I am looking for a 300td wagon to complement my 240d (need a car with more space). Now that i am more educated on this topic i know the proper thing to do is a valve adj then compression test before i make a purchase.

Is there a way to tell if the engine has fine compression without this?

For example, if i start the car on a cold idle, it starts up quick and the idle is fairly smooth... is this an indication of good compression? Or... are there still other gremlins that may hide with bad compression.

I am basically trying to think of reasonable tests so when i go see a car, i don't spend 1-2 hrs do a valve adjst... then compression test.


any suggestions?

Thanks.