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  #16  
Old 02-22-2003, 07:41 PM
turbodiesel
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I'm sure she will love it.. good luck with it!

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  #17  
Old 02-22-2003, 10:38 PM
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Quote:
A white SDL, my favorite! One question, who in the heck does car loans for 16 year old cars? I need to find a company like that so I can buy a nice low mileage SDL!
The Dealer.
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63 220S W111
76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6
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  #18  
Old 02-22-2003, 10:48 PM
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Location: Minneapolis, MN USA
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Congratulations on the SDL! I think you'll love it and never look back.


On the loan side, my credit union gives loans for just about any year car. You ave to bring a picture to prove it's not a piece of junk and your interest rate is a percentage or so higher, but they'll do it. I bought my 560 SEL with a small loan from them. Try to get hooked up with a credit union!!!!

Good luck!

-m
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Now:
2018 Tesla Model X
1999 S500 Grand Edition 164k
1992 300D 2.5 Turbo 287k
2005 E320 4MATIC wagon
1991 Alfa Romeo 164L 99k (sleeping for a while)

Then: 96 Lincoln TC, 93 Lincoln TC, 87 560 SEL, 87 300 SDL, 80 300D, 89 560 SEC
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  #19  
Old 02-22-2003, 11:55 PM
w126TigerTank
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Good choice. You/she won't be sorry. Would love to see the pics when you get a chance.

Happy motoring!
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  #20  
Old 02-23-2003, 01:30 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Woodlands, Tx
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Thumbs up

I picked up my 87' SDL last Dec (2002) and have been very pleased!! I primarily use it as a carpool car and my carpoolers really like the comfortable ride with the leg room and of course the reclining back seat, it's referred to as the Panzer limo!!

I've also used it to take 2 adults, 2 children + 2 dogs on a driving vacation from Houston out to California over XMAS vacation. With the huge trunk and interior there was plenty of room for everything!

My only reservation is that when I'm driving alone I feel lost in the interior of such a large car! I get looks that make me feel like I'm a chauffeur going to pick up passengers!
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87 300SDL (115,000mi. 7/1/2008)
03 Jetta Wagon TDI (62,000mi. 7/1/2008)
75 240D(sold, sad to sell it, needed the garage for the SDL!)

Smokey
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  #21  
Old 02-23-2003, 02:12 PM
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I've also used it to take 2 adults, 2 children + 2 dogs on a driving vacation
Get this, my mom doesn't want to put her dogs (1 Bernese Mtn and 1 Shiloh Shepherd) in the back of her new SDL. So, her solution was to borrow MY car when she wants to take the dogs somewhere!
Then, she calls up this morning and says there's a chance of rain and wants to know if she can put the car in MY GARAGE!!!!!

Guess my Vintage 40 yr old Fintail is just chopped liver.
Don't worry though, she can ASK all she wants it wont do any good.
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76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

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86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6
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  #22  
Old 02-23-2003, 10:27 PM
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Congrats on the new SDL! That was my vote too, btw.

Now, to counter some of the "bad press" from Aaron and Jim. The 603 maintenance is LESS than the 617! Like, no valve adjustments, for starters. No stupid primer pump on the IP (it's self priming). One beautiful serpentine belt instead of 4 highly irritating little V-belts that are a gigantic PITA to adjust (relative to the serp - and if you argue this point, you've definitely never owned an OM60x.) There are other little things too - but in general the 603 was a huge leap forward from the 617. Most folks who badmouth them have never owned one, and those who finally do change their tune (uh, TXBill comes to mind! Not that he dissed the 60x in the past, that I know of!) Anyway, IMO, nothing on the 617 was "child's play"... I own both and the more I work on them, the more I appreciate the design improvements of the 603. I can't wait to unload my almost totally restored 123/617...

