This is interesting to me.. I generally prefer naturally aspirated engines, the turbo adds a lot of stress to an engine, but the speed is nice. I remember when I used to drive my 83' 300cd it had a lot of pick up on the highway when that turbo kicked in.. it was nice. I can imagine the turbo 606 would just be incredible.. Best mileage I've pulled in the NA 606 is 35.. incredible. maybe i'll do a 97 and consider upgrading to a turbo 606 when the engine goes. How do you like your CDI? a w211 cdi would probably be the newest i'd ever go!

My '96 E300 is a quieter car, wife and I prefer it for traveling. The '95 E300 is more fun to work on since it's less electronic but the W210 has been ultra-reliable and there's rarely anything to do with it anyway (now at 312,000 miles and waiting for MBNA to send the second award badge, for 500,000 km). The engine is completely original; I had the valve cover off to check chain stretch at 270,000 miles (barely any, maybe 1°). In addition to a rear subframe, like that in the 124, the 210 also has a front subframe, resulting in more isolation, hence the quieter ride. POs took care of the initial teething problems; only thing that might be nice is the electronic 5-speed.

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

I found it very useful on the 97. One thing a good OBD tool can do is show you live sensor data. The W210 uses an electronic throttle angle sensor under the hood connected with a cable to the gas pedal. The OBD2 reader displays the throtle angle in %. with slow application of the throttle I found that there was a lot of slack in that cable. With the OBD2 tool in hand I adjusted the cable until it displayed 1%, then backed it off slightly to 0%. The result was much more responsive throttle.

Another example was diagnosing a weak alternator (low votage for several minutes after GPs turned off) vacuum leak to one one of the flaps in the long intake runner and figured out a defeat for the EGR. Also occasionally it throws a P0200 bad engine shut off valve code. I just delete it and ignore.

Now I'm using the Torque app on my phone with a $12 ELM327 bluetooth device. Works even better.
In my opinion its superior in a lot of ways. Besides the obvious dual climate zones etc, it has its own built in diagnostic codes that can be accessed through a hidden menu and it allows you to switch on the auxiliary electric fans remotely.
Automatic Climate Control Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) Memory - Mercedes-Benz Forum

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Now I just thought of something to ask the folks who have the w210 now. Especially in california. Do you have any rust problems on your car? I love the older chassis because there is usually absolutely no rust on a california car.

Yup, the front window frames in the channel that holds in the door seal, the fuel door, the floor underneath the rear seat where the battery is, the rear mounting points for the front lower control arms and the catalytic converter. Any paint chips or scratches need to be addressed immediately. Fortunately the car is white and it was all surface rust. The previous owner lived in Longbeach a couple of blocks back from the water. It was a good tool to bargain down the price.
https://i.imgur.com/QraDLx2.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/BSb0FdY.jpg?4

https://i.imgur.com/dQbe1mX.jpg

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i saw one for sale here in the bay area.. white ( my favorite color on mercedes, aside form the metallic petrol green of course) and it has a big ugly rust spot under the antenna!

It's apples and oranges comparison. The last time I drove a W123 for a daily driver, I was in high school. I'm now 33 years old. But I've driven W210 turbodiesels, for about 50K miles and I have 100's of thousands of miles logged on W126 cars. I can speak for those two.

First off. You're comparing the S Class vs the E Class. Totally different. The W210 handles way better, less boaty...More responsive. WAY less body roll. But the rust is a BIG issue. You REALLY have to keep up with the bodies on the W210....If you do, I don't think they'll rust out too badly. In winter, in salty climates, treat them AT MINIMUM every other day. Plus the spring perch issues up front. Always gotta keep a close eye on those.

The engine bay is much cleaner and simpler in a W210 turbodiesel. I love it. I especially love the electronic injection pump. No more PITA linkage freezing up on you, or crowding out the engine bay. Among other things. Just a clean design. But there are downsides, because things are more electrically based. Requires a new working knowledge. Not to mention the glowplugs. Watch out for those. It should be a common search term on these boards. With them freezing inside the heads.

I like the W210, but for me a W126 with an upgraded OBD2 interface and a turboed OM606 would be perfect. Until then, I think between the two, it's hard to decide. Maybe the W210, because it's shorter, more in-town friendly, cleaner and easier to work on (less messy wiring)...But I like the classic looks of the older Mercedes. Power is a non-issue. I think it's relatively easy to tune either the OM603 or OM606 to give more horsepower than you'll ever be able to use on public roads. Of course easier with a mechanical pump, though. I prefer the OM606 because they breathe better, but they have stronger internals. Stronger connecting rods anyways. If you want big power. But the OM603 can take plenty of power even stock, and you can always upgrade the rods, and crank the Hell out the engine to likely match any OM606. As for safety...The W126, IMO, has a much stronger passenger cage (from what I've seen)....But that doesn't mean they're altogether safer. Modern side curtain airbags are a big plus. The W210 is a safe car. I'd have no problem puttting a loved one behind the wheel of one. But the W126 is old school battletank ready. I like both for different reasons. I'm an S-Class man, but I truly do love the W210 for modern conveniences...(And better sound proofing, that's another big one with a diesel).

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

Thanks for the insightful and in depth response. I am a few years younger than you, and have driven w123 and w124 often. I've driven a w126 once when I was considering a trade for my 87' 300d and I remember it being a really solid feeling car. reminded me much of the w124. I think I am going to look out for a 210 because the prices have gone down quite a bit and I also love the om606 engine. I've only had the non turbo but i find the engine to be very smooth and reliable. The rust issue does concern me (even in california) but I think if I find a well cared for car it will be better. I get tempted to lock down a good conditon w123 or w126 before they start getting rare.