Need some help ... thinking of a 90-93 300d 2.5

[AuctorEcclesiae]

Hello friends:

Well, it has been quite some time since I have posted here, and I do hope that everyone is doing well. Best wishes for a great New Year!

I surely miss my '93 190e which was decimated by a deer about a year ago. After that mishap, I got a deal on a Ford Taurus. Reluctantly, I purchased it. It's been a good car, but the gas mileage is beyond disappointing - it gets about 22-23 miles on average on the highway, and it's the plain old 3.0 V6 (not dual cam).

I do a lot of driving every year - between 17-25k, and I'm wanting to sell the Taurus later on this year so it doesn't lose all of its value.

I'm seriously considering a 90-93 300d 2.5 diesel, but these cars are very new to me. I did some searching on the forum here, and for the most part, and most of the comments about these cars have been positive. I'm 6'4, and I CHERISH the thought of having a big car with 33-35mpg. Since I'm new to diesels, I wanted to ask some questions to see if a car like this would be a good fit for me:

1. Are these cars fairly maintenance intensive? (I am not really a DIYer, but I have 3 great Mercedes dealerships where I am - Knauz, Motorwerks of Barrington and Zimbrick European in WI). I don't mind maintaining a car - my 190e required some initial maintenance when I purchased it, but it was a great car after all was taken care of.

2. About what mileage should I look for when shopping around? It seems that anywhere between 100k - 150k is the average for these types of cars that are for sale. Would that be about right? How long can these cars be expected to go?

3. Do the chasses of the 300d and the 300e share a lot of the same problems? For instance, I remember reading several posts about 300e evaperaters biting the dust and causing mucho $$ to repair. Can I expect similar problems on the 300d as well?

4. How often does the oil need to be changed in a diesel engine?

5. Can diesels be driven pretty much like gas engines - get in, start them up, drive, turn them off...............

6. What would be a fair price range for a car like this?

7. Is there a particular year (90, 91, 92 or 93) that was a better year for these cars? Is the latest year the best?

8. Is it better to buy cars like these at dealerships, or is it better to buy them privately? I've heard arguments for both, but am wondering what your thoughts are.

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I realize that these are probably very basic and somewhat stupid questions, but I admit that I don't know much about cars - I wish I had your expertise!! But I LOVE Mercedes and always have since my 190e experience, and would really like to drive one again. Any help, opinions or advice you could give to me would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks friends.

Take care,
Michael.