Looking for a W124 300D Turbo now.
 

Preferably the one with the 603 motor, because I'm not a huge fan of the 2.5 turbo. I'm pretty unfamiliar with these 603 powered 300D's so if anyone can give me some advice, I'd appreciate it a lot. What's a typical going price for one with 150K miles (or in that ballpark) and in decent condition?

Also, what's the deal with trap oxidizers? What years had them, and did all California models have them?

Just a Q: for anyone. Is the 1995 W124 E300 Diesel a Turbodiesel? If not, which engine does it have? is it faster than the '87 300D Turbo?

BTW, good luck in finding a replacement 300D

Thanks!

Nope, they are normally aspirated. That engine is smooth but about as fast as a W123 300D turbo, surprisingly. W124 300D turbo (not the 2.5) is faster for sure.

The 124 chassis with the 603 motor is a much more refined car than the 123. I have both and can tell you they are both great but also different. I prefer driving the 124, especially on the highway, because it is faster and much quieter. Around town there isn't as noticable a difference except for the power and slightly better smoothness of the later car. The only real negative I can tell you is that the 124 lacks the solid, cut out of one block of steel feel that the 123 has. I'm sure you've read about the cracking head issues but if you find a good car you'll probably be pretty safe.

My 124 has the trap, all the California cars did and I'm not sure but I think all US cars in '87 did too. By now they all should have been retrofitted with the catalyst. If you find one with the old oxydizer still on it be careful, it doesn't speak well for past maintenance, especially since the retrofit was/is free at any dealer. Prior to 1987 it was just California that had the traps.

As luck would have it, there is a decent looking '87 with 150K miles on EBay now. One of the photos shows it on a dealer lot with a $7999 price on the windshield which I'd guess is a bit high. I recently bought mine, a rust free California car with excellent interior and 105K miles for slightly less than that. I don't think I got a bargain, just a solid car at a decent price. While there aren't a zillion of them out there you see them from time to time.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your search.

Don't count out the 2.5! Mine runs great, and gives me super fuel economy. But if it's not running right, it's a dog. But at least no head-cracking issues (like the 3.0 6 cylinder)

Good luck!

I agree with Michael - you should at least drive a 2.5 Turbo.

They are slightly slower than the 603 but the difference is not all that great. The electronic boost control makes the 2.5 very impressive from low speeds. There is almost NO turbo lag - its a very dramatic difference from the 617 turbo engine.

The 2.5 also gets astounding fuel economy - In the summer my car approaches 40 MPG on the highway and never drops below 33MPG in any type of driving.

Outside of vaccum pump replacements every 100K or so I'm not aware of any problem areas with the 602 turbo or non turbo versions.

Tim

Speedy300DTurbo,

I was looking at an 87 300D turbo just last night that I was considering picking up for resale. I'm in Ohio and I notice you are in Cali.

It's marine blue (respray, no accidents) with blue tex, 177k miles, and needs a few items before its ready for sale. Let me know if you have any interest in it. Looking at the service history, it's had a new injection pump about 30k ago and also a rebuilt head (in/ex valves, rockers, guides, seals) It started and ran great and the suspension was fine.

Chris Blanchard
1984 300SD 156k

Chris, where is this 300D? It does sound like a possibility... private message me, and we'll talk.

speedy,

Good luck finding a 2.5 in CA. They weren't sold here and 'imported' ones are few and far between. Love those gills.

There's a 300D with 126K miles in Concord for $7500. Medium gray with light gray tex. AC compressor is shot and sunroof doesn't work but the seller says the price includes having them fixed when he sells the car. He pushes newer MBs so this one's sitting in the back of his lot. Not perfect but clean and presentable. It's the only one I've seen for a while with relatively low miles.

As a counterpoint, I see more per capita posts about major problems with 602s than early 603s so be sure that 602s are indeed more reliable if you pick a 602 because you think it'll be more reliable.

Chris, AFAIK, the 603 has no rockers. The cam pushes on bucket tappets over the valves.

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL

Just put my first fill up in my 300D
 

I thought the gas guage was broken!

Just bought a '92 in beautiful condition with 124K. Drove it like a son of a gun around town for two weeks. 338 miles on 12.26 gallons of fuel...?

It's great to drive; faster off the line than my 300CD turbo and weighs 400 pounds less too!

Even better, all the accessories work like new. What a great car for $9,500.

I agree with the other poster... don't sell the 2.5 short. It's very well managed by the computer.

Sixto: I looked at that car in Concord. What a dissapointment! Mechanically it seemed fine, but here's some things wrong with it:

no AC, paint was rough, passenger seat had play in the seatback and headrest didn't work, rear windows didn't work, rear headrests didn't work, sunroof didn't work, tear in drivers seatback, discolored and broken piping on headrests and armrest, massive dashboard cracks, engine compartment FILTHY, and a front bumper that was misaligned. All the exterior plastic and moldings were badly faded and discolored. Not good for $7500.

There is an 87 300D wagon for sale in the E'ville paper, $7000 asking price. Exactly what the PO paid for mine on eBay, but not what I paid.

$7000 for a car in good shape is about right -- non-working AC is good for a grand off (probably just a leak, mostly likely the expansion valve) but could be a bad compressor, and that usually means a new evaporator, too (take off another $2500).

Sunroof is a couple hours work, max, and new lifting angles, $95 or so each (last year, who knows what now!)

Keep looking -- they are out there. Besides, you don't really need the 3.0 -- the 2.5 turbo is power enough.

MB will only replace the trap oxidizer if it is completely plugged and cannot be restored to operation by the "cleaning procedure" (driving and high speed in second gear or something equally silly) -- they won't replace the turbo, either, until they replace the trap oxidizer with the catalyst and "test" the car. As if you couldn't see the damage to the turbine blades with the naked eye. My brother just had the one on his 86 SDL done this spring, so it is possible for one to still be on there and not totally plugged. His started whistling when the manifold seal blew out from the back pressure!

Peter

speedy,

Sorry about the wild goose chase.

The San Jose paper shows an 87 300D for $9000 at the Los Gatos Auto Mall. The price is steep but it's hard to imagine they'd offer a problem car alongside 6-figure exotics. They were a little condescending the last time I was there. Maybe my wallet didn't bulge as much as their typical customer's.

Sixto
91 300SE
87 300SDL