In other words, being that I am taking delivery of the 1987 300SDL today or tomorrow and it has 45,808 miles on it and my wife insists it WILL be my daily driver and my '86 WILL be sold, I should plan to keep it a long time, which will happen anyway; then maybe skip buying a 90-95 diesel and buy the new one if they make it?

Does this make sense? I have had very good luck with the '86 300SDL, it seems goofy to buy one that has lots of problems. Plus witht the Eurolights and 8-hole wheels 98% of the MBenz owners think mine is an early 90s model, not that that matters one bit.

Thanks for the info.

Well, keeping in mind the fact that I have never seen this 87 300SDL and I have no idea what condition it is in, I would say it definitely could be a good idea. The 300SDL has a good engine, and by 87 they had many of the cars little problems worked out. Assuming the car has been well maintained you should be in good shape for quite a while. Do you have complete service records?

And I must say I am jealous.

__________________
Ben

The MBs:
1976 300D (W115) - 330K and still going (sort of)
1991 300D 2.5 Turbo - Sold at 221K
1983 280SEL - Sold at 206K
1981 300SD - Sold at 232K

Ben - I agree with you absolutely. My dear sweet wife wants to kill me. She thinks I am vain. One owner, serviced by MBenz dealer, all records from dealer and owner, garaged every night, driven approximately 3k miles each and every year, hard to believe. Owned by an elderly couple, who, naturally, bought it new. Jet black, burgundy leather, never been smoked in. I am tickled pink.

I, too, am a fan of the W126 body. And, like I said earlier, it would be hard to go from my S-class W126 bodies to any '98 or '99 E-class, no offense intended.

The last 126 diesel cars were called 350SD's or SDL if you got the long wheelbase version. Then in 1992-1993 with the new 140 body they were called 300SD(again)..then in 1994 to 1995 they were called S350....all with the essentially the same 3.5 liter turbo diesel six...in regards to the earlier thread about keeping the 87 SDL until 500K and then get a new one.....there is a VP at the office that just bought a brand new S class..trust me...NOTHING SIMPLE about that car...actual fans inside the seats for passenger cooling...electronics galore...the days of the backyard mechanic are gone with the 80's cars and earlier I believe...but the newer the cars get the more sophisticated they become. I owned a 1985 300SD at one time and my 1992 is much more smoother,faster,sophiticated,and gets better mileage..:-)
..but it is a LOT more expensive to fix :-( as I trust will be the trend with all the newer cars....
by the way has anyone driven the new S-class...what a dream!!best driving and handling car I have ever driven...I hope they import the S400CDI one of these days..:-)

Ben.....

here a picture of my car ...a 1992 300SD....since you didn't know they existed.

http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/1628/82440-1.jpg

Good looking car. Any engine problems yet?

Also, what are the two little buttons on either side of the back top side of the trunk? Driver's side is back of the radio antenna? Just curioius.

Turrne1, I knew that they produced the W126 diesel cars up until 1991. What I meant was that 1987 was the last year to buy a W126 with the 300 engine. From 88 on it was the 350. Additionally, I knew that they produced the W140 diesels starting in 1992, but I thought they were badged as a 350SD, not a 300SD. I suppose that I should have been more clear with my explanations. Oh well.

BTW, that is a beautiful car.

__________________
Ben

The MBs:
1976 300D (W115) - 330K and still going (sort of)
1991 300D 2.5 Turbo - Sold at 221K
1983 280SEL - Sold at 206K
1981 300SD - Sold at 232K

Thanks Dr for the compliment about my cars looks...it is definitely my baby
The 1992-1993 cars were called 300SD for some reason even thought they used the 3.5 litre turbocharged six...then in 1994-1995 they were called S350 with the nameplate "turbodiesel" on the right side of the trunk.
The two holes in the fenders are reversing rods..they raise about two inches when you put the car in reverse to help you judge distance since the car is very wide....
Engine problems?...yes...I has a MB long block put in about 7,000 miles ago(warranty) at the localMB dealer and it came with a 48/50 parts and labor warranty..if you know much about this engine the replacements curiously are much different than original design and no one has had problems(to my knowledge) with the replacements....but some people never had engine problems with these cars..I have seen early nineties cars with over 200K and no probs..go figure
but anyway after owning a 1985 300SD and a 1992 300D 2.5 this car is a dream...the 140's are the best driving cars I have ever driven ..so quiet and fast that no one knows its a diesel and getting about 21 city and 28-30 highway
http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/1628/82440-1.jpg

You are welcome, it is really a very pretty car. Is it bigger than my 86/87 300SDLs? Surely not as long, but maybe wider?

That is good that the warranty fixed the engine problem. Do you know what your car weighs? My 300SDL models wiegh 3600 to 3950 lbs. empty. I get 25 to 28 mpg combined, mostly highway driving however.

Interesting point - I bought a white 86 300SDL off ebay about two years ago and ended up selling it to my parents. My dad told me last weekend that if he never drives over 65 mph he gets 27 mpg, but if he drives 75 mph (the speed limit on freeways in Nebraska) he goes down to 22 or 23 mpg.

