MB has updated the airbag requirement on cars built 90 and newer to 15 year replacement cycle...so that 91 should have a few more years on its cycle

have you had your airbag replaced turbodiesel?

your point about replacing the tranny on an SD and its market value is good....but I don't see the difference in paying 4K for a car and fixing it for 4K and having an 8K possession

in regard to driving 200-300K more miles...if that is done you don't care about the "street" value of the car...as you will be upside down anyway in regards to what you have invested
my friend that sold his 85 for $3200(that I used to own btw) was at that point...the radio went south..it needed front end work seats were very worn down,trunklid faded,wheels flaked, and clearcoat on the hood was starting to peel.....could he fix that for $3200.00....NO....at what point do you reach the infamous "law of diminishing returns"?

Warren
1992 300SD
Columbus Ohio

I have not replaced my airbag, but it should be done.. it has a small rip in the rubber covering and it is 15 years old.

But my point is, you cant make this car good for $4k... If the car had 150k miles, i'd say "maybe" but with this many miles, who knows what else is wrong, and you dont know untily you fix the engine.

I have seen an engine on one of these fixed for 4K...my mother's independent mechanic in Ft Worth Texas called Autoheinz has done it.....they reringed the car and did a valve job...car has run great for 150K miles and with almost no oil consumtion between intervals

now in regard to making the car good?....does you mean wheels that shine like new,leather that is unmarked,every electrical part of the car working like new?....absolutely not!!!....but someone that picky is probably not looking at an 11 year old car....I would venture thay are placing their order for a new 2002 model

according to KBB a 91 350SD with 260K car in fair condition is worth 8K.....

Warren
1992 300SD
Columbus Ohio

No, im talking about mechanically. 260K miles is pushing the useful life of a MB transmission.

Hey, if you really like the car, offer the guy $2000. The worst he can say is NO. If you can get the engine done for $4000 then you have a great car for $6000..

+$2000 for a trans
+$1000 for front-end
Some 350SD/L's had rear hyrdo-pneumatic suspensions.. Add another $500+ to make that right if not working.
Air conditioning.. $$$
Engine accessories.. $$
Electical items inside.. $$
Sunroof.. $500+ to fix.

It all adds up. Before all said and done, and YOUR HAPPY with the car, you will have $6000++ into the car ON TOP of the purchase price. AND you still have that worry in the back of your mind weather this engine will last... At least I would.

But my whole point is, you dont know what else is wrong until you drive it... which you cant!

BTW you can get a cherry 87 300SDL for around $6000.

And I know of two nice 603 block cars locally if you want a 6cyl diesel..

'87 300TDT 210K.. $3900
'87 300DT 202K.. $4500/bo

There are other cars out there, you just have to look for a deal.

When a 350SD has a bent rod, a valve job and rering won't do it. You need a fresh block or new cylinder liners or something of that magnitude, plus a set of rods. You'd want a set because the replacements are of a different design. If this car bent a redesigned rod then you don't want it to do more than hold down your driveway. Back to the point, a decent rebuild from this point still means a valve job and a host of other parts that will use up $4000 and then some. Hopefully it doesn't need a new crank.

The cheapest way to go is a running used block.

For the cost of getting the 350SD in decent condition, you might as well look for a W140 300SD (which has the 3.5l engine).

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD

I disagree....I think if the probelm is caught soon enough that indeed will fix it...but most people kept driving AFTER their car was making strange noises
trust me the 140 is a TOTALLY different animal from the 126....a diesel 140 in the same condition is a late model 126 will be thousands more...and maybe thousands more in maintenance as the 140 is a whole lot more complicated and a whole lot more expensive to fix...evap cores,closing assist pumps..etc...etc...etc

looking at tubodiesels list of pricing....most of which I would assume would apply to ANY 126...that makes the equations somewhat hard to justify in regard to repair costs verses value of the car

I mean you could spend 6K on a cherry 300SDL (according to turbodiesel) and spend most of that value on a trans and some front end work.(50% of the value)...and thats not even mentioning if the seats,wood,trim need any replacement.....


Warren
1992 300SD (140)
Columbus Ohio

Warren,

I was referring to the original post that mentioned that the car in quesiton already has a bent rod.

I don't disagree with you. I do agree with turbodiesel that $4000 is not a bargain considering that more reliable MB Diesels are available for $4000 plus the potential engine repair costs. The only 350SD features that aren't available or can't be made available at reasonable cost in a 300SDL are the passenger side airbag... and I'm not entirely sure of that one and color combinations. If safety is such a concern that a passenger side airbag is a make or break consideration, then a W140 is a better alternative regardless of cost.

