Hello,
I am thing about buying a Diesel...I am looking at a 1985 300d tomorrow; he says mint condition, not a scratch on it. Champagne Color...Service records from Mercedes Shop...It has 230,000 Miles on IT. He is asking $3650.00 I have had my Bug for 30 Years and I am not savvy about cars...I can't afford to buy something I have to put much money into...And I want it for a long time (as you can see I get attached to cars)
the bug feels unsafe to me on the freeway...and the older mercedes are SO stylish and well-made, and tell me if i'm wrong....Safe.
Is the 230,000 Miles to High?? do ya think?....Please let me know....THANK YOU...LindaJane

Linda, in my experience, these cars are wonderful to drive and easy to work on for a capable DIY'er. In your case, you might want to consider the fact that these cars do need tender loving care on a regular basis. Do you have a close friend who is a mechanic?? If not, the dealer will see big $$$$ in his eyes when you pull up for even the most simple of maintenance jobs. Valves need adjusting, things need lubrication, so on and so forth. There are many reasons why you should buy a fine MB diesel but count the cost in how you will handle the maintenance and repairs. Just my $.02!

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Orland Park, IL
1985 300SD 215,000 miles

Linda,

The VW you have probably does not have A/C, and automatic transmission, electric windows and central locking. But it is basically a pretty sound mechanical device, which has made it feasible to keep it running for as long as you have.

Well, the Mercedes-Benz Diesel you are looking at is a far more sophisticated and better engineered machine. The basic vehicle will last indefinitely with relatively inexpensive regular maintenance, so do not be taken aback by the 230,000 miles on the odometer. Most of the regular maintenance is something you can learn to do yourself, if you like that sort of thing. Make sure you find a good handcleaner though as Diesels make the nastiest, longest lasting grease known to mankind.

Unfortunately, the 300D model comes with an automatic climate control system, cruise control, electric windows, central locking and an automatic transmission. These things tend to go awry after 20 years and can be expensive to maintain. Especially the automatic climate control system and the transmission.

If you are looking for the Mercedes-Benz Diesel operating reliability, availability, and economy you might want to look into the 240D, last officially imported into the US in 1983. This car can be found with a manual transmission, wind up windows, a simpler airconditioning system, and possibly no cruise control, although if that fails and you don't want to spend money to fix it, the car runs just like it did not have one installed so there is no penalty.

The 1984 and later 190D model is also pretty frugal, getting close to 40 mpg, and it is a little closer in size and weight to the VW Bug you are used to. These are not as plentiful as the older cars, but from the record they seem to be very long lived an reliable. The 190 series will have ABS and an airbag, if safety is a prime concern. The older cars do not come with those features.

Don't let any of this throw you off track. The 300D is a remarkably well designed, manufactured and assembled machine. The car you are looking at may have been well maintained, and in that case should give you many more years of very loyal service. It will need an annual investment of something less than $500 in maintenance, consisting of valve adjustments, minor vacuum system repairs, fuel and oil system maintenance (filters, hoses in the fuel system, and oil) and the occasional alignment and brake work. As noted earlier, all of this stuff is unusually simple on these cars, and can be performed by the interested owner to save labor costs. Additionally a minor investment in tools, probably less than $100 will be needed to make doing it yourself as easy as possible.

To make sure you are not buying someone's headaches, you should take the car to an independent Mercedes-Benz shop where a qualified specialist can do an inspection. You may pay a few bucks for this service but it will be well worth the fee. The mechanic should perform a compression test, check the steering, suspension, axles, half-shafts, the drive shaft, its supports and flex connections, the airconditioning system, the vacuum system and the transmission. He should also look for any evidence of rust or poor repair attempts to cover up rust. Rust is about the only thing that will eventually claim all these cars, some just sooner than others.

Hope this helps, be thorough and be patient. There are plenty of great cars out there from this era and chassis (W123) that will give their owners hundreds of thousands of miles of economical and safe transportation. Good luck, Jim

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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)

If it's been maintained, there shouldn't be any basic problems with the high mileage. However, some of the "peripherals" might be a problem--like windows, door locks, air conditionioning, cruise control, etc. I'm assuming the body is fairly rust free? With the high mileage, the $3600 price seems a little high. You might want to try to bargain him down. I would think that $2000-$2500 would be a more reasonable price.