Quote:
Originally Posted by spliteye
Yeah, I know that the 190D is a completely different car with more engine options. They don't really seem to compare much, but I was curious because of the great fuel economy. They just seem a little more complicated than the 240D and I fear the repairs could cost me the fuel savings over the 240D. Am I way off on this?
Oh, one more thing. How many miles are "too much"? I see lots of 240D cars with 180K or so miles, 190Ds with 160-180K, 300Ds with 180-250K, and 300SDs with well over 300K.
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To the first question here, I think you would not really see much difference in repair costs between the two engines unless you buy a bad example or the transmission in the 190D goes bad. The automatics in the W201 are pretty good but have their weak points, mine was replaced probably originally because of the common issues with these transmissions (which usually is the B2 piston, not too costly of a fix DIY) but the PO took it to a guy that slapped in a transmission from a parts yard, and that transmission failed almost immediately, which I hoped was the typical problem but turned out that water got into that transmission as is sat in the parts yard and that was the end of that transmission. I ponied up and bought a remaned transmission with a 3 year warranty for $2100 after determining that it would not be viable to find another used transmission. Realize I just put that transmission in less than 5,000 miles ago so the original transmission had around 305,000 miles on it before it had problems, very good for an automatic, especially if you compare it to the Plymouth van I grew up in (died at 120K miles, past what they usually go at).
The engine's most common problem is the vacuum pump if it has not been replaced with the updated style, which many out there for sale have probably already been upgraded. An expensive weak point on the 240D would be the AC system, mainly the compressor, but by 1986 I believe it was, Mercedes switched from using crappy GM compressors and went to more reliable denso units.
Now for your second question: miles. I think you could honestly go out there and buy either of these cars with 800,000 miles and be fine IF the car has been taken care of. Look to see if the suspension bushings are rotted, the tie rods are loose, the ball joint boots are cracked, the axle boots are intact, the flex disks are intact, the engine and transmission mounts are not collapsed (cause terrible vibrations in the car), do a compression test if possible, a blowby test, make sure the diff is not leaking, check if the steering feels loose (worn steering box), the brakes are not spongy, the door locks work, the AC/heat works, check for sounds that shouldn't be there. If the owner has maintenance records, even better. Make sure the odometer matches the documentation.
Usually with a lower mile car, there are less issues but that is not always the case and there are as I said, exceptions to the idea that high mile cars are not good to get. I will say repairs add up quickly if you use a shop, but parts can still add up quickly if you do your work yourself. I have way more invested in my 190D than it is worth but it is starting to get to be to the point where most of the things that normally go have been replaced.