is 200,000 miles too much??
 

hi
first time on a forum...and not mercedes buff so please bear with me..

have been offered a 1990 250 Turbo Diesel to buy. i love it, its in good condition but has 200,000 miles on the clock.

can anyone offer advice on whether this is a good bet or not?

appreciated!

davep

It would all depend on the condition, if it was maintained and has service records to back it up, Id pick it up for the right price.

If it has no records, I would be thinking twice.

Can you provide more details ie condition , where was it driven, and maybe the asking price. I am sure the dieselheads here will chime in.

Mileage ?!?!?!?
 

IMHO, mileage is no indication as to whether a car is worth having. A car with 300,000 miles that has been maintained properly is much better than a poorly maintained car with 80,000 miles. Now with that being said, a high mileage vehicle will have things that are worn or near worn out. A high mileage vehicle should be checked over before the purchase as any low mileage car should also be. I beleive that vehicle has an aluminum head. I would check for oil in coolant/coolant in oil, if it over heats the head warps easier than cast iron. Just check the usual, and ask for service records, if they have them, great. If not, it is your way to devalue the car and negotiate a better price. Let us know, and welcome.

200k
 

Tomm9298 has good points for you to heed by... and well, 200,000 miles on diesel engines are nothing nowadays as long as it has been regularly maintained and taken care of most of its entire life... personally, I'd rather buy a 200k well-maintained (documented) diesel than another with less miles but clearly requires restoration and major service work here & there, and has poor ownership history... These diesel engines are indeed durable and reliable but still require attention on a regular basis. If you’re still not familiar, I suggest getting a knowledgable buddy or a MB Tech to scrutinize the car’s value/condition before your final decision. Good Luck! Post some pics if and after you purchase the car! :)

Where is the car at? Someone here on the fourm might be close by and could take a look with you.

Never heard of a 250 turbo diesel. I hope you don't mean a 350.

It's the non-US equivalent of the 300D 2.5 Turbo.

Thanks!
 

First of all thanks to everyone for the fast feedback! Very much appreciated and all extremely useful advice.

The car has full service history and the current owner (last 100k miles) has taken very good care of it - oil change every 10k miles etc. The car, like me, lives in Italy, so this is where its been driven. Price is €2500 ($3250) - I've had a quick surf around and this seems like a pretty good deal.

I will follow advice and get it checked over by a MB specialist. I hope it checks out as this forum has fired up my enthusiasm even more!

Thanks again - and will post pics if I go for it.

Dave: sounds like a good deal. Go for it. Post some pictures under this thread and feel warmlyu welcome to the forum for your future needs.