I was advised by a Mercedes Tech a few years back not to purchase newer than 2002 if I still wanted to "tinker" with maintenance. Maybe upgrading your 1996 five years or so is an acceptable compromise? An SLK might be nice for the wife....

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2001 E320
1991 350SD 265,000 - SOLD
2000 VW Beetle 1.8Turbo - restored
1997 E320 - SOLD
1988 190E - SOLD
1969 Mustang - SOLD

Well, after much gnashing of teeth, it seems we've reached a compromise. My wife just bought a 2010 Jetta TDI and I'm going to keep my '96 (and '84). Funny how each time talk of consolidation crops up, it tends to just mean she gets a new car.

Thanks NHDOC for the push on the TDI front. Though I'm not convinced about current VW reliability I figure that, since VOA picks up all repair and maintenance over the next 3 years (including towing) we don't have much to lose. They seem to be giving 2010s away, (fully loaded is just over $24K with 0% financing and still a $650 tax credit... so what's the catch? It's funny though... the dealership she bought the car from was trying to (and did) sell a 2010 (same options) with 11K miles to some guy from Canada for $26K... I imagine we're talking "major marketing ploy" here.

Thanks again all for your guidance in this matter... 'helps to have all the varied opinions.

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'84 300d turbodiesel (83K miles)
'96 300d (226K miles)
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other fine diesels...
'99 Polaris diesel (Fuji Heavy Industries single)
'01 Diesel Trail gator (Yanmar triple)
'95 John Deere 970 (Yanmar quad)
'11 BMW 335d
'12 VW Jetta TDI

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'00 BMW K1200LT
'02 BMW R1150RS

'15 BMW R1200GSA

I would say no keep it, newer Mercedes made cheap, breaks down all the time n it's not easy to fix

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1999 W210 E300 Turbodiesel

It is hard to beat the value of the Jetta...welcome to the "dark side".

I will advise that you strongly consider using a good fuel additive with each tank. I use Stanadyne or PS and have since the first tank. B5 will also suffice apparently. The only real issue with the new diesels is the high pressure fuel pumps which are lubricated by fuel. The fuel in the US meets minimum lubricity standards but is not as good as the stuff over in Europe so most of us with the newer VWs add some extra juice to keep the pumps happy.

If the HPFP gets roasted it is a major repair because you need to replace every component in the fuel system because it spreads metal flakes through the fuel system as it fails, so prevention is key. A small number of failures have been reported on the TDI board and it is something we all are watching closely. VW sometimes claims fuel contamination and tries to deny warranty coverage...in those case most owners collect from their comprehensive insurance and then the insurance companies will either go after the fuel suppliers or VW to get the money back.

Buying good quality fuel from name brand stations which sell high volumes is also a recommendation. And finally, if you or the wife should accidentally put gasoline in the tank DON'T RUN IT, that's another HPFP no-no. Other than the HPFP issues there's nothing lurking out there that I know of. Happy Motoring!

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Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

Thanks for the tip Marty. I've been fairly lax about PS addition with the E300... just when I think about it (every other tank or so.)

I haven't had much time to closely look at the TDI yet, (lots of gadgets on that car!) but will crawl around it a bit come the weekend.

Thanks much!

-l-

__________________
'84 300d turbodiesel (83K miles)
'96 300d (226K miles)
------------------------------------------------
other fine diesels...
'99 Polaris diesel (Fuji Heavy Industries single)
'01 Diesel Trail gator (Yanmar triple)
'95 John Deere 970 (Yanmar quad)
'11 BMW 335d
'12 VW Jetta TDI

****************************************
'00 BMW K1200LT
'02 BMW R1150RS

'15 BMW R1200GSA