The metal tag found in my car includes the engine # 103983-12-040I91 are the last digits the date? If so is this engine dated 1991 ? My car is a 1986 300E. When I bought this car last week, from it's original owner he did mention something about that he bought the car new in 1991 even though it's listed as model year 1986 ---- but the gentleman was a bit hard to understand because he had a Chineese accent and at the time it all went over my head. A friend also told me that he thinks Mercedes had a difficult time selling their cars during the recession years back in the late eighties - is there any truth to this?