I sold my Subaru yesterday and am now ready to jump in to the world of MB diesels. I plan on transitioning the car to B100 biodiesel since a co-op just opened here in Asheville and am trying to decide which model is right for me. I am looking at the TD wagons because we have a growing family and need room for gear for all the outdoor stuff we like to do.

I've searched the forums and found that the SLS on the wagons can be problematic and that leaky tailgates and subsequent rust can be issues as well. Are these problems enough to point me to a 300D instead?

How will the wagon handle/perform versus a sedan?

I've found a 81 300TD Turbo close to home for $2,000 with 220k miles. I spoke with the owner's mechanic and he says it is in great mechanical shape, he has done regular maintenance for years on the car and that there are no significant problems. I plan on checking it out in person, but am interested in your thoughts on wagons vs sedans.

Cheers

$2K for a wagon in good repair is cheap. Even with some body damage like creased doors and a scraped side I paid considerably more than that for my '85 300TD. It runs like a gem, the engine uses almost zero oil and the AC blows cold (it still has R12 and thankfully no one ever had the stupid urge to convert it to 134A!) I've driven 300TDs half way across the country on two occasions plus numerous trips intra-state carrying five and occasionally six adults without problems, well one exception was the neutral sensing switch failed on a long trip, but with a piece of jumper wire I started the engine under the hood (very simple to do at the 3-wire terminal near the battery) and went on our way. And twice I carried over 1000 Lbs of ceramic tile in my '79 wagon and although I never got the car up over about 40 MPH, the SLS was really working. It never failed to keep the car level (this was on new shocks, mind you!) but braking had to be done very carefully and I stayed in S gear most of the time to allow for dynamic braking.

Owning two wagons and a sedan, I can give you my experience on them both. First, rust is an issue with either body. Check around the window trim on the wagon for rust, as well as jackpoints, wheel wells, floorboards, etc.
The SLS can be expensive to repair and occasionally someone wants to consider replacing the hydro shocks with conventional ones. My advise is forget that approach, keep the original SLS.

If the PO replaced the gas spheres at least in the past few years and the shocks don't leak you are probably not going to have any costs associated there. I had a tank crack and start leaking and one of the wagons blew the seal in a shock on a very cold day in W Texas (it was near zero with wind chill factor) but the leaking slowed or stopped when I got to a warmer climate but I replaced the shock$ anyhow
I like the way a good wagon handles but you need to have fairly new Bilsteins up front, and tight steering components including the steering gear, bushings and ball joints and control arm bushings, sway bar bushings up front. That applies to a sedan as well. You can plan on spending $2000 (or more) on either car (not including the SLS) to get the suspension up to new standards. Adding 15 in wheels and good tires is another way to improve handling if that is important to you.

The sedan and wagon have the same wheel base. The wagon may look longer but its not, and parking it is no different than the sedan, the cars are easy to drive and are capable of running at 80 MPH all day long. This applies to the 123 turbo diesels (I had a '85 engine installed in my '79 wagon BTW it's at 299,980 miles indicated. I'd drive it anywhere in a moments notice).

My tailgate never leaked except when I ran a coax cable for an outside antenna thru the rear gasket
Window regulators can be a PITA, they don't last forever especially if the driver jams them up tight against the stop and walks away. You should just release the window switch before the glass hits the top, that way there is no pressure on the regulator body, it tends to cold flow over time because of the way it was designed (using cheap cast pot metal) and no motor cut-off switch.
Let us know if you get a Benz!

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

I appreciate your input, thanks for taking the time.

A few more questions...

Is it obvious if the SLS isn't working right? Does the car look or act funny?

I'm ignorant about the 134A vs the R12- which is preferable and why?

If I can't afford to to the entire front end as you described, what's the first, most cost effective place to start?

Cheers

the only problem i had with mine was the windo leaking and no drains at bot of tailgate leading to rust.

stick with r12 if it has not been converted.

on the front end, not to be flip, but fix what is bad first. usually at 100k that is tie rod ends.


the wagons handle and ride nicer than the sedans in my book.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

SLS problems include a lot of bounce in the rear after going over even the smallest bump (time to replace the gas spheres), riding low in the rear (several things can be involved, as simple as the SLS valve needing adjustment or the little control arm disconnected or broken), leaking hydro fluid (bad shocks or hydro line leaking), bad pump (not likely but worst case).
134A came out to "save the ozone layer" but doesn't work well at all in the older AC systems as built. R12 is still available, some places overcharge for it but the price came way down in the past year. Worry about that later.
Have a drive in that wagon before it gets sold, and if your serious about buying one you may want to find a local Indy shop (maybe even the dealer?) that will do a a pre-purchase inspection (usually about $100) for you.

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

I love the wagon for hauling stuff around. Great car. We use ours for runninbg back and forth to our vacation home.

So far as the tailgate goes, I've had problems with my lock. haven't fixed it yet....

I also have a 240D...a sedan. Wonderful car as well. Its got 220K on it and was maintained by the same mechanic for years. Its great for running errands and things although I did drive it down to the vaca home when the family stayed here.

R-12 is the only way to go. My wagon was converted to 134 before I bought it and, as soon as I get the $, I'm going to convert it back to 12. I have seen some systems work fine with 134 but mine is not one.

I have had no front end issues with either. The wagon could use a new set of Bilsteins though. The 240's were replaced right before I got it.

just my .02

Cheers,

Bill