To buy or not to buy? 1999 E300 turbodiesel edition
 

I'm just posting to see what people's general opinions are about a specific car. I have two w123s and am very happy with them even if they don't start in the depths of winter and I have to Abe Lincoln it to work.

Mr. Benzasaurus however would like to have a vehicle in the stable that starts reliably at -5ºC or colder, is easygoing, gets decent mileage, and has, you know, airbags and stuff. We both enjoy the w123s but he wants a reliable DD.

Our indie kindly let us test drive a '99 E300 they're selling for the owner. We drove it around for about 2 hours and we liked it. We like our indie a great deal and trust them and their work. They've looked after the car from start to finish, or, at least, for all its post-dealership life.

How do people who own or have owned this model feel about it? Anything to watch out for? What are your general experiences?

I know there will be those who will want to weigh in on the price and condition and so on, so here are the details:

$6k asking price
140,000 miles
Near mint interior
Very minor surface rust
Indie will be fix all other issues before sale (including recharging a/c, replacing driver mirror glass, windshield which has a crack, and checking and repairing all mechanicals, etc.)

All input appreciated!

I own two of them. They....are....wonderful! IMHO the only downside is the susceptibility to rust, the spring perches being the one area that's safety related. Do a search....there are a number of threads discussing the merits of this particular car.

Not sure where you live. But, depending on the market, for $6000 it better be pretty close to perfect. Because, for not a lot more, you could snag an 05/06 CDI, which, in most people's book, is a markedly better car.

X2....W210 is notorious for rust issues. MB was perfecting their paint to lower VOCs. the bodies rust badly and sometimes from the inside out.

Not sure if there were also electrical wire harness issues with these as well.

Glow plugs can be a son of a beach to change.....have a propensity to break in head.

W211 E320CDI is a super car. Great driver's vehicle that is very modern, comfortable, fast, fuel efficient and contemporary looking. One recently sold at an MB dealer in VA with 180k and ask price was $6995. I'd recommend skipping the W210 and going straight to a W211.

Do research and see shopping thread on this forum and spread sheet showing recent prices.

Having owned a '99, I thoroughly enjoyed every mile I drove it. So much that after my friend loaned me his (identical to the one I used to have) last week, I am coveting his car! As others have said, the $6,000 asking price is a little high for the car. As far as I am concerned, any rust would make it hard for me to dole out that much cash, but that's just me. Some folks are okay with a little rust. It also depends on the availability in your area. At $6,000, that might be a bargain if there are not many others to choose from. Also having the maintenance history is a plus, and that brings up it's value. I can't offer any advice on a W211, as I have never owned one....Rich

There was a craigslist alert thread here that had a few in the Philly area (rust belt) going for around half of that. I would bet they have been discounted due to that fact. So like a lot of things, location, location, location.

$6K is a little bit above of what I'd pay, but depends on the car.

Glow plugs can be an issue, but if they've been replaced and reamed, you're ok. It's not always going to happen either that they'll be a problem if it hasn't been replaced.

Wiring harnesses aren't an issue for anything 96+.

I'm purchasing my perfect fully optioned 99 back from my friend who has the car now. The car served my family well, never let us down ever. In the 8 years we owned the car, it never needed any major maintenance. Returned around 37MPG (personal best at 65 w/out AC) and regularly 34.5-35MPG.

My decision to buy is a combination of a very nice car for a good price, still easier to work on myself, not too complicated and plenty of how-to's here and other forums if something goes wrong/regular maintenance. I have not seen the same amount of DIY info on the W211. (I'd rather DIY than pay the dealer or indy, but thats just my way:D)

That said, my plan is get a 05-06 CDI in the next 12-18 month....they are really nice.

I bought my '97 E300 turbodiesel estate (I am in the UK) for £1,200, as already mentioned, watch out for rust, mine is 100% rust free, some are perfect and have no issues at all, some rust really badly.

