Which Of The Diesels Is The Easiest To Maintain

[wishihadabenz]

hello all

I am helping a friend look for a used car for under $4K, and i have been praising to him about diesel benzs. I am a tech. at a ford dealer, and know my way around cars very well even though i'm still a student. Anyways, I would like to know which diesel benz would be ideal for my friend. Sad to say my friend is very lazy when it comes to maintaining cars so it would probably have to be one that wouldn't require valve adjustments every 15k like i've heard most of them do. He just wants something cheap, that will last, and is under $4K. Give me all the info you've got on stuff that goes wrong with these cars, how many miles is too much, etc....

Thanks,
Mac

[ktlimq]

I don't think my diesel engine needs valve adjustment every 15k.

Things vary too much car by car.

Many people said I just need to replace timing chain at this mileage.
But I had a mechanic measure chain stretch and he found my chain is not streched.

I had tranny fluid leak on my original tranny,but it is hard to generalize at which mileage this failure occurs in W124.
To find the leak area and to fix: $691. Replaced reaction valve and shifter rod O-ring and bushing.

Anyway, this site may be useful.
http://www.mindspring.com/~houlihan/mb.htm

[Bonecruncher1]

For the best combination of simplicity, reliability, and ease of maintenance, nothing beats a 240D.

It's never going to win a drag race, but change the oil and filters on schedule and it will be the best purchase you ever made for under 4K.

Depending a little on location, one in excellent conditon can be found for 3-4K. If your on the west coast its pretty easy to find a rust-free one. A little more difficult on the east coast.

Mileage is not as important as overall condition and documented records. I would rather have a 250K car in great physical condition that has all service records, than a 150K car with no records. Properly taken care of, the engines can go 300k and more without problems.

Good luck with the search. Your friend will not regret a diesel mercedes.

P.S. If your friend can't deal with the slowness of the 240D, try a 300D, though they are a bit more complicated.

[william rogers]

I find the 126 SD to be an easy car to maintain lots of space under the hood ,once you learn some of the MB tricks they are in my opinion a pleasure to work on. be sure he gets a mighty vac.I also find the SD to be quick enough for modern traffic,comforble,safe and gets decent milage for a larger auto a real consideration since we captured the oil fields of Iraq ......

William Rogers.........

[oldnavy]

Besides the 240D MB, you might also consider one of the early to mid 90's VW Jetta's or Passat's with the TDI (diesel) option. These are really quite dependable cars and can easly make 250k miles with proper service and these cars are quite quick (my '02 90 hp TDI Jetta will top out at 127 mph by GPS) and are also easy on fuel. We can easly get above 50 mpg when driven in the 70-75 mph on the interstate.

If he were to buy a passat sedan and use the venting trick with the fuel tank, it will hold about 19 gallons of fuel and and with 5spd trans easly make 1000 to 1100 mile trips without refueling. The wagons can hold more fuel (23 or 24 gal) and often brag on the TDI forum (see my signature) of 1200+ mile trips, and if memory serves me correctly one guy claimed a one way trip of 1300+ miles in his Passat TDI Wagon.

These cars ar turbocharged and yet are very dependable, I would rate them almost there with the 240D. One of the primary thing with the TDI owners most have always used some brand of synthetic oil which greatly prolongs the life of an engine.

Either car would make an excellent choise, the Benz is just bigger, more comfortable and probably safer and will have cheaper insurance rates then the VW. The big thing is the Benz is just way cooler to cruise around town in.

[Kestas]

Be careful of pushing your preferences on to a friend, especially one who is not a DIYer. Mercedes vehicles require proper maintenance and are expensive to repair, he can easily get in over his head. And he'd probably be leaning on you for repairs. Steer him toward a well-maintained japanese or American car.

[P.E.Haiges]

Wish,

Don't have you friend get a 240D with the oil filter on the bottom (older models). Once he tries to change the filter, he may never attempt it again. Its a real PITA.

P E H

[Wes Bender]

Originally posted by wishihadabenz
Sad to say my friend is very lazy when it comes to maintaining cars so it would probably have to be one that wouldn't require valve adjustments every 15k like i've heard most of them do. He just wants something cheap, that will last, and is under $4K. Give me all the info you've got on stuff that goes wrong with these cars, how many miles is too much, etc....