I started using Redline in my diesel recently. Have you ever used it? Don't know, but seems to help run a bit smoother and maybe a mile or so better fuel economy.

Keep thinking - it helps us!

I have never used redline...but I have used an antigel additive once when temps were below freezing for a week or so.
I think the car weighs in the neighborhood of about 4500lbs.
There were two wheelbases of this car...but all the diesel 140's were the short wheelbase...compared to an older SDL...I probably more head,hip,and trunk room as the car is taller and wider...but I probably have less leg room in the rear.But the longer wheelbase 140's I believe have about 3-4 inches more legroom in the rear...if you ever buy one of these(diesel or not) extend the warranty!!!..The dealer tells me the last few years 96-99 were much less troublesome because MB(as usual) had many updates throught the years. But if you find a 92-95 car that has had ALL the updates you should be fine. As I said before...the BEST road car I have ever driven..smooth silent and efficient

What would be good is if we both could drive each others' car at the same time/place to compare them. I would like to do that - but am in the MidWest.

How much is a car like yours worth? I just paid $14k for the 87 with 45k miles. A great deal.

Dr..I am also in the midwest...Columbus Ohio(via Dallas Texas)...as far as the worth...it varies on these cars greatly. dealers in my area typically charge a premium(I think) for Mercedes..especially for cleaner late model diesels.Prices seemed to be lower in Texas where there were 10 times the number of MB's on the road.I searched for this specific model for months before I found one with the history I wanted...1).One owner..2). MB dealer serviced full records...3)9 out of 10 or better appearance
I think something in the low $20's would be a fair asking price for my car considering the records,the condition and that many parts(complete engine) are still warranted by MB for about 3.5 more years.
If you are anywhere near me I would be happy for you to drive my car and judge for yourself.
In all fairness the 1990-1993 300D 2.5 is quite an auto also.I had one and sold it at 208K and had absolutley no problems

Well, I am in Iowa and Nebraska - have to see if I get out your way sometime. I would bring my car so we could compare the ride, side-by-side, so to speak.

It makes sense that they could improve them in the past twenty years - everything else except my mother's cooking has improved...hers has always been the best!

Just a random side note. Today while at Al's ******** (the wonderful repair shop that I frequent) I had the opportunity to drive a 1991 350SDL. I must say I was impressed. That car pushed me back into the seat when accelerating, and I hit 75 MPH on a very short highway onramp with the greatest of ease. Al told me that the terrible bent rod problem occurs when the engine overheats, and that if you simply avoid overheating them they run fine. Just thought I would share . . .

__________________
Ben

The MBs:
1976 300D (W115) - 330K and still going (sort of)
1991 300D 2.5 Turbo - Sold at 221K
1983 280SEL - Sold at 206K
1981 300SD - Sold at 232K

I have a friend who's dad just traded his 92 300sd(the newer body style) for a 96' s320. I talked to him the other day and he said the dealer allowed him $8000 for it on trade. I freaked out! I told him he was crazy! He then proceeded to tell me the odo quit 2yrs ago at 122k and the turbo was going/gone bad. He had the car since new and always had it serviced at the dealer. He also told me it had a little body damage to one door which I think I had noticed before. Very slight damage from a gas pump post. I wish I would have known he was going to trade because that car was the newer style with the supposedly less troublesome engine. I bet the turbo could have been rebuilt by someone other than the dealer at a much cheaper price. That car looked great and I bet someone is enjoying it now at a much lower price!

Any way I found a couple of nice later model diesels at cumminsautomotive.com near Atlanta if someone is looking for one. I have talked to the owner several times and he buys his cars at MB lease return auctions and buys only one owner, non-smoker, no wrecks MB's at fair prices with warranties. He will shop for you one upon request. If you do not mind one that has some body/paint repair history he can do an even better price. Check em' out. I will probably buy one from him after we close on our house. I decided to let the new 01' c240 go because of this house and that darn Volvo! Actually the friend I bought my 300d from bought my slot/deposit the end of last year. That is a beautiful car! He has made several trips to the dealer already though.

Joe Golden

98' s70 (sold!!!$17k, too cheap?!)
98' Explorer 44k
83' Wagoneer 214k
84' 300d 198k
88' 260e (soon!)

[Edited by joegolden on 02-24-2001 at 12:07 AM]

__________________
Current stable......
17' Rogue SV 70k
11’ Saab 9-5 NG 94k
10’ e550 4matic 185k

sold
02' e320 210k
00' e430 167k
01' e320 171k (regret sale)
91' 300d 2.5t 300k (sold to ecoofidaho)
79' 240d 177k (old yellow my avatar)
87' 300d 169k (junk but fast)
85' 300tdt 261k (RBM parts delivery)
85' 300dt 68k (one owner cream puff)
82' 240d 250k
84' 300dt 198k (sold to diesel don)
91' 190e 2.3 61k
88' 260e 140k