I wouldn't get one for that price even though they are nice to drive. The potential rust problems could turn your 6K beauty into a parts car or one of those "no such thing as a cheap Mercedes" nightmares if you're paying someone to fix it.

When I got my 98 in Oct. 2103, it had rust to some degree on all four wheel wells, plus some spots here and there. Spent $700 to make it perfect....still looks great. I anticipate spending several hundred bucks every few years to stay on top of the rust. I just look at it as part of periodic maintenance....I go the car with only 73k miles on it, so I should do fine.

I second that opinion. I just loved my 96 E300D, but the rust issue did exactly what you said. Parked the car overnight, when out the next morning and thought I had a flat. Turned out that the passenger side spring perch let go, breaking the spring in half, and dropping the front fender on top of the passenger side tire. If I had been doing 65-70 mph I would have been lucky to have survived due to lack of steering. Had the car up on a lift just two weeks before to have the tires rotated, and inspected both spring perches. Not one bit of rust showing, and they looked perfect. Ended up selling it to a junk yard for parts.

I would simply reweld the perches,change the flex disks,and if legal in your area,block off the egr.

For me I bought the OM606.962 engine, it just happened to have an E300 attached to it!

That's a compelling argument and for the price you paid for your car I'd say a reasonable gamble to take. But 6K (in virtually any first world currency) to my stingy mind is too much for a mid 1990s to early turn of the century Mercedes Benz - just because of the potential rust issues.

@OP heed the words of pimpernell!

Thanks everyone for raising these points.

The glow plugs have just been done so there should be no problems there at all. The rust was very minimal, some freckles on the grill assembly and a little at the corners of the wheel wells. I'll take a closer look at it to make sure it's not extensive, and I'll learn about how these cars rot by reading the archives so I can make a more informed inspection. The indie did mention spring perches being alright, I think, but in any case I would ask them to show them to me/us so we can keep on eye on them regularly if he decides to buy it.

6k is actually already above Mr. Benzasaurus's budget by $1000, so I think he will be asking if they can let it go for less. A CDI would be a real stretch for him price-wise right now, but he might be interested in trading up in a year or two once they depreciate more. From the spreadsheet the averages are above 10k which is double his budget. In any case, thanks for pointing it out—I had no idea it existed! But it looks like a CDI might cost too much unless he hits the jackpot and finds a cheap one. I don't know if he has the energy for a big hunt like that while we have to deal with moving this summer.

We live in CT right now and are moving to NJ since I got a job around Princeton. Princeton apparently has no overnight parking so we're mostly looking for places to live outside the city, and that means there needs to be a reliable winter starter in the stable. On top of that, it's possible he'll move to another side of his industry and need a car he can drive 50+ miles a day depending on if he has to cover a county or the whole state. In CT we lived in walking distance of both our workplaces, in Princeton that will be impossible on our budget. The E300 is looking like a solid bet for the money he has... with some serious dissenters, of course! ;)

Thanks for all the input again, it's incredibly helpful!

I hate to suggest it but with your budget and your future requirements it sounds like a Honda might be a better bet...

...after my escapades with a W201 a Ford Ranger was recommended! So perhaps something American that is cheap to repair would also be better?

You might want to also consider a '95 W124 E300 or 300D from early 90's. These are very reliable cars. Try to find one down south and bring back to CT/NJ.

It is too early in the morning coffee break for that kind of talk.

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You have wounded me in my very soul, sir.

...he currently drives an '02 Ford Explorer that is rusted out. I have waited for him to switch to a Benz for soooo looooooong (and to stop driving my sedan like all get out!). Will talk with him about the possibility of an earlier car rather than a later one though. Also, Stretch, point taken—albeit reluctantly. I'd just love to see him driving a sweet diesel Benz is all.

Or a 96/97 non turbo w210 e300 if its substantially cheaper. Just don't buy one that has wintered in the rust belt.

