Amen to that. I travel almost every week for work and drive every kind of rental car under the sun and nothing compares to my 98 E300...best part of the trip is getting home knowing my car is waiting for me at the airport...

Just be careful about rust in hidden places
Spring perch is notorious
Around the door and trunk seals
Around the pushbutton lock to open the trunk

When you get it home do the EGR delete procedure and clean out the intake. Having a NA engine you will need all the help you can get.

__________________
The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech