Quote:
Originally Posted by LNGfish
Had you considered a W126? Mine is a 1982 300SD but it runs pretty much like new with 186K on the clock.
MPG not as good since longer wheel 23MPG base but not boring to drive at all!
Engine is 5 cylinder and supposed to be one of the better ones. Turbo sounds great.
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I have considered it, but I just don't need anything that big. If it were at the same fuel mileage, I'd think about it, but combined with the fuel mileage penalty, I'm going to pass for now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbolton1990
Might want to consider a 190D as well.
I'm about to acquire a 5-speed '84 190D,they commonly net around 40+mpg,BUT they're a) rare and b) lack the power of a 5cyl turbo (unless you get the '87 which is super rare but has the 5cyl turbo engine,om602) The '84 I'm looking at only has ~70hp and ~90ft lbs om601 2.2l 4cyl but makes up for it with the great fuel economy.
And the fact they're veggie friendly is a big plus,I'd personally stay away from the gasser's unless you found a really clean one really cheap.
My two cents
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mannys9130
The 190D 2.2L is pretty rare but the 190D 2.5 Turbo is much more rare. I return ~40mpg on the highway at 65mph and mid 30s around town. Acceleration is lacking, but once at speed it's a pleasure. I really appreciate the 5 speed manual transmission. It helps reach the 40s mpg on the highway.
I agree with the 95 W124 if you still want to get a W124. The 606 is better in several ways, but don't turn your nose up at the 300D 2.5 Turbo. In the end, it may be worth it to go with the 2.5 when you consider the commonality of parts and such.
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I hadn't really considered the 190Ds, although it looks like those would be a nice option for me. I'll expand my search for those, too.
A manual would be awesome, but of the looking I've done so far, I haven't seen a single one for sale anywhere in the country.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wodnek
I personally like the 87 300D. the OM603 turbo is quite quick. Mileage about 29 on the highway, so you lose a bit from the later 124s. If not this, I would get a car with an OM 602 turbo. I have a 95, and its slow pick up off the line is quite annoying to me. The 700 mile plus range on vacations is nice though.
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Yea, I just don't need the extra power, though. The 95 is what, 135 horsepower? And the 90-93 is 125? Not a ton, but enough to move me down the road to and from work, especially if they return better fuel mileage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sixto
A $2900 E300 with 108K miles sounds like it needs TLC... lots of TLC.
Until gsxr chimes in, I'll suggest the 92-95 400E/E420. With it's 2.4x gears, it could get mid 20s with a light steady foot. That's on premium, though. An E320 particularly the 2.8 variety with it's 2.65 gears is another option but it also takes premium. I have no appreciation for KE-Jet. It was obsolete by the '80s and MB really stretched it into the late '80s. I'd walk past a 260E and 300E and keep going.
Be careful swapping longer legs into an older Diesel. The revs might dip into the stall range in high gear and you won't realize mpg benefits.
Sixto
83 300SD
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Did you see the link? My posts were being funny earlier since they have to be "approved".
1995 Mercedes E300D low miles
I know external shape doesn't dictate mechanical shape, but it certainly looks good from the inside and outside.
I'm seeing other 95s in my area that look to be in similar good condition with <150k miles for $3500-$4000 asking price.
I actually thought about the 400s, but I don't think mid 20s on premium is going to cut it, especially when the Accord (for comparison) can get 30 mpg on regular no problem, and is faster.
I didn't realize that the 6 cylinders require premium, too. In that case, I think my options just got completely narrowed down to a diesel.
Good point about the gearing and the converter. I saw that somewhere, that none of them had lockup converters, and that's a pretty big disappointment. A lockup converter and overdrive would probably pretty easily add 10% on the highway fuel economy for these cars.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimFreeh
You realize, of course, that you are considering a car that is, at a minimum, 21 years old.
IF mpg is a high priority, then a newer Mercedes should be considered, none of the w124 cars will impress compared to newer cars.
For the W124 gassers, the best mileage ones I've owned were the 86 300E 5 speed manual, the 93 400E, and several 94-95 E320s. All of them would approach 25 +/- mpg on the highway using premium.
For the diesels, I've owned an 87 300TD, a 91 300D 2.5 turbo, and a 95 E300. Best I would ever do with the 87 was 29 highway, the 91 and 95 both would approach 35 on the highway. The wagon had the most power, and neither the 91 nor the 95 impresses off the line. Disregarding the wagon body style (which is a favorite of mine), if I had to pick between the 87, 91 and the 95 as sedans, I'd pick the 95. I'd likely still be driving my 95 if I hadn't fallen in love with an 05 E320 CDI (which does absolutely everything better than any W115, W123 or W124 diesel I've ever owned).
For a daily driver, I'd pass right over the W124 line and look at W210 turbo diesels or the W211 CDI.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking W124s, I've owned a lot of them since 1993, and still have my E320 cabriolet (which I'll be keeping forever.  ). The newer cars have a lot to offer, and pricewise are not much of a stretch. I recently spent week in Tucson driving around in a nice 85 W123 wagon, and when I got back into town, I got in my CDI at the airport and was once again amazed at how much nicer the CDI is in all respects.
Jim |
Yes, I'm sure a newer car with more power would return better fuel mileage. HOWEVER, I'm looking at total cost to own, which includes purchase price and depreciation. If I can get a 90-95 car for $3000 that gets 30 mpg, it would take 6+ years to break even with a newer car that costs $7000 that gets 40 mpg. Throw in the fact that the newer car is going to depreciate more per year, too, and it's just not economical to spend more than $4-5000.
This isn't even counting the differences in aesthetics. Sure, it's subjective, but I've never cared for the look of MBs after roughly '95, and I think the older ones look awesome. Especially when clean.
My Civic is nowhere near "nice". I'm sure a MB 10 years older is nicer in almost every way compared to what I have now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clemson88
"...1, I'm not a huge fan of German long-term quality (or at least my perception of it)..."
Don't repeat the mistakes of those who gave you that impression of Mercedes. Mercedes made but a few 'bad,' cars but eventually some of the brand fell into the hands of 'bad,' owners.
I'd suggest you go toward the upper limit of your allowance, diligently seek an automobile which has all maintenance documents and thoroughly research the particular model before making your selection.
It appears you've already made a fairly good preliminary search and decided on the model which was the best first move. Good luck.
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That's a very good point, and pretty much why I'm here. I've never had any personal experiences with a German car, but I have many friends who have owned BMWs, VWs, Audis, and MBs over the years. All said and done, EVERY one of them spent LOTS of money working on them, hated them, and sold them for a pretty massive loss. BUT, they were all fairly new cars, maybe 2002-2004 at the oldest, and it seems the older ones have a lot less issues than the newer ones.
What got me turned on to the W124s was a recent afternoon I spent in a '92 (I think) 300E. It was a friend of mines, and we spent all afternoon cruising old dirt logging trails near where I live. We were flying through mud, bouncing through ditches, and literally going airborne over jumps. We did this for hours, all without the slightest of problems and with a smoother ride than any truck I'd traveled these trails on, haha. This guy drives his car just like this ALL the time, and has had it for many years with no issues at all. I would NEVER take my car down trails/roads like this, and he did it all day long without the slightest issue. I haven't laughed so hard in quite some time.
That's when I got to researching these cars online, seeing that they are a little different than the newer German cars that I'm more familiar with. So here I am.
In summary, it's looking to be narrowed down to a 95 E300D, 90-93 300D, or 190D (what year models?), with the slight edge going to the 95 at this point.