I test drove a 1992 S series diesel. I realize this car is much heavier but it was terribly slow when pulling out from a redlight. Once you got the car up to speed it really rode great. I hope a 1990 W124 Diesel would have better performance.

ROTFL! I've owned a number of VW's, and still have a Dasher diesel. They're efficient, cheap, and fairly fun to drive. But when it comes to luxury, design, engineering, safety, comfort, quietness, etc.... it's no contest. I realize that the new MB MSRP's are are about double the VW, so I'm not complaining, just pointing out they are VERY different cars!

I don't plan to own any more VW's after my Dasher finally dies. The main reason I keep it around is for the 45mpg, and it has a killer stereo that took me forever to install many years ago. That, and I'd get almost no money out of selling it, so I might as well keep it around. I intend to stick to the Mercedes 124 chassis for a long time... perhaps a 201 (16v or diesel), but definitely the MB!

giving a link to the e-bay site would be helpful, nothing to worry about. if anybody on this board really wanted it, they would have bid on it by now. i check e-bay for MB's about twice a week, and i bet pretty much everyone here does too.

$3500 sounds low, you should really go drive it before you bid. make sure all of the windows work, door locks, vacuum (the transmission will shift really hard if theres a vacuum leak, it will also be really slow.) sometimes thats really easy to fix, sometimes its hundreds.

220,000 miles isnt really that much, if its solid and you take care of it, it should last at least another 100,000.

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

Sluggish performance off the line is a common problem on older diesels (say, 1995 and older). Usually it's due to low fuel delivery off idle, and can often be cured with an ALDA adjustment on the injection pump. This is when the 0-60 time is handy, clock the car with a stopwatch, then you can tell if the performance is what the factory intended (and YOU just think it's terribly slow), or if the car really IS terribly slow! A 1992 300SD should be a little, but not much, slower than the 300D at probably 12-14 seconds 0-60 where the 300D should be 12 or a little less, if perfect...

actually, the auction ended with me as the winner. I am just getting cold feet. here is a photo

If you don't want it, shoot, *I* might take it for $3500... as long as it doesn't have any major issues...!

here was the description;

We drove this car approx. 50 miles or so and this is what we've found...There is a burnt out bulb in the instrument cluster. The radio seems to work but there are segments of the LED readout are burnt out , we haven't tried the cassette yet. There is a crack in the lens of the right front fog light.

It starts up and runs fine.

how do I change the bulb in the instrument cluster since I will be driving the car from Pennsylvania to Florida? I plan on having the oil changed before the trip. Anything else that I should do for the 1200 mile trip? Thanks.

To change the bulb, you pull the cluster out of the dash with wire hooks. The bulbs are special little things that you have to get from the dealer or an MB part specialist - don't go to NAPA, AutoZone, or other McParts places - trust me (BT, DT). If it's not an important bulb, forget about it until you get home. Otherwise I'd check all fluids, tire pressure, etc before leaving and have your AAA "Plus" membership paid in full before leaving! At $3500, damn, I'm sorry I missed THAT deal. Sheesh...

it's beautiful, looks exactly like my car. if you tell me that it has a burgundy interior, ill have to go check the driveway!

i also think my car is worth about $7500 at least, it seems you made out like a bandit. (knock on wood). congratulations!

i wouldnt try fixing the inst cluster light unless youve done it before, apparently its really easy to damage the speedo cable doing that. id get it done at the place you take it to change the oil, that way if they break it, they gotta fix it.

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

Dasher diesel, I love it. My 300D is likely going to be replaced by a Scirocco with a TDI swap and a mildly built suspension. I like the MB's a lot, and have ZERO problems with there engines, but thats about it...

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One more Radar Lover gone...
1982 VW Caddy diesel 406K 1.9L AAZ
1994 E320 195K

I buy my bulbs from the aforementioned McParts places. You have to be careful though, and buy the Sylvania / Osram "European Lamps". Not all places carry them though. I've had no problems finding them at Kragen though. The large bulbs are #2821, the small mini bulbs are #2721.

When you say "BT, DT", you got me really curious.... did something disastrous happen with something you purchased from a McParts type store?

Last time I tried was 2-3 years ago. The globe is just a hair too large, and while it appears to just be a tight fit, the bulb then breaks in your fingers while pressing it into the socket. Then you need to fish bulb parts out and go get the real thing! I didn't like paying ~$3/bulb at the dealer, so I bought two boxes of 10 from Rusty for something like $10, which has been working great. I'll have to check for those "European lamps" but I bet they're still more expensive than FastLane or Rusty...

Ok, I'm going to be the naysayer on this one. If a factory authorized (Pontiac/GMC) dealer turns to EBay to sell a car, and they let a W124 go for $3500, then the odds are highly in favor of something being seriously wrong with it.

Johnny, you're in Florida and you bought a Pennsylvania car. How can you possibly be sure that the paint is good and there is no rust? Granted, W124s don't rust as much as earlier models, but there are pictures somewhere on this board of one with a shock tower rusted off. So they can rust!

You should also be highly suspicious of the air conditioner in this car. If it has indeed been converted to R134a, then you will never be happy with it in southwest Florida, and it will probably never be right again.

Another major item to be suspicious of is the transmission. I've seen many stories of them needing a rebuild at around 150K miles. I personally had a 1987 300E that went to 163K and needed a transmission rebuild.

Speaking of my 300E, I spent over $8000 is maintenance and repairs on that car in just two years. That included 2 A/C compressors, a transmission rebuild, and various other stuff that went wrong. Moral of the story is that you should have a prepurchase inspection done (even after you buy the car if necessary) so that you know what you're getting into.

Finally, my apologies for letting your original post go unanswered for 24 hours. There are a few of us who usually catch things like that and bump them even if we don't know the answer. But this has been a crazy week. Mea culpa.

Welcome to Mercedesshop, and good luck with the 300D if you decide to buy it.

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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

Good luck on the trip back - carry a cell phone with you if you can.

I've done a couple of long trips to get cars back to VA from down south. My personal rule now is to buy no car with a "northern" history - meaning north of where I live. Just too much opportunity for salt rust.

You should be OK with just letting the bulb go until you get home. A flashlight is a good idea for the trip too.

Considering where you are located, in the future I'd recommend Georgia and Alabama as good sources of rust-free cars. I've enjoyed taking Amtrak down to Atlanta and Birmingham and driving back.....

Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles