If I wanted a 90's vintage diesel, what models are good and what is to be avoided? (I posted this by mistake in the classifieds)

thanks
Fred

__________________
MB-less

a late (94-95) W124 E300 Diesel with the M606 power unit.

24v super smooth diesel capable of 500k miles+++, and 33mpg. Smoother and quieter than many gas engines at 90mph. Love it to bits.

Keith

They are all "good". How much do you want to spend and what are you looking for?

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

Avoid all diesels spawned from the S-Class. Once you have eliminated those, your choice is narrowed to the '98 - '99 E300D(best of the bunch, and the most costly), '95 - '97(the '97 being superior in the sense of it having a 3.46 differential and five speed, essentially adding a lower first gear for better takeoff), the '90 - '93 300D 2.5 turbo. The '90 - '92 diesels occasionally went out of time due to a timing chain defect(??) or something(?? My mind is defunct at remembering). The '93 had the timing chain issue resolved, but '93 was the first year of implementing an engine management system(ECU) into a diesel. The '93 is "chippable".

That's all I think.

__________________
1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

In the 90s, all the 124 and 210 chassis diesel cars are very good. The 126 and 140 chassis have the 3.5liter "rod bender" version of the om603. Nice cars, but there is certainly some risk of expensive repairs in owning one.

The above leaves you with the following choices:

90-93 124 300D 2.5. Has the om602 five cylinder turbodiesel. This is probably my favorite. Modest power, fantastic economy. Getting difficult to find a good one.

95 124 300D. Has the om606 non turbo. Smoother and a bit more power than the earlier car. Again, difficult to find - it was only available one year in the U.S.

96-97 210 E300. Newer chassis, again with the om606 non-turbo engine. The 96 has the good old 722.4 four speed automatic. The 97 has the 722.6 five speed automatic - a better transmission, but not without its bugs early in life.

98-99 210 E300. Again, the newer chassis. Now with the om606 turbo engine. This is a neat car - about 175HP and 250lb-ft of torque, it moves along quite nicely. Economy can't match that of the earlier 2.5liter diesel, but it's an impressive combination of low fuel consumption and strong performance.

I would take any of these, with condition, miles, and price being a greater determining factor than most anything else. Other than the last one, performance is modest for all of them. But all are reliable, comfortable, and refined.

My $.02,

- JimY