Well, not exactly. The 350s have sturdy heads which incidentally work on the 300s as well.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL ... with 350 head

Don't base all your ideas on heresay.....funny thing about the 350 you will note is that not many people here have owned them...but seem to have volumes to comment about the car....so there is no knowledge of what type of life the car had etc.
I think its always better to take the opinion of someone who has owned the vehicle for a period of time (especially a 140) to find out what the ownership experience was really like


Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio

I agree it can annoy when people comment on cars they have no experience with, other than just reading the archives. But come on, how many horror stories do we need to read before we can safely say the ORIGINAL motors were junk? Is your 350 on its original engine, Warren? What else have you replaced on the car?

With that said, the 350 should have been by far the best 126 combo. If I ever find one that has the "good" engine, I'm all over it. The prices on these things are ridiculous though.

Another edit: Was browsing a used MBZ dealer lot a month or so ago. Guy said he wouldn't even touch 350s anymore. He ALSO has a customer with 400K+ on his 3.5 liter (140 car). Just had its first valve job.

__________________
'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Well said. I was basing it on hearsay. But surely there is some truth behind what's being said....so let me get this straight:

Pre-1992:

350 diesels have a rod bending rep (unless u got the rod-replaced engine)
300 6cyls have a head problem

Well, GM diesels of the late 70s/early eighties had a bad head reputation (as well as the early VW 1.6 units) - just suprised that MB had a few hiccups in the diesel dept as well. Anyone here anything good about GM Diesels?? How do they get better diesel economy than my 1984 300SD despite being in heavy Detroit Caddies & Oldsmobiles and being of 5.7 liter in size?

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Nothing sounds as great as a Diesel!!

I agree...but funny thing about 95 plus percent of the people that are doing the bashing have NEVER had first hand experience with the car they are bashing....

My particular vehicle was a one owner vehicle when I bought it 5 years and yes..it has had some issues....many not related to the engine but early 140's issues...mostly electrical and AC related
BUT like I said in my earlier post if you find a 140 that had been well taken care of...its a great car(engine included)
On the other hand if you find one that was not taken care of will eat your lunch..not unlike many other vehicles
Sure..mine is an old car..most recently I have had issues with the Bose amplifier and the CD changer which were both replaced or rebuilt

My personal vehicle has been 95% MB dealer serviced since I have owned it and EVERYTHING works to spec...I recenlty drove it on a 2000 mile round trip to Dallas Texas(my hometown) and all the while I thought I would be hard pressed to find a vehicle that I can drive 90mph,hear nothing but the sweet Bose sound system,feel a great ride and get 27-28MPG

my .002

Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio

There's nothing like leaving a black stain of rubber every time you accelerate out of an intersection. Torque = Power. And when you crank up the ALDA on one of these babies.... . Let's just hope that you have ASD!

__________________
1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

Hmmm, you seem to have left out the E300 Turbodiesel (174hp, 246lb-ft). And when the new CDIs arrive here in a couple months, we'll all be left in the dust.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Agreed!!!

Although if I could find a '99 e300 with Bose,Xenon and ESP I might be willing to make the switch and wait until the next time for the new CDI...by the way is the introduction late?...thought that car was going to be out by now

For all the 350 bashers on the list...take note of what the clean cars are still bringing in the marketplace with that engine.
From a value of the car/cost to fix ratio it still makes the car worth keeping



Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio

Nobody's 100% devoted to their diesels?

I couldn't dream of letting my diesels go. They mean too much to me. If I ever bought a newer one, it would just add on to my "collection".

__________________
1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

Wait, it must be space issues... or spouse problems, right?

__________________
1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

I have heard about the 320 gassers having a head prob (blown gaskets). But hadn't heard about the E 300 D six having a head prob. Overheat any diesel and you can expect major probs. What specifically was the inherent 'prob' with this six?

Well just to mix it up a little I think the 126 style is still the most 'Presidential' of them all and how can you beat the longevity of the 5cyl diesel. Besides Presidents never drive fast anyway.

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Mark
82 300SD 110k
91 Caprice SS
92 Jetta TD
97 Cadillac Concours(300hp)
84 Celebrity 4.3L diesel

The 1985 300SD was the best S-class diesel!!

__________________
MERCEDES Benz Master Guild Technician (6 TIMES)
ASE Master Technician
Mercedes Benz Star Technician (2 times)
44 years foreign automotive repair
27 Years M.B. Shop foreman (dealer)
MB technical information Specialist (15 years)
190E 2.3 16V ITS SCCA race car (sold)
1986 190E 2.3 16V 2.5 (sold)
Retired Moderator

Yes, the U.S. introduction of the E320 CDI is late. It was supposed to be here last November, but has been delayed until this spring.

Actually, Momentum (the MBUSA promotional magazine) is planning a photo shoot in the Florida Keys for a story to mark the introduction of the E320 CDI. They're looking for a "classic diesel" to photograph alongside the new techno-wonder. Anybody have a classic diesel they want to volunteer?

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

What criteria are you using for defining the best?...and yes by the way I did own one of those years ago so I can speak first hand...sold it in 1995 and got a 92 300D 2.5 Turbo which I thought was a much improved car engine wise(acceleration and mileage)



Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio