E300d 1996-1999
 

What Is The Best Year??

1999

Depends on what you want.

606.912 (N/A 96-97) the 97 with the 722.6 trans was prob best, the 96 had the 722.4 trans.

606.962 (turbo 98-99) the 99 added head air bags front AND rear + a few other minor changes.

All years are good durable engines including the W124 95 (606.910).

I like the turbo personally.

I've never driven a '97, and would probably like it too much if I did, but as it is I rather like my 722.4 transmission.

so was 99 the only year you could get the w210 300D turbocharged?

1998-99. You want the turbo, and 5spd.

the turbo was in the '98 and '99. Both are very similar, but as Terry mentioned the '99 has some added airbags and a couple of other things. I have heard rumors that the '99 had a slightly modified cam which is why the EPA MPG numbers are slightly different for it but that might just be folklore.

I've heard rumors that the first batch of 722.6 transmissions (early build '98s) had some bad valve body castings that made for expensive repairs. Also, the transmission firmware has been revised a fair bit as well.

I'd agree that the '99s are the best. My '98 has a torque converter drain plug which was removed on the '99s but no big deal.

That's not the problem...
 

The cars got progressively more complex (and expensive to repair) as the years passed. However, for those of us in the West, where fewer of them seem to have been sold, the problem is finding one regardless of the year. When I shopped around, almost everything I saw on the various ads, lists, etc., was back East somewhere. I would rather have had a '98-99 but bought the '96 because that is what turned up and I wanted to stop shopping and start driving.

Jeremy

Wierd. My 99 has a drain plug

My 99 has one as well. Build date was 7/98. They were eliminated part way through 99 model year production.

The 99's are the last and best of the breed:

These include the inclusion of a LED third brake light on the rear hat rack

Fiber Optic Radio System

More Airbags

Also my 99 has the drain plug as well...build date 05/99 (Which would mean one of the last diesels built?)

Additional Note.... if you like the w124 OM606 with the 4spd, you will LOVE the w210 with the OM606 and the 5 speed.... It's butter smooth. If you don't care about the speed then then a well maintained NA OM606 will do the trick.

There was recently a nice '97 E300 on eBay well loaded that went for $10,500 or so. Leather, heated seats, etc...

Best is to have one of each though :D

I believe the '96 is the most reliable of them. It has the old-style, vacuum-operated transmission (no software bugs to deal with and easier to service), no turbo to warp the air filter box or leak oil, and no MAF that goes bad, though you may get to deal with sticking intake flaps instead. Of course the non-turbo OM606 is quite weak compared to the turbo version, but it's more than adequate around town and normal highway driving.