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My DD is a 1987 300D, previous DD was a 1985 300D. These two cars have a lot of similar things on them, electrically speaking, since they are evolutionary versions. The older car is a little simpler and easier to understand when/if things go wrong. OTOH, my wife's '96 E300D is far more electronic and won't even run if the electrical system fails – so much for the supposed advantage of diesel! The W210 cars are far more modern but in most cases that just means more stuff to break and harder to diagnose and fix when it does. Most of the members of this forum are hands-on people who prefer an older car that can be fixed without access to a computer, so the opinion is gonna come down to "simpler is better." My personal preference is for the smoother, quieter, more powerful 603 engine – flaws and all – in the W124 chassis. Others may stand behind their stick-shift 240D with manual everything.
As to daily driver, daily wrenching, in two years I never had any problems with my '85 that I couldn't fix at home after the car got me there. It's a great daily driver. Then again (knock on wood!) none of my three Benzes has ever had to be towed.
Jeremy
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"Buster" in the '95
Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970
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