Unlike others I'm not so much a downer on the engine, versus a gasser, because I think diesels have benefits beyond fuel economy alone. I'd be more down on the ML or even GL in general. The plant at Tuscaloosa in my opinion has never produced true Mercedes quality product. The suppliers of the plastic interior components, are unique to that plant (cheep) when the first ML came out, and the "merger" announcement came out with Chrysler, there were some automotive journalists commenting on the quality of the ML especially the interior and wondering when did the merger really happen. My own article on the first ML was headlined "How Bright Does the Star Still Shine?" The ML has never ranked high on external CSI or even internal CSI. But, if it's a "package" you must have, and you love Mercedes, there's just not much choice is there?

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1983 W123 300TD US spec Turbo engine, with Euro bumpers and manual climate control, and manual transmission.