Could someone please point me in the direction of some good basic information on the used MB diesel models available. I apologize to all other women out there who know their cars, I do not but would like to learn. I have been reading as much as I can in this forum and others but I feel as if I am getting information overload on issues way over my head. It seems the more I read the more questions I have. I am guessing that W123, W210 and such are the body types? And what do S, SD and SDL stand for? Could you fill me in on the pro's and con's of the different models and engine types, your particular favorites and why, which ones you would be happy to send your wives and daughters across country in, and the one easiest for them to do basic repairs on and the cost factor of repairs. Thanks to Hattares guy and a great post on the ebay sellers sight. You are very informative and patient.

I do have some experience with diesels, just not with owning a MB. I drove a Chevy G20 series custom van with a diesel conversion from 1986-1998 and loved it. That purchase was my choice, my husband hated it (lots of smoke and noise in the mountains)! The motor was still going strong at 298,000 but my husband got rid of it because it needed a new transmission. I cried for weeks. He replaced it with a 1995 gas model and I hate it! It's finally on it's last leg and I am choosing the replacement!!! It will be a diesel, just don't know which (My husband just rolls his eyes!!!). My daughter turns 16 in January and I want something solid that we can drive. Also something fairly reliable as we do alot of cross country driving from Utah to Indiana and all points in between. Friends have a 2003 Jetta TDI, great gas mileage but their VW feels cheap, like a tin can. And they constantly have problems with the check engine light. (Lots of unnecessary repairs and a car payment as well.) If anyone can point me in the right direction I will be most grateful. Thank you.

1995 E300D.............My suggestion.......everybody else can fill in the blanks...BB

Find and purchase the absolute best 300TD that you can find and then get hubby to learn how to maintain it and you will have reached nirvana. Then get to know someone in the restaurent business and use their cooking oil to run it and you are set. Good luck.

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Jim

Thanks for the replys. BusyBenz, why a '95 E300D? Are they extra reliable? Do you know where I can find more info on that model?
Engatwork, any particular year to look for? And as for the maintenance, it will be all me and when I am in over my head I will find a mechanic. My husband avoids working on cars like the plague. He is willing to humor me though and let me do my own thing.
When I was 9, my Father retrofitted a '64 Ambassador with a propane tank in the trunk. He was my hero!! Quite the inventor and pioneer! He made my sisters and I learn at least the basics of car repair and gave us our own copies of Chilton repair manuals with our first car purchases. I am famous in our family for using a butter knife to change a fuel pump in a '72 subaru!!(I have since aquired some decent tools of my own) My daughter has the inventor bug as well and we have a friend who runs a chinese buffet!!! Just need to find the right car.
Oh by the way, I am constantly amazed at the youngsters on this site. Reading past posts, some of these guys I thought were old (sorry,my age!) mechanics end up being teenagers or 20 somethings. Makes me feel like an antique!! I am a firm believer that an old dog can be taught new tricks so keep teaching guys!!

I like my 99 E300 Turbo Diesel. Yes, it has it's issues but it is still a good car.

Now, the question is how much money do you have to spend. Without knowing that, it would be hard to figure out what you need. I mean, you can go all the way to an 05 CDI if you wanted. Now, if your hubby won't want to really get involved in fixing your car, you need to DIY or get a tech to do it. So, another question is, how comfortable are you with screwing around with electronic stuff? Older cars can become a problem if you don't know how to maintain it. Newer cars have electronics to worry about.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Aklim is right about newer vs. older.

The reason I mentioned the 95 E300D is because I believe it to be the crowning achievement, that of the last model year, in a 9 year (to US, the 124 was around in Europe a few years earlier) production run of the model 124.

Three different diesel configurations were employed in the 124, and many many improvements, not only with the diesel engines, but refinements within the car it's self were made over the years. The 95 E300D employs all the best refinements this model car had to offer.

The 95 E300D was not turbo charged, yet still retained more than sufficient power while delivering the 124's best fuel economy. I'd bet many of these 95 E300D's will be around to see 600K or more miles, way down the road.

A poll was taken on another MB forum that put the 124 as the best ever Mercedes Benz car ever built, of all time! They are the world's taxi cab!

Go to any book store, and look for "Mercedes-Benz E-Class Owner's Bible 1986-1995"

This book will tell the whole history on the 124 model MB.

I believe the 124 used a 606 that was not turbocharged and I kinda like the turbo version because of the extra oomph. Of course it doesn't kick in till 2500 rpm and then it is a fun toy. Also I will get it chipped for the little extra oomph that I crave. However, the down side is that the wife finds it a little poochy compared to her gas C280. I can't feel much of a difference because I am more used to driving a car with 410 HP at the wheels. That said, every little bit helps. Fortunately for me the wife finds the 99 E300 poochy. That means I get to chip it and say it is for her.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Hoosieratheart - based on "reading between the lines" you need to get a '81-'85 300TD (turbo diesel wagon) and then YOU learn all about it.

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Jim

You don't mention whether the replacement vehicle needs to be a sedan or a station wagon or a van.

If it is to be a sedan, then the previous posts regarding the 1995 E300D are excellent as a recommendation for a vehicle that requires little maintenance, drives very well, and is comfortable.

If it is to be a wagon, then the advice of Engatwork regarding the 300TD is excellent. This is an older vehicle, manufactured up until 1985, and it is extremely reliable, provided that you buy one with maintenance records, low mileage, and pay a premium price for it ($5K-$7K).

