Bought 1'st Mercedes Today, White Smoke

[JayK]

I bought my first Mercedes today, in NJ. It looks great, but got it for really good price since there were a couple problems.

Here's the facts:

• 1995 E300D, Black/Black
• 198,000 miles
• New evaporator
• Original wiring Harness
• Very little rust for a northern car
• New fuel lines
• Car had only been run once in the last year, sitting outside, with half a tank of fuel

The problems:

• Slightly sticky throttle, but got better after driving it for a while
• Somewhat rough idling
• Leaking exhaust near or from mid muffler
• Bouncing harmonic waves traveling down the exhaust line, visible loose
• White smoke, not always bad, but enough that I had very little company behind me on the 40 mile trip back to Queens, and I saw one woman waving her hand in front of her nose

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the exhaust leak is causing a problem due to the reduced back pressure, but that's a stretch. Any ideas?

The owner was very honest, and I believe him when he said the noise and smoke weren't there before. What's the chances of cylinder damage or bad rings?

Thanks,

Jay