If I were wanting to spend 10k for a daily driver, I would buy a nice W124 or late W126 with the 603. A near perfect low mileage one can be had for 2/3 of your budget, giving you plenty left over to maintain and repair.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

If the results of our in-progress 3.07 to 2.47 swap on my dad's SD are as I expect, I'd surely take a 617 powered W126 with that setup over a 603 powered one....

Our project will be nearing completion within the next 2-3 days....I can't wait to see how it performs!

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I think Mercedes stole the whole body style from Kia.

Some good advise, thanks everyone. I do like the look of the 124's, but they seem harder to find than the 210's. What years did they make the 124? I have found a couple of 210's with about 100K on the clock and am wondering what I should be looking for. Spring perch rust has been noted. Any major repairs come up around this mileage? Is the 210 a vehicle I can buy at 100K miles and drive for another 100K without major problems? I bought my 300D with 200K and while I have done my fair share of repairs it has been fairly smooth sailing for a 100K.

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1983 300D 280,000
1983 300TD 125,000 Killed by oak tree.
1983 240D Sold
1986 Ford F250 Diesel 6.9l 169,000

Yes. I'd rather get a 210 with 100K, for under $10K, than anything out there for less.

I'm a little confused on the 124 model. Is it a six cylinder or a five cylinder, OM603 or 602? Isn't there an issue with heads on one of these?

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1983 300D 280,000
1983 300TD 125,000 Killed by oak tree.
1983 240D Sold
1986 Ford F250 Diesel 6.9l 169,000

OM603, the 6-cyl, has the weak head, but it could still last forever if never overheated. OM602, the 5-cyl is in the early 90's models and is a bit newer. The head is supposed to be well designed on that one, but some cars may have a bad head gasket. Check for the usual symptoms (mixing fluids, pressurized cooling system when cold).

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

On the W210's, other than spring perches, examine the paint for rust bubbles and look for a steering wheel shimmy around 55 mph if the lower control arm bushings are bad. And of course check for fuel and other fluid leaks which can be present on any model. My W210 needed a lot of work earlier in my ownership, but once I took care of the issues it's been mostly trouble-free, so I believe 100K miles without major repairs is entirely feasible. Lately I pretty much just change the oil and rotate the tires. Still have to take care of the rear window regulators.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

W124 models were made between 1985 and 1995 (first sold in USA was the 1986 300E gasser). The first diesel 124 was the OM603 in 1987 (only). About 1990 the OM602 (5 cylinders) was used to make the "300D 2.5 Turbo" model. It was sold for a few years, don't know exactly. In Europe there was also an OM601 4-cylinder NA engine. The last W124 diesel (1995) came with an early version of the OM606NA engine. It also has a 24 gallon fuel tank and was advertised as having a 750 mile range. It was the last Mercedes diesel to have a mechanical connection between the footfeed and the IP and therefore the last to be able to run with a failed electrical system (a sort of limp-home mode). All later diesels (1996-up) are fly-by-wire and cannot run if the electrical system fails.

We bought our 1996 E300D (W210, OM606NA) with 248,000 miles because it came with a complete set of service paperwork going back to Day 1. You could see that the maintenance had been done. The first owner kept the car for 200,000 miles and took it to the dealer for everything. I would not have bought the car for any price at that mileage had it not had all that paperwork.

Only significant work for us was an overhaul of the transmission, which was due to my error--I put Mobil-1 synthetic transmission fluid in it and caused the very minor existing seal leaks to increase. The mechanic told me that the mechanical parts had probably another 50,000 miles on them. Oh well. We had a local transmichigan shop do an overhaul rather than pop in a rebuilt unit. They have a high reputation and stand behind their work regardless of mileage: Santa Rosa Hydramatic.

The OM606 engine has been extremely reliable (now at 260,000 miles). I've replaced 2 glow plugs and just yesterday had the serpentine belt and tensioner replaced. The engine uses no oil between changes. The car is driven regularly but only about 8,000 miles a year total so I use Mobil-1 5W-40 and change it annually. The EGR system has been blocked so that the IM stays clean inside. All major moving parts (timing chain, turbo, etc.) are original. Average fuel economy so far this year (mostly around town) is 28.1 mpg over roughly 2000 miles.

Because the car has spent its entire life on the west coast and garaged to boot, we have had no rust issues. I especially inspected the spring perches and found them to be sound. Tip: the top of the spring perch tends to collect dirt, which holds water and promotes rust. Anytime you have a front wheel off, it's worth cleaning that area.

The W210 can have wiring system problems. For a few years, Mercedes used a "less environmentally harmful" insulation on their wires; unfortunately, this new material was, how shall we say, "biodegradable." Some cars have had major problems, some have had none. So far, the only problem we have had with our '96 is the wiring for the reverse light switch (at the transmission). The tranny mechanic managed to bandage it and so far we have been OK. This problem affects some W124 cars also and the only advice I can give is to disturb the wiring as little as possible.

The later W210s (98-99) got a turbocharged intercooled OM606 engine and (starting in 1997) an electronic 5-speed transmission. More powerful, same or better fuel economy, same basic reliability but much more electronics and potentially harder to DIY (although some owners will not agree).

As usual, my advice is to buy the car with the best set of service records. A car with no history is a crap shoot. Maybe you'll get lucky, maybe you won't.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Synthetic ATF is what you want for maximum transmission life and it's not an error. The correct thing to do in that situation is to replace the aging seals, not go back to dino ATF.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

To update the thread:

I've found a 97' E300 with 98K miles on it. Second owner purchased it from Texas, car is now in California. Current owner bought it with 60K miles on it from a dealer who claimed it was a one owner vehicle. Current owner has three kids and bought a 320 wagon for more room. Car came with no service records when they bought it at 60K but they have all the service records from 60-98K. Have recently done glow plugs, motor mounts, brakes and some work to fix fuel leaks.

Asking $10300 but they are willing to negotiate. Any thoughts?

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1983 300D 280,000
1983 300TD 125,000 Killed by oak tree.
1983 240D Sold
1986 Ford F250 Diesel 6.9l 169,000

Sounds like it might be a good buy but be sure to have an inspection done by someone who knows mercedes before you buy. And the price might need to be lower. But I am cheap

Thats really high. You should easily be able to get a similar condition 98-99 E300 for that amount of cash.

it is not a weak head.. its just susceptible to cracking/warping if overheated like any other aluminum head

That's a top dollar asking price for a non-turbo car. There's a world of difference between a '97 and '98. Once you drive the turbo version you will never want the non-turbo. I've owned one of each.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)