An om617 will have the same mileage as the m103? Really?

Finding a td is gonna be challenging... I dont care about speed as much as simplicity to own and operate. (if it does 80 on the freeway without killing itself i am good).

I owned a 240d .. my god getting that to 70 mph was a herculean effort. My 300td (turbo) glides at 80mph.


Is it better to hold out for the om602/603?

My final question. Is it still diyable? How much more difficult are day to day items vs the w123?

Thanks

I went through this just recently and decided on a W124. My last purchase on a car this old was on my 80s 911, which although much more fun and athletic, is generally mechanically much simpler than the W124. I went with an M103 W124 with the cleanest body I could find at the cheapest price I could find, and I’m basically going through and refreshing everything plastic or rubber. Suspension, seals, etc. I figured that even well-sorted ones would need a fair amount of refreshing so I just went for something that was as cheap and nice as I could get, and I got lucky.

I went M103 because they take boost like champs.

But I’m also a DIY maniac and I will for sure rip that engine apart in my garage this winter, just like I dove into the suspension refresh totally blind. But it won’t be my first engine rebuild, and it wasn’t my first suspension refresh either so, I figured it out. My guess is that the W123 might be easier to repair, just based on that rear multi link suspension. But take that with a grain of salt.

The W124 will be a better daily, but with the age of these cars, unless someone went through and replaced all the bushings, even if it drives well, expect to do the subframe, bushings, tie rods, trans mounts, and a bunch of other while you’re in there stuff, if not all at once, over time. Especially if you want it driving tight.

Best of luck and enjoy.

Having owned and driven W123 240D, 300D Turbo, 300TD, W124 300TE (M103) and 300E (M104 3.2L) I'd prefer a W124 all day, every day as a DD and preferably the M104 version. As a classic once in awhile driver I'd prefer an uber clean W123 300D Turbodiesel.

My $0.02.

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It's not just the engines but the chassis. W124 is more aerodynamic and has longer axle ratios than the w123. That's why when cruising the w124 m103 will have similar milage to w123 om617. But in the city the w123 om617 will be more economical than w124 m103 because in the city aerodynamics and axle ratios don't matter that much.

W124 suspension is more complex and harder to maintain than w123. And again om616 or 617 is much easier to maintain than the m103. If you want an easy and reliable engine in a w124 then get a om601 200D. But other diesels are good as well