Quote:
Originally Posted by pch2021
220 diesels are actually very good cars. The people on here who say they are not don't really have enough experience with the model. I drove one of these every day for five years, 100 miles a day and it never gave me any problems. These are so hard to find that at 2800 it's really not a bad deal. No matter which one of these you buy, you will have to do some rust repairs. It's a fact of life, but it's all repairable
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When buying vintage MBs, there are many opinions. All are welcome! But to someone who has no experience or has never driven a 220, there are some issues to be aware of. With the steep hills, short on-ramps (some on hills too), road salt, and other concerns, a 220 would be a terrible car to try to DD in my area. I would be quite tense behind the wheel of one at most, if not all times; some drivers do not mind doing 45 uphill on the interstate and being passed like they are not even moving
They look great and are super reliable. That being said, personally, I would not want to own one due to the downsides of cost (purchase price and parts price), economy (comparable to a modern V6 gas sedan), and that speed issue.
The major issue with a 220 like you said is the same issue with any vintage MB, and that is RUST. In a humid climate, there will be rust. If there's salt in the air (be it sea mist or road salt) it will be a lot worse. The best vintage MBs you can find are garage-kept by owners who are meticulous about every source of contamination like 280SE Guy's pristine 108, or cars from dry states that may have baked paint and interiors but no rust (if they were not garage kept especially).