I am looking to upgrade the 85 300d to something with less than 350K, to use as a daily driver. I am quite familar with the 617 and would not fear a 150k to 200K car that had consistent service, however I do not really know anyhthing about the 606 engine in the aformentioned years. Search results on this board seem to indicate that the engine is a rock solid performer, however, I want to know if I should shy away from cars with 150K that seem to be well maintained, or if these engines are as durable as the old 617?

any thoughts? Any experiences with these non-turbo around 200K or more?

thanks.

jason

I have a 96 and a 97 with 330k and 197K on the odometer. other than a few glow plug and resonance valve issues I love mine. Both get better than 30MPG on the highway and the 97 is rather quick off the line. There are others that will tell you to shy away from them but I would not hesitate to own another if I had the need.

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Keith Schuster
2006 E350 98K miles
2013 Ford Explorer 15K miles

Jason,
If you can find a W210 / 606 of the years 96 to 99 with 150K or less....JUMP ON IT! Thats a find! There were only a little over 7,500 brought into the US...total! I would'nt even equate their durability until they have at least 150,000 or more on them...they should last 2 to 3 times that.

The 98 E-300TD I have now is the best performing and economical MB out of the 3 I've had. Believe me, i loved the two W-126 MBs when I had them but....
The 606 engine whether its Turbo or non-Turbo is a great performer and generally problem free. The most noted and common problem you will find in talking to an owner or in a search on this site is the "leaking clear plastic fuel lines" which seems to plague them after they age for 8 to ten years. Change them...thats an easy fix which has nothing to do with the inherent durability of the 606 engine.

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FRED

Daily Driver: 98 E300TD 199K
Hobby Car: 69 Austin Mini
Past Diesels: 84 300SD, 312K
87 300SDL, 251K
94 Chev. K-1500 6.5Ltr.TD, 373K

I have a 96 E300D with 112k miles. It's apart now in my garage waiting for new control arms to arrive from Phil. These are good cars. Most will need new spring perches and the intake manifolds cleaned out also. They are really good IMO.
Steve

there have been several on ebay, generally with higher mileage, that claim to run fine, but have the 'check engine light on.' There is one on right now with 250K and the light on. I'm pretty tempted,however, having only worked on my 85 123 TD, I get nervous about the electrical gremlins. I could pull a head in an afternoon, but I spent months on my wifes Altima trying to track down a 'check engine light' non-problem. Are their some fairly typical things that these cars are known for (other than the well documented glow plug and fuel leak issues)? Is it safe to say that if it seems like it runs well that the check engine light is a minor issue?

Thanks. I hate to ask so many questions, but I would like to get as good a feel for this model as possible. I wouldn't shy away from a 250K 617 engine (it would probably seem nice and fresh compared to what I'm driving now)

jason

1997 E300TD here, engine is rock solid.

Likely problems:

Glow plugs (have a habit of snapping off and remaining in the head when you change them)
Belt tensioner (not a big job really, mine went at 160,000, couple of hundred £'s to repair).
Fuel pipes (very easy to fix, although nothing wrong with mine)
MAF (very common, these fail regularly although they're easy to clean and replace)

In English money, I get 40mpg on the motorway, 0-60 in under 9 seconds, and the engine is very quiet right up to around 90mph.

/edit: milage = 170000

My 97 with 128k miles gets 28-31 mpg depending on temp/humidity/ACon-off/driving conditions. It has been this way since I bought the car new in July 96! We drive it hard and long (16 hour trips) but keep it highly maintained ie syn motor oil, trans fluid changes, other MB recommended maintenance. Most of the idiosyncracies and failures described by the members of this forum have been experienced by my car except for rust and perch problems. I live in a "corrosion free zone"

This forum has all the answers one needs. Good Luck

I've had one for a few months. At first I thought I made a mistake, but most the problems where do to the "certified mech's" who worked on the car. If you run into floppy inside rear view mirror or clicking sound in seats (both common problems) I can give you easy fixes. I like my 350SDL better but this gets better mpg: 28 local, 34 at 55-65, 32-33 at 75-80. I do my own work and you should to if you can, saves lots of $$$$$