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD

I cannot imagine anyone not being concerned with safety frankly

but if the car indeed has been diagnosed correctly and does have a bent rod then a good rebuild with updated parts will be in the 6K range...and then considering front end work etc you could truly be upside down in value...but I gather from reading postings here that many people don't care about being upside down in the value/investment equation

but I would still argue that the newer engine has advantages over the older ones is noise,smoke etc
and as I recall were many updates in the 90 model 126 car
time will tell I guess if the updated 3.5 motor is an reliable as the older 86-87 engine...but at this time I have not heard of anyone having problems a second time..if the job was done right that is

as for buying a 140...there are many advantages in features and safety but at a much heavier financial risk

I love my personal car..it puts a smile on my face everyday...is it nearly as reliable as the 92 300D 2.5...not even close...but I still enjoy it much more day to day

Warren
1992 300SD(140)
Columbus Ohio

I once saw what I taught was an early 70's 230C, but it said 302C on the trunk. It sounded more like a Ford than a Benz. The guy said the original Benz engine was eating too many expensive and hard to find heads, so he dropped a 302 into it because it was cheaper than another Benz head.

I hate to bring this idea up on this diesel site, but with the quality of a low mileage 350SDL Benz bumper to bumper (with no engine), and the price of a new Chevy 350, could someone match the two for under 4500 bucks and have a nice car with a zero time power plant? The idea came from all those Jag XJS-350 conversions..... nice body style with a very expensive to replace engine.

If I had a 350 that crapped out on me, the conversion might be a way to sell the car to a non-diesel guy. What else could you do with so many nice 300SD(5) and 300SDL(6) on the market so cheap.

Has anyone looked into getting a 400CDI V8 diesel engine into the US? Is it possible? That would be the conversion to have!

This thread is getting interesting, but the conclusion to stay away from the car remains the most prudent recommendation. Get a gas model if the legendary longevity and reliability of MB Diesels is not why you are looking for an SD or SDL.

While I have not heard of many rebuilt 3.5 liter Diesels being susceptible to bent rods again, I can not say it is unheard of. And when pressed for specific data on what the rebuild part design changes were, my local dealer found it more palatable to essentially refund my $7500 plus spent on a rebuild and put it toward the cost of my 1998 E300D. He could not tell me what the changes were, so I assume they were minimal.

When the rods bend, and you get any apparent notice, like noise, smoking or increased oil consumption, you are looking at pistons, rods, rings, re-boring/honing the block, and rebuilding the cylinder head. If there is someone doing this for $4,000 somewhere, and making a profit, they are not using MB parts. Just doing rings and honing the cylinder bores will not fix the problem, as this does not even address the bent rods.

Now, putting a 4.0 CDI V-8 in there, well, that might actually make it worth the trouble. But the point of owning a Diesel is to get the benefits, which over the long haul means you drive a car you love for a few decades and it does not cost you an arm and a leg. When Mercedes spawned this 3.5 liter abomination, they unbalanced the equation that makes their Diesels appealing in the first place. The slight refinement improvement at the expense of economical ownership, longevity and reliability is a bad trade off in my mind. If you do not already suffer from owning one of these things, stay away. There are other, much more appealing for their Dieselness models available. If the ultimate in smoothness and quietness is what you are looking for get a 300SE or SEL, or even a 420 SEL. They will last a good deal over 100k miles between overhauls, and are truly fine cars if the comforts cited above are your primary considerations. Good Luck, and stay away from the 3.5 liter Diesel. Jim

__________________
Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

I would agree with Jim for the most part......if your only goal is lowest $ cost. then you would be much better suited with an early to mid 80's model
as I think with each generation they get more refined but also much more expensive to repair...perhaps a 1982-1985 300D might be something you might consider



Warren
1992 300SD
Columbus Ohio

Alright; I'll leave it alone: I believe the general attitude shared on this car is not favorable; or consistent with the Mercedes tradition of superior and long-lasting diesel engines. I was thinking about the car with the reliability of a 123 in mind. The car though already has its head off, and when I looked at it, there seems to be some head damage, possibly warping also. The body is in great shape though. The person selling the car is not the OE and picked it up from a dealer that more or less was getting rid of it. The price would be negotiable, but if it's so much more in maint and repair cost, I'll look for something else. Maybe a 124. Just food for thought.

I really do appreciate all your advice; that I why I like this forum so much. I'll let you all know what I'll do next, when that time comes.

Thank you all so much. This is really a great forum!

Dr. Adam T. L. Delecki
ATLD

Why pay top dollar for a car that has an inoperative engine, which in fact must be its strongest point considering it's a diesel?

A 10+ years old MB with a bad engine is worth almost zero since the cost of rebuild/replace is going to end up being more than buying a similar MB in good running condition.

I agree unless you know that the rest of the car is in a condition that you will be happy with....but if the car is old enough then the cost of many lesser items (transmission,AC work) can come close to the value of the car......so I guess the question is

....Is the market value of the car the sole consideration when making a decision to repair??


Warren
1992 300SD
Columbus Ohio