I'm looking at a 1999 E300 that is for sale. Is there any common problems that this particular year is known for?
Ease of access to glow plugs is a concern to me, my 1995 is a royal pain!

Very susceptible to rust...spring perches being the part that's a safety concern.

Glow plug access is a pain...plus they can get stuck in the head.

But all in all wonderful cars.

__________________
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

I bought my '98 E300 almost ten years ago. It is my only car, and I have been very happy with it. I am an old guy and hope this will be the last car I own.

Air conditioner repairs are expensive if you have to replace the evaporator ($3,000) unless you do a major DIY project. Maybe in Green Bay you can just ignore the air conditioner problems.

The glow plugs are a pain to change, mainly because the intake manifold has to come off to change them. I had to replace the catalytic converter, muffler and tail pipe. I did it myself with Mercedes parts bought on-line -- still $1,100. It is a relatively easy repair. I had to replace the water pump.

I have had rust problems in the front suspension, repaired at a cost of $500. Everything else has been ordinary maintenance.

Be sure to check the suspensions (front and rear) for rust before a purchase.

There must be several prior threads that discuss this topic.

I have been looking at two 1999 E300's. They both look the same but one of them has a big round Mercedes logo or ornament right on the front of the grill, what is that all about?

It's not an AMG designation for sure.

That's a con.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

Its just an aftermarket grille,quite popular in Europe.

You can swap parts around like that, not sure of the exact interchanges, but there is a star grill from another model of that era that fits the 210. The hood star delete plug is a stock item.

__________________
The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech

The lovely Mrs engatwork drives a 98 E300 for her daily driver. She gets all excited whenever the check engine light comes on because she is going to get to bring it to her mechanic. She said that she hopes her next car is going to have been built within the past decade.

__________________
Jim

Pros:
Awesome fuel economy. I received 35.4 MPG driving at 70 @ 2500RPM with cruise on in my 99 E300. My 98 even at its mileage returns the same fuel economy.
Reliability is awesome. I've never once been left "stranded" cause it wouldn't start, it stalled or died out on me.
Torque, and lots of it. These cars are slow 0-20 while waiting for that turbo to spool but if you are already at 30mph and you floor it the car will hit 100mph quickly no problem. I did that last night to do the old italian tuneup to my silver e300.
It's quiet. Many people are surprised to find its a diesel.

Cons:
Glow Plugs. This is on any diesel. If you lug it around town all day and don't give it an italian tune-up or drive it on the highway its going to load up with carbon. The glow plugs aren't as bad and shouldn't be "feared" like everyone makes them out to be. Sometimes I believe its the person doing it doesn't have enough mechanical experience to know what to do when a glow plug is stubborn. I hit mine with an impact gun and idled the car up to temp and they came out no problem. One took me four hours to do and I used a 3/8 ratchet and worked it back and forth with pb until it came out. Don't use monster torque with the impact like a lug nut and don't forget the old technique of loosen, tighten, rinse, wash, repeat...

Fuel leaks. This is the only "annoying" common issue with these motors. It's easy and cheap to alleviate. It's the delivery valves that leak and the o-rings and plastic fuel lines that need to be taken care of. Otherwise this motor is rock solid.

I love my w210s. They both return excellent fuel economy (low 20s city, sometimes 19mpg) but on the highway I see usually 30-32 because I like to drive at 80mph. Winter fuel is like 28-29mpg.

__________________
Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

Thank you for the lengthy write up and time spent.
I'm having a tough time deciding between the 1999 at $6000 or an '05 or '06 CDI. which I am finding for around $7000-$8000.
What scare's me about the CDI's is that they are so sophisticated.

The w211 cdi isn't too bad as you would think. The om648 is a good motor. They're good for longevity like the 606. A good w210 can be had for 4k. I obviously drive w210s, but I've driven both and can tell you that comfort and ride wise there isn't a huge difference between the two. They both look similar, and the interior is slightly more updated in the w211. Not worth the extra money when you can have a nice w210 cheaper.

I dunno. As one who owns one of each, I am convinced it's a worth an extra few thousand dollars (assuming one can afford it) to get a CDI.

Packerfan, this is especially the case for you because of where you live. A CDI will hold up under salt MUCH better than a W210. Not even close. Whatever you think you're saving by buying a W210 you will end up spending on rust repair.

But for someone who lives in the south, I can see a better case being made for saving some money and getting a W210. They drive great and are very comfortable.

__________________
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

Also, for an apples to apples comparison on fuel economy (I drove the 98 exactly as I am now driving the CDI), the CDI will get 5-6 more mpg.

__________________
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

Totally agree with Shertex.

I've got close to 100K miles of ownership experience on Diesel W211's and way over 100K miles on the W210 Diesel.

IMHO the W211 blows the W210 into the weeds, way better mileage, refinement, steering feel, cosmetics, comfort, rust resistance and performance. The performance aspect can't be overstated, the W210 Diesel was the first Diesel I've ever owned where I didn't think I was down on power compared to gas cars of the era. I never felt like I needed more power than the OM606 turbo could deliver in any normal driving environment. On the other hand the tidal wave of torque and wheelspin that accompanies the OM648 experience has to be experienced to be believed. You literally get chevy small block levels of torque and power combined with fuel economy that a Prius would be hard pressed to match.

Based on my seat time I can't think of a single thing a W210 Diesel does better than a comparable W211 except for maybe complexity/cost of service and repair. With that in mind the W210 isn't exactly a 240D when it comes to repair costs either, someone contemplating getting a W210 or a W211 shouldn't do so if the idea of a 1K repair is something you can't financially stomach.

Access to a Star diagnostic computer (or another higher-end scan tool) is pretty much required for any serious diagnostic work on the W211 but if you have access to one I think it makes diagnosis easier than earlier models.

At a 2-3K price differential the W211 is twice the car.

__________________
98 Dodge-Cummins pickup (123k)
13 GLK250 (135k)
06 E320CDI (323K)
16 C300 (62K)
82 300GD Gelaendewagen (54K)