Hey guys... long time lover of the W124 300D's... really enjoy the simplicity of the cars, build quality, etc. My current daily driver is a '92 300D with about 200k miles on it and it's a great car.

Oddly enough - my 17 yr old son has fallen in love with these cars as well and has asked if he could buy my 300D from me which has gotten me to start looking for a replacement for me if I decide to sell it to him.

There is a local '93 300SD here in the area with what appears to be a bad B2 piston (reverse but no forward gears). I haven't seen the car yet but I'm worried about all the electronic gadgets in the car that tend to break/fail over 20 years.

Should I stick with the old basic 300D? Or should I not be worried about the 300SD?

Advice?

Thanks,

-John

Some consideration should be if you do your own work or not. Paid for service can add up pretty fast these days.

There are some indications that 123s had bottomed out pricewise and are starting to increase in value as well. As you mentioned one asset is they are much simpler cars and becoming a bit of an icon.

There is no other brand of car I can think of on the road today that resembles a 123. Parts in general are still available as well.

I do all my own work on the cars - no issue there.

I don't understand the W123 reference - I currently drive a W124 and the '93 300SD I believe is a W140.

-John

I would look for another W124 or then consider the W126. The W140 scares me...

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1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Search "rod bender" on this forum and others. I think the W140 is a beautiful car, but it is also expensive to own and the 3.5 diesel has an awful reputation. I do not think I would buy one unless it had a verified replacement engine, or I happened to have (or have easy access to) a spare 3.0L block, or the car was really, really cheap. Additionally, I'm not sure the diesel really offered that much of an increase in fuel efficiency over the 3.2 gas motor in the S320, but I could be wrong. I would think a 98 or 99 W210 turbodiesel would be a "better" upgrade, depending on what part of the country the W210 had spent time in (spring perch rust seems to be an issue). Or try to find a really nice example of a 95 W124 E300. Just my opinion, though...

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Christopher
'06 Mercedes E350 station wagon (silver/black)
'85 Mercedes 300D (black pearl/palomino)
'85 Mercedes 300SD (smoke silver/burgundy)
'79 Cadillac Sedan DeVille

'05 Toyota Camry (because always running is nice)

'85 Mercedes 300D sold back to orig. owner 8-1-06
'84 Volvo 264GL Diesel, owned 2000-2013

Thanks for the feedback - I think I'm going to stick with "simple" and my beloved W124.

Good choice. I think the 140 is way too complicated for my relatively simple tastes.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I have 1985 300SD and 1990 350SDL #126. Great and simple to fix everything. Had 1976 240D which was #115. SD are quieter to drive and 350 is quieter still. Should be able to buy a perfect daily driver for $2500-$4500.

Sorry went right past you having a 124. A 124 is still a much simpler car though than the 140.

But wait, i'm confused. I thought the rod benders were the 350 SD?

If you pass on this car can you send me info about it.

I live in East NC. DC would not be too far to go for a good deal. I am looking for a cheap daily driver in the $2-3K range. My wife has taken over my civic hybrid (she has the longer commute)

I've never owned a Mercedes but ihave had 35 or so cars including a lot of german and swedish models, no problem learnign another car and doing my own wrenching.

Link to ad?

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the w140 300SD has the same engine as the 90-91 w126 350SD/SDL, and thus the same "rod bender" issues. I'm not sure why Mercedes changed from 350 to 300 with the w140...maybe to lessen the stigma of the rod bender 350s?

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1986 300SDL - 116K
2014 Prius Plug-in (company car)
2014 Q5 TDI (wife's car)

The Rodbenders are ALL S Class Diesels from 90-94 be it a 350SDL or a 300SD ALL are rodbenders unless the motor has been changed.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Here is the Craigslist URL: 1993 Mercedes 300 SD Turbodiesel

Reverse gears - no forward. Appears to be a B2 failure?

Playing devil's advocate, that's disposable car money and hopefully optimistic on his part. If you enjoy learning new things, go for it. As complicated as a W140 Diesel is, it's no more likely to leave you stranded than a W124 Diesel. Bent rods will get you home after head cracks leave you stranded.

Since the engine runs, you can check ACC function which should give you a better indication of the value of the car.

What's the mileage on it? Maintenance records? Indication of replaced or rebuilt engine? How do you feel about doing a 3.0 block swap down the road?

If you're the type who'll be discouraged the first time the trunk lid doesn't close fully, walk away from any W140.

An S320 is rated at 15/22 mpg, an S350(D) is rated at 19/26. Mine got 25 mpg combined and up to 28 mpg highway.

Sixto
87 300D