Thanks,
Mac

I'm afraid that the car you are looking for is made out of unobtainium. If he doesn't care to have any car serviced properly (either by himself or by others), I wouldn't want to recommend any car for him.

just my $.02,
Wes

[Hatterasguy]

If he doesn't want to spend the time or money to keep one running properly, than a Toyota or Honda is probably his best bet. If you don't maintain a MB it could get expensive, also it would be ashame to see a nice example ruined. If his idea of maintaining a car is taking it to Jiffy Lube once in awhile than a MB is not for him. But if he wants to take care of one take your pick, there all great. My SDL is very simple to work on, think 60-70's Ford simple.

[wishihadabenz]

What i really would like to know is which models have hydraulic lifters so the valves don't need to be adjusted. And my head is so full of Ford jargon that it would be helpful for models i.e. 300 sdl, instead of chassis numbers, because i don't know them. I'm not trying to be rude its just that i don't know which chassis number is what car.

Thanks again

[Hatterasguy]

Here is a break down:
W126:
300SD 1981-1985
300SDL 1986-1987
350SDL 1990-1991
350SD 1990-1991

W123:
300D 1981-1985
300CD 1981-1985
240D 1981-?84ish
300TD (wagon) 1981-1985

W124:
300D 1986-1987
300D 2.5 1991-1993 (I think)
300D-1995

201:
190D 2.2
190D 2.5

Every car built after 1985 won't require valve adjustments, however at $4k they won't leave you any reserve and you will have to look for a good deal on an Ok car.

The 300D 2.5's are nice but you will need over $6k to get a nice one.
Tired SDL's can be bought for under $3k, but speaking for experiance your better of looking in the over $5k range.

Valve adjustments can be done for like $40 at a good mechanic, if he can't do that, then will he make sure an SDL or 86-87 300D wont overheat and crack a $2k head? For $4k you will most likely be looking at the following:
300SDL 1986-87
300D 1986-87
Really awsome cars some of the best MB diesels made, I love the SDL what an awsome car.
If you hunt you can find a good deal. Really awsome cars but for the money your friends looking to spend, he could get a mint 300SD or pre 1985 300D.

I'm not trying to be rude but if someone
doesn't want to do or have done any basic
maintenance then a car is not a good form
of transportation.
Any car will need basic maintenance in
order to keep it running,safely and be reliable.

My brother-in-law is the same way and he
distroyed his car(93 Dodge shadow conv)
($7000 finance,bad credit)in two years and
couldn't care less.

My advice to him and my brother-in-law:
Take the bus.
Cheap and no need to worry about maintenance.

Louis.

[H-townbenzoboy]

Like mb123 said, if you don't want to maintain a car, you don't need one. But if your friend ever decides he wants to get a car PROPERLY maintained (no Jiffy Lube or country shadetree mechanics), then he should get something like a 1977-85 240D, 300D or DT, or a 1978-85 300SD. I've driven each kind except the 240D and W116, and they all drive good, and have the outstanding OM 616 and 617 engines in them. But if he's too lazy to maintain a car properly, then the train or bus is the best bet for him.
-Joe

[tjohn]

You guys are too harsh. Wishihadabenz's friend is no different from the vast majority of people out there who take their cars to an oil change place two or three times a year, and go to the shop when the car breaks. The problem is just that the chief benefit of our cars - durability - is only realized with consistent proper maintenance. I do not think that our car's are low maintenance - but they are easy to work on, and extremely durable when well maintained.
In the case of the friend, however, it really does seem like he's a much better candidate for a used Toyota Carolla or Honda Civic, or similar item. Not everyone is willing or able to devote the time most of us do to diagnose and fix problems on our cars.

[ktlimq]

These days, Toyota's are very safe.
Long times ago, however, the difference between MB's and others were bigger, I think.

That is why I chose a used MB.

In my target price range, I could not find any Honda Civic or even Honda Accord with ABS.

MB installed pyrotechnic seat belt pretensioner to all their cars since 1984 or 1985 (since 1981 in S class). Toyota put it in Camry and Corolla since1998. Honda put it in Accord since 2000, in Civic since 2001. In the US market.

Current Camry (since 2002)and the previous Camry (since 1997) did well in crash test, but I am suspicious how earlier Camry (before 1997) compares to similar year MB.