I was interested to see today an 05 CDI on Craigslist, apparently in all-round excellent condition, 160k miles, for $10,995 OBO. That (i.e. the combination of mileage and price) struck me as significant.

Just so we're clear: You can now get a NON high mileage CDI for ten grand.

So how does that impact W210 pricing? And how does that impact W124 pricing?

What a fun time to be an MB diesel buyer!

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k 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

not to be a debbie downer, but.... 160k seems like a lot of miles to me for a 9 year old car. i've found that folks who drive a ton of miles on a brand new car often don't follow the maintenance schedule too closely. and 160k is right around the time the car will need some serious maintenance attention. and these newer models are not anywhere near as shade tree mechanic friendly as the older ones were.

also 10,995 is 11 grand, not 10.

160k in 9 years = ~17,800 miles/year. That's not so much.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

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."

"Not anywhere near as shade tree mechanic friendly" is the key phrase here.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

To answer shertex's question, I could see that CDI prices going down might affect the W210 a little bit, but I think that the W124 and W123 are so old that they won't be affected by CDIs anymore -- they've pretty much hit rock bottom in terms of depreciation.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

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."

I think it speaks more to the complexity of newer cars. Something happens to that transmission, or turbo, or fuel injection system...or a myriad of other systems and an 05 it's big money to fix.

There W123's that frequently fetch 10 grand and more. They are more durable and easier to fix. An 05 is decades away from being something people have a respect for like they do a car from the 50's, 60's, 7's...and the 80's are now falling into that arena.

Modern cars, may struggle to get that kind of passion going, but there will always be those that do.

Mercedes' reputation also was struggling during the whole DaimlerChrysler era.

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1983 W123 300TD US spec Turbo engine, with Euro bumpers and manual climate control, and manual transmission.

The lister is open to offers… Which tells me it can be had for 10 grand. Compared to the other CDI's that are out there, this is reasonably low mileage. From what I can tell from the ad, the owner has stayed on top of the maintenance.

I'm simply making the point the prices are really starting to come down across the board.... Which I guess is what we would expect over time.

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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k 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

...but CDIs in the same condition as the $10k W123s are a whole lot expensive.

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

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."

Agree, I'm seeing a lot of newer (1998-up) cars, not necessarily MB, in the junkyards with no sign of serious body damage. Apparently those cars, by now on owner #2 or #3, had some kind of engine or transmission problem deemed too expensive to fix. When people can get a new or used car loan for 5% or whatever it is these days, it's hard to justify several thousand dollars in repairs when one can get a new or newer car for a few hundred a month in loan payments.

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Well, if "160K miles" to you, is; "low miles," I guess you're in a far different place in regards; "low miles," than me.

Just so we're clear: what mileage is HIGH mileage on a CDI to you, at any price?

"160k" on ANY car is NOT low miles.

If you want reality in pricing, go with; KBB or NADA. ANY car with "160K miles," is NOT low miles. At ANY price. Which is simply the point I'm making.

Well, some consider that 'low' for 33 year-old car.
And others have called 200K, "the 'NEW' 100K".

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

There is no " 'NEW' 100K". 100K, is 100K. It always has been too...

"160K miles," is never "low-mileage," for any car.

Where the OP came up with that one - well, he's going to have to explain where he did......lol

Sure it is. For a 123.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Perhaps to you it is, but "160K" is not "low-miles."