The non-turbos are dogs. Driven both non-turbo and turbo, I'd never get a non-turbo model. They are cheaper though which I'd assume is because the turbo model is more desirable. If the non-turbo had a 6-speed, I'd buy one then.

Non-turbos with properly working resonance system has plenty of pick-up for almost all normal driving conditions. I've cruised at 100mph out west.

Still faster than any stock w123 diesel and most w124 diesels which people around here don't seem to complain about. Unfortunately most of the om606 non turbos of this age have the intake stuffed full of soot and oil and the ecu is smart enough to cut fuel proportionaly so it doesn't smoke. Clean out the intake, block off the EGR and they come back to life. The 5spd auto is a nice touch as well. Mine was $2k and despite needing some work it turned out to be an excellent car.

Here is a 98 that is available in Hazlehurst, JawJa. A friend of mine stopped by to look at and stated it started up and drove out well. Price looks in line.

You will have to scroll down to find it in the ad.

98 E300

Our 98 E300 is the wifes DD.

A more helpful Diesel Mercedes option (given the requirements of use)

Mercedes Benz E Class W211 2006 Facelift Road Test | Road Tests | Honest John

The problem probably is the cost of the damn thing - they are expensive for a reason.

Must get a post 2006 uprated W211 not the early ones - this is important so make sure you know what you're getting especially if car loans are involved!

In the U.S. the 2006-2007 W211 transition is major even though the cars look the same from the outside.

2005, 2006 W211 is the E320 CDI, equipped with the inline 6 cylinder OM648. The downside of these models is they have the SBS electronic time bomb brakes.

2007 and later W211 are known as E320 Bluetec although I believe they did not start the (idiotic) urea injection until 2008. These have the V-6 OM642 that is not as near easy to work on (I have one in the ML). However they went back to traditional ABS brakes on these models.

Both engines have their issues - OM642 gets the infamous oil cooler leak (stupid $15 seal leaks that takes dozens of hours to change) and the OM648 gets the injector "Black Death" (injector seals leak, carbon blows out, covers the injector assembly in black tar).

The good side of the 211 vs the 210 is the fact that only the first gen 210 is available in the U.S. with a Diesel - the 1996 to 1999 models. There are no 2nd gen 210 U.S. models available with Diesel between 2000 and 2004.

The major first gen 210 issue has to do with the new water based paint process causing body rust. The spring perch issue is also major. By the time they got to the 2nd gen 210s (2000-2004) they had figured out the problems, but there are no Diesels available in the U.S. for these years.

Had a 99e300 and was very happy with it, drove nice, good pickup and good mpg

Sold it to my best friend and i now have an 06cdi

Think they are both good cars
Both older vehicles at this point and will require work here and there

Would think they are both pretty easy to self repair
Much easier than my v6 08
They both have their particular issues which i think is probably an issue on mostcars on the roads

Good luck and hope you find a good one and like it

Thanks and thanks for all the suggestions. :)

Those are all beautiful cars, but yes, much too expensive for us for now. We both firmly believe in buying cars outright with no car loans, so he may just wait a few years with the e300 (if he buys it) and then upgrade. He decided on a firm budget and he's sticking to it.

I think his plan now is to go away and learn a lot more about the model and schedule a time to see the car again. My plan now is to find a tacky joke-gift in case he buys it.

EDIT: I just got off the phone with him and he got a job offer down there (we were moving for my job) so maybe something else is a real option depending on the salary offer (tbd). I dunno though, I think he may have already fallen for the e300. He opened it up on the highway and sympathy for the devil came on the radio and I think that might have been it. He was beaming.

Oh good - another direction

http://www.kitschshop.com/acatalog/pink_dice.jpg

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA...3.JPG?set_id=2

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...uL._SX425_.jpg

The cheese ones are calling to me...

Was also thinking neon pink rim tape, the car is white.

Cheese ones are on Amazon - you can also get pink caps for the valves on the tyres and pink reflective hearts for the number plates...

...so I've been told (I mean I'm of course not into such things)

It's too late. We all know now. :D