What should I buy? 91 D or 87 SDL?

[muleears]

I have been lucky enough to sell my house and now between that and the sale of my 87 300D turbo I should have about $5-6,000 to spend on my new Benz. I figure from looking at autotrader and ebay that I should be able to find a nice, reasonable mileage (@175K mi.) 87 SDL or an early nineties 300D. I currently have a 87 300D turbo which runs beautifully but needs paint. I like the SD(L) for the ride as I commute about 90 miles/day and take the car on trips for work. I also burn WVO in the car. So which one would I be better off with, the late 80's SD(L) or the early 90's 300D? Please also point me in the direction of these cars for sale (I am not opposed to having them shipped if they are very nice, and worth the price.)

[Hatterasguy]

They are totaly different cars, drive a couple than decide. Those 300D's have the 602, which is a 603 with one cylinder chopped off.

[muleears]

Will the lower mileage 602 have the same power as my current 603.96? What about the SDL, is the longer car a lot slower?

[pawoSD]

Originally Posted by muleears

Will the lower mileage 602 have the same power as my current 603.96? What about the SDL, is the longer car a lot slower?

SDL's are very powerful and fast in my opinion, I took on that opinion after riding in one.

Your '87 300D turbo is like a SDL minus 600lbs, it was the fastest production diesel car until the later 1995 E300 606diesel models came out. The 602 would have less power.

[Hatterasguy]

No they really are a 603 down a cylinder, so power is down a bit. They are not as smooth either because they are a 5 cylinder. MPG is much better though.

Not sure about 0-60 times, but a properly tuned SDL should be in the 10 second range.

If you want fast the 1987 300D's are about as quick as they get until the E300D's of 1998-99 vintage. Those with Supertuning's chip are down right fun to drive.

It all depends on what you want, you know what a W124 is like. The LWB W126 is better on the highway, but they hate around town work. Espeicaly the 300SDL's they do not like running around town one bit.

[captainmonk]

to my 6' 5" 340 lb frame nothing beats the size and feel of the SDL my kids will each get one to drive so they stand a chance of surviving But if you want pep nothing beats Mom's 190 turbo

[muleears]

Doesn't the 87 SDL have the 5 cyl 3.0 litre motor?

[pawoSD]

Originally Posted by muleears

Doesn't the 87 SDL have the 5 cyl 3.0 litre motor?

Nope it has the 6cyl 3.0 liter inline diesel, the 603. The SD's have the 5cyl 3.0 liter engine, the 617

[jshadows]

and a possible #14 head too, no?

I've driven the 123, 126, and 124...the 126 still is the most dear to my heart. I rolled it through some tight New Orleans streets with no problem, and a few in NYC too. Just have to get used to driving a gigantic car. Smoothest driving, tightest handling big ride I've ever driven.

[jbach36]

I think if you go with an '87 SDL, you are buying a lot of problems. I never had one, but from reading ads when looking for one previously, it seemed a lot of them have serious problems around 200k, 225k, and 250. You're looking at repairing the transmission ($2500), chronic a/c problems ($2,000), adjusting the chain, redoing the exhaust, and other serious expenditure repairs. I think you'd have to save your $6,000 just for repairs. Ask others on this forum, I'm sure a few have had few problems.

A few months ago, I found a '91 300d for $6,000 with only 90k on it. When I bought it, of course, the a/c didn't work, so I had to get that fixed.

Good luck.

jeff

[2.5Turbo]

The 602 motor doesn't have the head issues that the 603 did in the late 80's, nor does it exhibit the rod bending like the 603.97 motor did. The only thing that I've heard that has been a problem with these motors is the timing chain, but it has been much less widespread than the head problems on the 603. Mine runs great, gets great mileage (30 average, 32-36 on the freeway depending on speed), doesn't use any oil after 98,000 miles, and isn't bad on the acceleration either. 0-60 times are similar to the W123 300DT, but with much better fuel economy. I can do a 0-60 in about 12 seconds on a stock car with no blockages in the ALDA plumbing. ALDA adjustment may improve this a little, if you want to do it.

If you're trading from the 87 300D, then you'll notice a performance drop. But your wallet might enjoy the fuel savings . But if you have some extra money, get yourself a 95 E300. The 606 is pretty bulletproof and isn't that low on power either. You may miss the rush of the turbo however (I know that I would ). I don't own one but from what I've seen the economy figures are pretty close to the 602 in the 124.

I don't have a problem with the smoothness of the 5 cylinder. The only time that I really feel it is when I turn it off, but you'll feel any diesel engine when it is turned off. The motor mounts have a lot to do with how smooth it feels. If they're shot I'd bet the car would be shaking pretty bad, but they've done a pretty good job isolating the 5 cylinder from the frame of the car.

I've never owned an SDL, but again from what I've seen their economy is not nearly as good as the 300D 2.5T. As stated before, add 600lbs to your 300D, minus a little aerodynamics, and you'll have the SDL. Expect worse economy than your 87. But since you're running WVO, it shouldn't be a problem unless you have a limited source.

Both are good cars, but you'll have to ask yourself if you want to risk the possibility of having to deal with that 603 head further down the road. But if you can find one that has the newer revision, then go ahead

[AlanTbird]

I LOVE MY 86 SDL with the 87 motor in it!
Just clocked my mileage again today and its at 32.25MPG
Just try to find another sled with the power and the mileage!

woo~freegin~hoo!

[catmandoo62]

that sounds just about like my 86 sdl.over the last 4000 miles my average is just over 32 mpg.after i replaced the ign lock and tumbler,and vac pump,(which was in real nice shape for the old style)i have not put one dime into it.as mentioned in other threads.check the service history,mine had a new head,t-chain and guides,radiator,frontend rebuild,a/c work etc before i got it,all it needs now is to replace the almost bald tires.then i should be good for another 50,000+ miles.i'll also agree with hatteras,they love the open road.

[Hatterasguy]

Originally Posted by jbach36

I think if you go with an '87 SDL, you are buying a lot of problems. I never had one, but from reading ads when looking for one previously, it seemed a lot of them have serious problems around 200k, 225k, and 250. You're looking at repairing the transmission ($2500), chronic a/c problems ($2,000), adjusting the chain, redoing the exhaust, and other serious expenditure repairs. I think you'd have to save your $6,000 just for repairs. Ask others on this forum, I'm sure a few have had few problems.

A few months ago, I found a '91 300d for $6,000 with only 90k on it. When I bought it, of course, the a/c didn't work, so I had to get that fixed.

Good luck.

jeff

Correct if one doesn't want to have never ending projects a late model Toyota with a warranty is certainly the way to go.

These are old cars, they will all need work. W124's have that wonderfull multi link rear suspension, how bad is that to rebuild when it gets sloppy?

[POS]

It doesn't matter - once you buy one, you'll want the other one. And you'll buy it too! One Mercedes is never enough.