i am having severe second thoughts about keeping this car. po said he would buy back.

any opinions on early 90's diesels or even late 80's?



edited to correct spelling mistake (because i can spell excellant):-)

The 87 124 would be your best bet. I assume you’re not interest in the S Class (126) diesels of the era. During the very late 80s and early 90s the 201s and 124s came with the 2.5 L diesel. Needless to say these are more modern cars than your 123. They will drive like more modern cars and have features such as ABS and airbags.

is the 126 that major a change?

yes i really am that uninformed. the mb "great marques" book i have only goes to 1977 or '78 so none of these cars are in it.

As a mercedes technician of 8 years my first choice for buying a benz would be one of the W124 cars with the 2.5 turbodiesel engine (300D 2.5). They are GREAT cars but were rather rare and most people who own them love them. That being the case you don't often find them for sale in good condition. The 124 chassis had been in production for several years by the time this variant was produced and was a very solid chassis indeed. The diesel seems immune to most of the electrical gremlins that plagued the gasoline drivelines in the same chassis.

As for the even newer diesels, I don't particularly care for them as much. They are quieter and have good power. However the design seems counter-intuitive to a technician who loves the simplicity of the earlier diesels. The newer diesels have the fuel return lines mounted under shrouding. When they leak they puddle fuel on top the engine to the point of having a quart or so of fuel sitting in the valve cover. That shouldn't happen on any car much less a Mercedes. Other problems with the newer diesels include plastic formed fuel lines that tend to leak air into the fuel system at the injection pump. This often leads to very hard starts or no-start conditions. We all know that diesels will need glow plug replacements over time. On the newer diesels this can be a considerable challenge with the glow plugs mounted under the intake manifold. When replacing just one it worth it to struggle around the manifold. More than one glow plug, then it is easier to remove the intake manifold and then replace the glow plugs. That isn't what you'd expect from the company most famous for building simple reliable diesels.
All things considered, I wouldn't buy a diesel newer than the 2.5 turbo.

and those would be the years 80-85?

Here a quick run down of diesel MB in the US.

W126 300SD from 1981-85 5cy 617
W126 300SDL from 1986-1987 6cy 603
W126 350SDL from 1990-1991?
W126 350SD 1990? or 91
W140 300SD/S350 from 1992-1995
W123 300D 1981-1985 (turbo 617)
W124 300D from 1986-1987 6cy 603 engine
W124 300D from 1991-1993 5cy 601?
W124 300D from 1994-1995 6cy 606
W210 E300D from 1996-1997 non turbo 606
W210 E300D from 1998-1999 turbo 606 (fast!)
W211 E320 CDI 2004- very cool engine and very fast!

It comes down to how much you are looking to spend and what you want. Their is a MB for every budget.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Hatterasguy,

Could you explain the differences in the 300SD, SDL, 350 SDL, and other Sedans?
I am trying to buy the "Largest" most luxurious, 82-91 mercedes diesel for my wife, and get her out of a suburban.

Thanks,

Joe

SDL is long wheelbase, SD is standard wheelbase, the cars are otherwise very similar except for the motor.

617 motor is the legendary 5 cylinder bulletproof beast of burden. (300SD)
603 motor has 6 cylinders and an aluminum head that will likely crack, also has hydraulic lifters that don't require adjustment, more power and better economy than the 617. Tougher to work on in some ways because of the location of the inlet manifold. (300SDL)

The 350SDL has a 3.5 liter version of the 603 and is known as the "rod bender". Do a search and you'll learn lots more.

Both SDLs have a more modern motor than the SD, but they also seem to have just a few more weak spots (personal opinion). They also have more rear legroom, and they are longer which may make them harder to park.

The 126 chassis is quite a long car, but not that wide by American standards. It is quite easy to manage (I find) but it does ride a bit like a Buick or Lincoln - fairly soft and squishy. All routine service parts are easy to obtain and moderately priced, this doesn't seem to be something that will eat you out of house and home just doing brakes and that sort of thing. Shocks (Bilstein) are a bit expensive compared to a domestic car, but they also probably last longer.

On my car I have done the following:

Replaced drivers seat base spring (it was broken and sagging).
Installed a new hood liner pad (old one disintegrated. Made engine quieter).
Installed new Bilsteins bought on ebay for $258.
Replaced all belts (bought at NAPA).
Installed new brake rotors front and rear, new flex hoses front and rear, new pads all round, rebuilt Bendix calipers in the front.
Replaced the center link in the steering.
Adjusted the valve clearance (made engine much smoother and quieter).
Replaced both fuel filters, oil filter and air filter. Fuel filter was plugged leading to terrible performance.
Tweaked ALDA to give more fuel, big improvement in <2000 RPM throttle response.
Flushed cooling system.
Flushed transmission.

All of the above are what I consider to be "catch up" maintenance for a 19 year old vehicle with 174,000 miles. My plan now is to use this as a daily driver and just change the oil for the next 15,000 miles, I don't expect to have to do anything else much with it. After 15K it will be time for the valve adjustment again.

Kevin

__________________
'85 300SD

In reading this thread wondering if my car falls into this "rod bending motor" catagories.

Have done some searches on this forum and don't come up with much.

I purchased it with 116,000 miles and now has 127,000 miles on it. Have had no troubles so far.

Thanks for your help

John Ellis

Hey, you forget the best one of all: The W116 300SD turbodiesel, from 78-80. The first passenger car with a turbodiesel, and in my opinion still the best. I own two 123s, and have driven many 126s, and I still prefer my 116. Simple, reliable, economical, big enough, fast enough, looks great and handles great.

Mike

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

i already own one of those "inexpensive used mercedes" and am seeing the "expense " of not buying up.

If you bought one that was previously not well-maintained, then it can be a very expensive adventure in ownership. Especially if you don't do the work yourself.

Don't let that put a bad taste in your mouth though!....If you get one that has been properly cared for, it can give years of largely trouble-free service.

Mike

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

A few adjustments -

W126 300SD from 1981-85 5cy 617
W126 300SDL from 1986-1987 6cy 603.96
W126 350SDL from 1990-1991 6cy 603.97
W126 350SD 91 6cy 603.97
W140 300SD/S350 from 1992-1995 6cy 603.97
W123 300D sedan 1982-1985 (turbo 617)
W123 300CD coupe 1982-1985 (turbo 617)
W123 300TD wagon 1981-1985 (turbo 617)
W124 300D sedan 1987 6cy 603.96 engine
W124 300TD wagon 1987 6cy 603.96 engine
W124 300D from 1991-1993 5cy 602
W124 300D from 1995 6cy non turbo 606
W210 E300D from 1996-1997 non turbo 606
W210 E300D from 1998-1999 turbo 606 (fast!)
W211 E320 CDI 2004- very cool engine and very fast!
W201 190D 2.2 from 1984-1985 4cy non turbo 601
W201 190D 2.5 from 1986-1989 5cy non turbo 602
W201 190D 2.5 turbo 1987 5cy turbo 602

Comparing dimensions L x W x WB -

W123 300D = 190.9" x 70.3" x 110"

W124 300D 2.5 = 187.2" x 68.5: x 110.2"

W126 300SD = 202.6" x 71.6" x 115.6"

W126 300SDL = 208.1" x 71.6" x 121.1"

1996 Suburban = 220" x 76.7" x 131.5"

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

also the w123 240D....

Yep, and the W115 240D/300D also!

And then there's the even older 220D, etc.... Mercedes has been making diesels for a LOOOOOOONNNNNG time.

And the damn W116 300SD!!! The world's first passenger car with a turbodiesel. Don't forget it!

Mike

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic