Diesels to avoid?
 

I have been half-heartedly shopping around looking at the current Mercedes diesel market. I have noticed the W140 diesels seem to be rather affordable. Are these cars to avoid? I see that they have the 3.5L engine, is this the engine to avoid? When I graduate from college in May, I will looking for a diesel. I really like the W124 diesels. What of the newer diesels are the good ones, and what are the ones to avoid?

Avoid a Mercedes 350 if it is the original engine. If it has already been replaced, then there is nothing to worry about.

Other diesels to avoid: Cadillac and Chevrolet "350" diesels. (couldn't resist :p)

I plan on getting a Mercedes, unless I get an incredible deal on another make. I don't consider having to pay for any GM product a deal... :p

We've done this before. Here are some threads to get you started.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/84822-what-best-year-s-class-diesel.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/80276-pondering-98-99-e300-turbodiesel.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/66474-350sdl-engine-rebuild.html

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/56983-diesel350.html

I know there had been, but no one seemed to be real clear on 3.5L diesels, or the rest of the '90's

Actually those were consider "Olds 350 Diesels". I was in Diesel school when those were out (80 to 82), they were actually doing some training on them! (Talk about time well spent, huh?). Roosa Master injection pumps!
But, ya know, as long as you get one that doesn't have the original engine they're pretty good ;) ;) :p

Gilly

I know you said you liked the w140 but look at this. If I were looking for the wife this would be it. As far as rock solid reliablity you can't beat these cars.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6330&item=2466422028

Yeah, that'd be a good one to have. One owner, kinda high mileage, wonder what it'll go for though, 6 days+ left on the auction. It'd be neat to get that one and try to spiff it up so it looks like a 91 (newer composite headlights, newer style 16 hole rims, etc). I like the 126's with the 617 turbos in it, pretty durable setup. Maybe it'll stay low priced because of the frontend work it needs. The real big PIA job on these is if the front swaybar breaks.

Gilly

I haven't thrown out the idea of a W126 diesel, but I really like the looks of the W140. Idealy, I'd like to get a W124 diesel. My family has a W115 that we love, but I'd like a car with a bit more everyday usability, and modern conviences.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2465207669&category=6336&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

Is something like this a gamble? Obviously I won't be buying this exact model, but from what I have gathered from previous posts, the higher the miles on the car, the more likely the problems have been addressed. Is it good advice to simply avoid all 3.5 diesels?

After looking at my friends W140 I could safely say I would not want to one any W140 without a good job, and healthy income. This is a very complicated car that would not be all that fun to work on. But if you find a 350 with updated rods; yes they seem to be very strong.

Diesel to avoid?
 

Yeah, mine. Too many problems and I'm getting tired of it. Avoid it unless you have a good bank account and lots of patience to work on it.

lietuviai how much money do you have into it? If you don't mind me asking. These are old cars and need some work to keep them going. I have $1078.23 in mine + the $2945 purchase price. Plan on putting another $4k into it over the next two years to perfect it. $7950 to drive a near perfect SDL is ok by me.

Hatterasguy, I don't mind saying. I paid the same for my car as you did and have almost the same amount of money into it. If I would have thought that I would have to put in a lot more money to keep it going I would not have even considered such a car. I only bought the car on the idea that they were supposed to be good cars and fairly economical, I didn't really do much more research on them. When I found the car, I took it for a good ride, it drove and ran good and that was enough for me. The previous owner had almost all of the service records for the car and it had an excellent service history albeit an expensive one, almost $18K in expenses over 19 years. I thought that since it looked like all the major things were fixed that I would have a fairly trouble free ownership until I was at least done with school. I guess not. I've got three months to go and I'm not sure if I will be able to make it. I'm going to give it one more try this weekend.
I just realized, you have a SDL, right? Mine is only an '85 300D. I don't think we can exactly compare our two cars. I may have had a bit more patience if I had only paid $2500 an SDL.

Yeah they are kind of hard to compare, price wise. But at least you have driven yours, I have had mine since Jan. and have only driven it home; about 8 miles. But it is not my only car, the Toyota will be my everyday ride until the MB is ready. I did some reading of your posts and it sounds to me, like this just might not be the right car for you. You sound like you want a GM or a newer gas MB. I'm not much of a GM fan but one of my friends is, and I guess they have there good points. What about the 1999 suv in your sig? That sounds like more of what you should be driveing.

Hatterasguy, I used to drive the Tahoe on a regular basis but now my wife drives it mostly since it really is her car. I'm needed the MB as a good transportation car for school as the Tahoe was not really practical for that purpose. I love driving the Tahoe. It's a fantastic vehicle, has a super amount of power, rides smooth and is very comfortable. I have owned GM's for around 20 years now and I know I a bit biased toward them. I've owned other domestics and imports over the years and I have never been as satisfied with any of them as much as I have with the GM products. By far though, my Silverado is my favorite. Unfortunately lately it's become a bit of a garage queen. It's in nearly showroom condition and I've owned it since new. I was too paranoid to drive it to school and leave it unattended in their parking lots.
I have good news about my 300D. I got it running good finally with the help of our forum members. I just have to give it a good drive and some time to see if it holds up. I'm keeping my hopes up.