Next, there is no "vicious boost delivery" on a PROPERLY RUNNING 603 engine. If there is, something is wrong. I've driven some like that. The problem is the off-idle power is crappy for some reason, and when the boost builds & ALDA adds fuel, you get what feels like a power hit. Well, that ain't the way it was from the factory. A GOOD running 603 jumps off the line like a gas car and the power builds in a smooth, linear fashion. You should NOT be able to feel a turbo "hit" hardly at all. The root cause is usually a tired IP that is worn and is low on fuel delivery off idle. An ALDA tweak sometimes cures this, if not, the IP needs a bench recalibration at a Bosch shop (not necessarily a rebuild). This also applies to OM617's but nobody ever spends the money to fix the IP...

Next, the diesels up to 1989 have little if any electronic controls. There is an EDS (Electronic Diesel System) on the 86/87 OM603's, but it's there mostly to control the idle speed (ELR), EGR, and turbo ARV. And since all smart OM603 owners disable the EGR and ARV immediately after purchase, that leaves the ELR. This rarely acts up and when it does it may just be a bad solder joint like it was on my car - simple fix. The diesels that started with annoying electronics/computers that can't be easily disabled are the 1990-up models, especially the 2.5L OM602 turbos. As to build kwality, well, that is in the eye of the beer holder IMO. I doubt early 126's are any better built than later 126's. Now, the later CHASSIS like the 210 are a different story, there is a lot of evidence that MB "cheaped out" in the late 90's to be more "competitive" by building cars that are designed to last as long as every other car on the market - not the previous 500k+ that MB was famous for. But that's a totally different discussion.


Oh, yeah, some advice for Joshhol on the new car! It should do 0-60 in about 13 seconds, if it's slower, something isn't quite right. The serpentine belt tensioner is one known weak area of the OM60x family. Take a peek at it, if it's not PERFECTLY straight and parallel with the rest of the pulleys/belt, it needs replacement. They can fail in as little as 20-30kmi but can also last 100k+, just keep an eye on it. The belt shock can leak, wear out the bushing, and make a nasty noise. Cheap & easy fix when it happens. The other BIG thing is the vacuum pump, near the tensioner assembly. I normally recommend replacing this ASAP if there is no record of it being done in the past. The original design was flawed and when the bearing blows up, it can take out the timing chain and destroy the engine (VERY rare but still possible.) A new one is $175 or so, not too hard to R&R. With only 80k on the car your mom can probably delay this but I wouldn't let it get past 100-125k tops. I hear of them failing more & more as the cars get to be 16-17 years old now. My friends' blew up with ~125k (original pump), he was lucky it didn't cause any damage and was back to normal with a new pump.

Last item - watch the temp gauge closely. The aluminum head is just as sturdy as the iron, BUT has less tolerance for abuse such as overheating. The car should almost never get above 100-105C and that would be in mid-summer. Most of the time it should be 85-95C. If it ever starts running hot, get it fixed IMMEDIATELY (probably new fan clutch or radiator), or you could end up with a $4k tab for a new head!



Best regards,
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  #23  
Old 02-23-2003, 10:44 PM
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Hey gsxr, thanks for the voluminous info.
I did not notice any viscious boost when testing the car. It seemed pretty normal but did not jump off the line like a gas car to be sure. But that's the way my moms SD was. If anything, my 115 300D has more bite off the line than either the SD or SDL. But undoubtedly it's lead wouldn't last long.

The build quality seemed superb to me. It was no different than the 84 SD she used to own. If anything, the 03 C230 Sport had issues with build quality. I didn't like it at all.

That vac pump, gotta look into that. Does that have to be replaced every 100,000 for precautionary measures or is there an updated fix for that? On further reading of your post, it sounds like the new pump closes that issue.
I did brief my mom on the tempatrue issues.
Thanks, will post pics when I get my grubby little hands on a dig cam.
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2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6
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  #24  
Old 02-23-2003, 11:05 PM
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Hey, no problemo! I'd test the 0-60 time, if much slower than ~13 seconds then consider the ALDA adjustment (search the forum for details). Otherwise forget about it. And yep, a new vacuum pump cures the problem. Easy way to check is look at the front cover. If there are 4 screws like in the photo at this URL, it's the new/updated style. If there are NO screws, it's the old/original type:

http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/head_gasket/vac_pump1.jpg
(couldn't post - larger than 800x600 forum limit. )

Looking forward to the pix of the new SDL!

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