Interested in buying a diesel for its longevity. I have seen 2:

95 E300D, 33k mi, asking US$22k, looked on edmunds/blue book for trade in value for around $15k.

98 E320D, 47k mi, asking US$28.5k, looked on edmunds/blue book for trade in value for around $30k.

Concerned with degrading quality of recent MBZ model years but thought newer normally are better both design wise and safety wise.

Question:
1. does TD require more often tune-up/repair than regular diesel one? more costly to repair? last as long?
2. what price do you feel fair for either car?

Thanks!

I believe the decreasing quality rumors are nothing but myth and urban legend. I've owned 124 and 210 cars. They are both great. I've been hearing the "they don't make the Benz as good as that last model" stuff since the 123 cars came out, that's almost 25 years ago.

If it were me, and I had the money, I'd take the 210 turbodiesel in a heartbeat. This is the last of the Benz diesels in the US for probably a long time, or maybe forever. They are great cars and take no more preventive maintenance than any other.

There is not such thing as a "tune up" on a diesel. Actually there is no such thing as a tune up on any car any more. The preventive maintenance is really not much more than keeping up with changing fluids and filters as prescribed by the maintenance schedule.

Good luck and enjoy,

I'll second Larry's point - there's no degredation in quality. The newer car is certainly the equal of the older car. It may have somewhat different strong and weak points, but it's definately not lower quality.

Ignoring price, the newer car is far superior. It has more safety equipment, a more powerful engine, better fuel economy, more interior room, and a larger trunk. It has a very powerful air conditioner. It is superior in almost every objective measure.

That said, the older car is no slouch. The 124 chassis sedans have attracted much praise over the years. Consumer reports repeatedly stated that a 124 was the best car they ever tested. (Hmmm, I'm not sure I consider that a compliment, considering the source...)

Beneath the skin these two cars are actually rather alike. They both have the same engine, though turbocharged in the '98 model. They have the same rear suspension. The newer model may look completely different than the older, but MB tends to evolve their cars and keep the parts which work.

So if the price difference is not an issue, the newer car is the way to go. It's probably still under factory warranty.

On pricing, the '95 seems a bit expensive. It's low milage, but even so I'd expect it to be at or below $20K. On the other hand, the '98 is underpriced. I've never seen these below $30K unless the milage is very high or the car has been wrecked.

- Jim

In general, I agree with LarryBible and LarryBible, i.e., the newer car is a better buy if $ is not an issue.

Being a current 124 and 210 owner, I do want to offer a few counter points.

1. The interior material quality in the 210s is not as good as the ones in 124s, IMHO. The dash is an excellent example. Somehow MB is using the soft vinyl type of stuffs in 210s and they crack at the high stress points. On the Edmonds Discussion boards, there are several 210 owners having that crack. My 1997 E320 has two cracks on the dash. I cannot see how the 124 dash can crack and my 10 year old 300E does not have any crack.

2. The 210 trunk is a bit wider but a lot shallower than the one in 124. At one time, I was moving four wheels/tires and I can fit three in the 124 truck easily but not in the 210 truck as it was very shallow.

I would go for the '98.........both of those cars are priced very fairly...but the 98(I am assuming its condition is excellent) is the better buy.....either one would be thousands more at the MB dealer...besides that the '98 is a rocket compared to the '95 and you get the safety features like ASR and side airbags as well as having an actual glove box that you lose in the '95 becuse of the passenger airbag



Warren
1992 300SD
Columbus Ohio

I will arrange a checkup of the 98 TD with my mechanic and see how it turns out.

Thanks again!.

Bing
82 Gray market 280SL 250k mi, still flying
81 300D, died at 150k, did not change timing belt.....:-<