum. The gist of it was how expensive those are. I did a nationwide AutoTrader search and only came up with about 30 for sale. They ranged in price from $16,000 (a real cherry) down to less than $10,000 for a few with 200,000+ miles and in less than ideal condition. $6800 for that mileage, which is not that important as you noted, is a real steal unless it is a junk heap.

 

[miki6]

For what this is worth, and to which Kajtek1 alluded, we were just discussing the relative merits of the 1998-1999 E300 Turbodiesels recently on the W210 forum. The gist of it was how expensive those are. I did a nationwide AutoTrader search and only came up with about 30 for sale. They ranged in price from $16,000 (a real cherry) down to less than $10,000 for a few with 200,000+ miles and in less than ideal condition. $6800 for that mileage, which is not that important as you noted, is a real steal unless it is a junk heap.

Thanks, Musikmann. I've been looking online to buy a diesel, on-and off, for the past three years or so. This one really caught my eye for that reason -- the price is right so long as there isn't something mysteriously wrong with it or the "minor corrosion bubble" isn't bad.

Again, I appreciate everyone's response. Whether or not I get this particular car, I hope to be a MB diesel owner with the next 6 months or so and be a member here. I've always valued well-built, quality automobiles over other vehicle attributes, and hence my attraction to MB. Thanks.

 

[Figuero]

Our '97 E420 went from a minor corrosion bubble to a rust bucket in 2years. Sold it for $3,000 two summers ago. If it were a diesel I could have probably gotten $4,000.

Some W210s seem to be made of the same steel as a 1979 Honda. Others are still pristine. I don't think there is a middle ground.

 

[JoeVal]

Bubbles in the paint mean that the only correction is to clean to bare metal with the connotations that these entail in work required ($$$) and associated risks (varied labor to reach all the body).

Look more than skin deep.

 

[Kajtek1]

And what about the conversion to run on ULSD fuel? You are the diesel guy, so how is that possible? Or is that more BS?

hey! You are becoming expert in diesels
The "rebuilt the fuel system for the new ultra-low sulfur fuels" could be understood as putting viton (sp) orings on fuel lines, but I agree that combined with the other BS the seller not likely knows what he is talking about.
unfortunately there is only one way to find how advanced is corrosion on the car.
Get good flashlight and good, flat screwdriver

 

[Musikmann]

hey! You are becoming expert in diesels
The "rebuilt the fuel system for the new ultra-low sulfur fuels" could be understood as putting viton (sp) orings on fuel lines, but I agree that combined with the other BS the seller not likely knows what he is talking about...

That is quite a compliment coming from you my friend. Thanks for that and for the conversion explanation.

 

[miki6]

Thanks again to everyone who weighed in on this; I truly appreciate your thoughts. I saw, examined and drove the car yesterday and pulled the proverbial trigger -- I bought it and will take ownership of it tomorrow.

The thing's interior is absolutely excellent; under the hood looks phenomenal and it drives like a (5000 lb) dream, and the body "corrosion" was not that bad. The corrosion defintely needs some immediate attention so as to take care of it and to minimize its spread; I'm debating whether to tackle this myself or take it to a body shop. I'm leaning toward the latter, and will certainly get some quotes in the next week.

I talked the seller down lower than his $6800 and believe I got a fabulous deal on the machine. As others noted, cars in this condition, year, mileage typically sell for much more. I'm very excited and look to improve the body and likely convert to veggie oil down the road.

I'm excited to be a new member to the board and rest assured you all will see more of me in the coming years! I will post pics when I pick up the ride (which, because it is a diesel, I am naming "Riggins" after the Hall of Fame Washington Redskins' fullback who shared that as a nickname) tomorrow. Thank you.

 

[Musikmann]

Congratulations!

 

[Kajtek1]

Congratulations as well.
With proper undercoating the car should be good for at least 10 years even in Chicago.
In the mean time you will enjoy huge savings on fuel cost, although I know small stations in Chicago charge a lot for diesel. Than if you fill it up at truck stop for less, you are going to be good for +-500 miles.

 

[DrJfrmLA]

Well done. Congratulations.