Uum...."outside of the Southwest or Florida?" -Explain that one.

I bought a '99 E300TD brand new and NO rust - so your "rust like crazy" is BS.

Just because your bought very used W210 is rusting, does not mean they ALL rust.


Don't buy esp. old used cars from Fla. Too risky on too many counts.

Buy a'98 or '99 E300TD - they're the one to have. Where are you located?

Why would a brand new car have any rust on it? Anyway...

The W210's rust issues (especially in the north east and other states that use road salt) have been thoroughly documented on this and other forums. Its a well known fact that MB changed its paint process in the 90s which reduced the body's resistance to rust. This problem is not just on the W210 but ALL MBs from the late 90s and early 00s. Here's a refresher course.


























Given the right circumstances all steel body cars will rust eventually. On the W210 the problem is much faster and more aggressive due to the low quality paint process MB used during those years. DO NOT buy a W210 from the rust belt or any place where road salt and grit are used.

Caveat emptor

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The information you posted was false, and you're wrong. I called you on it. My W210 bought new, has NO rust on it anywhere. It was bought in Nebraska and driven/owned in the "Southwest." You said that MBs in the Southwest are to be avoided because they have rust. That's false.

Now you completely changed your post, ignoring my cogent question, as well as the obviously false information you posted. There is nothing that says that an MB from the "Southwest OR Florida," as you wrote - should be avoided.

Don't take it personally - just because your bought very used W210 is rusting out, does not mean they all rust out.

To recap: They do not all rust out, and that's a fact. Regardless where it might get driven. That's just foolish to try to make ppl believe.

Please try reading what I said a little more carefully.
Been looking for a 98 or 99 E300 BUT...

As far as false information, I'm not sure what you're talking about. I hope you're not implying that I somehow doctored those images, although I would be flattered if you did.

Also I'm not sure where you got the idea that my W210 is "very used and rusted out". Maybe you know something about my car that I don't know?

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

This IN BOLD above, is false information, and you are wrong. I called you on it.

Please try reading what I said a little more carefully.

I bought a '99 E300TD brand new and it has NO rust - so your "rust like crazy" is BS.

The car is now 15-years old well over 100K on it, and NO RUST.

My W210 bought new, has NO rust on it anywhere. It was bought in Nebraska and driven/owned in 3/4 of the U.S. It's been driven Coast to coast and border to border, in ALL types of weather.

Don't take it personally - just because your bought very used W210 is rusting out, does not mean they all rust out.

One more time; the W210 I bought is NOT rusting out.

To recap: They do not all rust out, and that's a fact. Regardless where it might get driven. That's just foolish to try to make ppl believe.

I think the concern about the rust is at times overstated. I bought my 98 this past fall. Spent its whole life in MA (i.e. in the rust belt)....had rust (to varying degrees) on all four wheel wells and the area around the trunk key, plus some bubbles here and there. Since these are often the first areas to rust, I think it's a fair assumption that no rust repair had ever been done on the car in 15 years. I spent a total of $700 to get everything repaired. To the best of my knowledge, it's now rust free (other than the cross member beneath the radiator, which I will take care of myself).

I'm under no illusions; I fully expect to pay for rust repair in the future. But the car has low miles (73k when I bought it), didn't cost that much ($5500), is in overall excellent condition, and drives like a dream.

To my mind, the only realistic alternative to the W210 I bought would be a low to moderate miles W211. But I don't think I could have done much better than $12,000 if I had gone that route (or maybe $9,000 for a high mileage one).

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 154k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 172k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

I have read the entire thread, and the issue of rust has come up on a number of posts. I had a 96 E300d, purchased used with about 190,000 miles on it which had some minor rust issues, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. The one main area you want to have inspected closely are the front spring perches. I had my car up on a lift to have the tires rotated, and I inspected both spring perches. Both seemed totally intact, with no traces of rust, with the external factory coating intact. A week later, after the car had been parked overnight, I came out and found it leaning on the passenger side. At first I thought it was a flat, but further inspection showed that the right spring perch had failed, allowing the spring to break, and the front fender came to rest on top of the front tire. If that had happened at 60-80 MPH, I would have had no steering and no control of the car what-so-ever. Good luck with your decision!!

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96 E300d

In addition to what's already been said, The car should burn clean if it is running properly. No black smoke when you stomp on the gas and no stuttering or hesitating when driving. No fuel smells under the hood. Engine temp should be around 85C at normal driving conditions. Check the aux fan, both should spin when it kicks on when the AC is running. The little belt connecting the two is often broken but an easy fix.

Re: mileage. 30+ when it's running well

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Charlie

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'66 VW 1300 96K miles
'97 E300D 239K miles
'85 300D 203K miles (sold Sep 2012)

We have a '97 E 300 D that we like a lot, but with no turbo it is acceleration challenged and will smoke a good bit if you flog it. I think a turbo version will be better if you can find one. We are old enough to not mind the leisurely acceleration too much but we would prefer a turbo.

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'97 E 300 D