300sd or 300sdl

[deeph8]

I am thinking of buying a 300sd or a 300sdl for my teenage son to drive on the assumption that they are pretty safe and slow. I once had a 300d and loved the car. The local MB dealer has a 1987 300sdl for sale and it looks OK although the price ($4,995) seems steep. The inside is really bts, but they say it is ok mechanically. Am I nuts to consider this? My other option is an older saab 9000. I have had a few of them and they seem pretty safe and are a lot less expensive.

[vwbuge]

I think the SD is a little more bullet-proof as far as mechanicals.

[DslBnz]

The most important is the cylinder head. If these babies crack, it could cost serious $$$$!

Oh yeah, what about the radiator? Is the radiator neck reinforced with a steel surrounding? If not, tell your son to be wary of the temperature and coolant light. It will blow up one day, and when it does, he'd better pull over quickly or BYE BYE top end.

They are very rare cars and hard to find period end. I'd have to see the car in person to know what it was though.

As far as the mechanicals go, these cars will give you no problems; just like the 300SD, except with 5.5 inches more legroom in the backseat and NO ADJUSTING VALVES EVERY 30K MILES!!

In fairness to the 300SD, I think it is MUCH easier to work on, and you do not have to worry about the cylinder head(Although you do have to remove the linkage to open the dome cover to get to the valves every 30K miles, D'OH).

The SDL is a touchy car, and requires close maintenence and a heavy foot to be kept in shape.