The numbers like W123 and W140 refer to body designs. The higher the number the more recent. Within these bodies, Mercedes made various models by putting in different engines, and more or less luxurious interior appointments and features. The model numbers refer to the engine size in litres. For example the 300 would be a 3 litre or 3000cc engine, the 190 would be a 1.9 litre or 1900cc and so on.

The D suffix means Diesel. E means Einspritz (fuel injection) and is seen only on older gas models. S means Supercharged or Turbocharged. C means Coupe or in other words, a 2 door hardtop body style. L means Lang or long wheelbase.

So if you had a 300SDL it would mean, a 3 litre Turbocharged Diesel car with the stretched 4 door body.

I would suggest that you buy the newest, best condition car you can afford. Ask to see the service history and past repair bills. A car that has been serviced regularly by a Mercedes dealer is likely to be much more trouble free and cheaper to own in the long run than one that has been neglected.

These cars are durable and long lived if maintained by the book but can be a nightmare if let go. When I say maintained by the book, I mean the official Mercedes service schedule as in the owner's manual or service manual.

Buy a good car and maintain it by the book (you can do most of it yourself) and the car will last so long you will be sick of it before you ever wear it out.

still trying to get up to speed with this whole chat thing as well. Thanks for the info. I am looking for something older. I really don't like all the electronics. Hoping to spend up to $3,000 for an experimental car that my daughter can drive and do the WVO thing. I'm not afraid of age or mileage as long as it's been maintained. I am would like to find something $7500 or less for me. I run a program for people with disabilities and need something easy to get in and out of physically speaking. We do some transfers from wheelchairs to vehicle and since I'm getting close to the 50 mark myself I am trying to get away from the vans. In college I was a nanny for a family who owned a MBwagon. It was not turbo charged and the boys in the family complained about it being so slow. It was my vehicle to transport the younger children around town in and I loved it. That was when I was driving a '72 Subaru wagon held together with bailing twine!!! Anything was a joy compared to that rust bucket (I did love the ease of repairs for it though) I don't mind slow. It is easier on the people we take for rides around the country. Slow and steady wins the race! I am trying to digest all the info you are sending my way. Much thanks!

I looked specifically for the 95 since it was Consumer Guide's Best Buy. I have owned it now for 2 years and it is my wifes car. She drives it like she stole it...and it doesn't matter that it isn't turbo'd. She can get a lot of power out of it with a firm press of her right foot.

The 95 was the last model year of a long (BusyBenz said 9 I believe) run and they worked a lot of bugs out - just in time to change! The 606 engine was the primary reason I purchase the then 8 year old car with 60K miles. I reasoned that turboing an engine place some (not a lot) additional stress on engine components. It was a personal decision - many have had no problems with turbodiesels and MB just seems to make diesels that don't let you down.

All of this to say that my choice of the 95 was correct - for us. I plan to keep it for a long time and the wife likes the ride and the fuel economy (28 city and 33 highway). I feel totally confident with her in a major city like Dallas, driving a 10 year old car - after all it's a diesel MB and at 10 years and now 80K I feel this car is better that 80% of new gassers rolling off the lines! IMHO. Good luck finding the right MB for you.

Mike

You might be happy with an old 240 or 300 model from the late 70's or 80's. The 240 engine is a 4 cylinder, the 300 is its 5 cylinder big brother. These engines are known for being as tough as nails, and the cars they come in are generally simpler and easier to fix than the newer models. They should be in your price range.

The 240 and 300 engines were phased out around 1985.

Possibly the roomiest and most comfortable of these,would be the 300SDL long wheelbase, 126 body model from the early 80's.

The 240 and 300 with the smaller 123 body are simpler, lighter and give better mileage.

A lot depends on what you can find. You might have to look at a few before you find one that is in good shape and has not been neglected and abused. If you know how to do your own repairs you can get a bargain on a car that needs some TLC. For example, a rusty noisy muffler and worn out tires might cut $1000 off the price of an otherwise good car. But you don't have to spend a fortune on repairs, any muffler shop can make up the pipes and install a complete exhaust system for around $200 and you can buy a set of new tires from Sears.

I don't know what is available in your area. It sounds as if you know enough that you can tell a good car from a bad one. There are no real bad weak points to look out for. Just condition and service history. If you read this board you will quickly learn about the weaknesses that crop up, and that most of them can be fixed fairly cheaply.

For realibility and over all coolness, I would go with the 83-85 W123 (300D) or the 81-85 W126 (300SD). They have the OM617 5-cylinder engine that is problem free (not that the OM60x are bad) and has the stereotypical loud diesel music, sorry clatter, and vibrations and such.

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Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

How much E300D can you get for $7,500? She might be better off looking for a mint older model then bottom feeding the market for 1995 E300D's.

$7,500 can get you one heck of a nice W123 or a W126.

I would also consider an early 90's 300D. You could probably find a very
nice.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=182050005&dealer_id=67082&car_year=1993&make=MB&distance=0&lang=en&max_price=8000&model=300D&end_year=1996&min_price=1&certified=&address=06460&search_type=both&advanced=&start_year=1981&isp=y&cardist=1681

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=182050005&dealer_id=67082&car_year=1993&make=MB&distance=0&lang=en&max_price=8000&model=300D&end_year=1996&min_price=1&certified=&address=06460&search_type=both&advanced=&start_year=1981&isp=y&cardist=1681

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=173663895&dealer_id=55540014&car_year=1987&make=MB&distance=0&lang=en&max_price=8000&model=300D&end_year=1996&min_price=1&certified=&address=06460&search_type=both&advanced=&start_year=1981&isp=y&cardist=1635

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