240D or Cressida - tough choice? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

rstl99 · #1 03-10-2011, 11:27 AM

Hi all,
Well, I'm confronted again with vehicle choice, and my trusty 240D hangs once again in the balance.

Presently, I own the 82 Benz 240D auto (rust-free, mechanically and cosmetically very good), a 96 Dodge Cummins 3/4 ton (bought last Fall to carry my retirement slide-in camper), and a 96 Camry wagon (daily driver). I've recently been informed that the head gasket is going on the Camry, alas. So I'll likely need to find another daily driver.

For many years, I've been on the lookout for a nice Toyota Cressida specimen, because I like the marque and the Cressida has a lot going for it (RWD, nice 6cyl, comfy luxury interior). I've located one, but it's 3,000 kms away in Alberta (I'm in Ottawa, in the rust belt). Less than 90,000 kms, '92, owned by the seller's car-pampering dad who passed away last year, and it's been sitting in his garage for a few years. Looks really nice. Price is good. Logistics for getting it to me will need to be worked out, as well as thorough mechanical inspection (they're known for head gasket issues).

I'm retiring in a few months (hence the truck and camper, for road trips). So won't need a commuting vehicle. But I'm not sure I see myself driving the 4x4 3/4 ton Cummins year-round, and wouldn't want to sacrifice either the Benz or the Cressida (should I acquire it) to the winter salt. Don't want to go to owning 4 vehicles again (licencing, insurance, repairs, driveway space, etc.).

Cressida would be more comfortable (a more important factor for me, with age creeping up) and more peppy than the Benz (keeping up with traffic), but would use up more gas (with price of fuel going up, the Benz offers great mileage). Nice comfy reliable car to drive around town or go on weekend trips with. I'm very fond of the Benz (have owned it 11 years) and for what I could get for it, even in fine condition, it's not really worth selling it. Parts probably easier and cheaper to get for the Benz than the Cre$$ida.

So what would you advise in my situation? Pickup a jap beater for winter, and keep the Dodge and Benz for road trips and pleasure/puttering, respectively? Or fall for the siren-song of the Cressida, and then what... Thanks for your thoughts.

300sdToronto · #2 03-10-2011, 11:46 AM

I used to live in the GTA before relocating to the west. Frequent winter driving in Ontario will eat the cr*p out of your 240 or any other 1980's or earlier vehicle.

So if you don't want to see a lot of rust on your Mercedes you should go for a winter beater.

The other consideration is ABS. If you are driving a lot in eastern Ontario in the winter then ABS is highly desireable (read essential) IMHO.

Finally fuel consumption. Fuel prices are high and only going higher in the long run. You are looking at retirement - is buying a 6 cyl Toyota rather than something newer, or smaller and more fuel efficient really a smart long term move?

bigblockchev · #3 03-10-2011, 01:12 PM

If you are retiring then one presumes you will not be driving as much. The fuel consumption issue is only one component of vehicle ownership. If you aren't going to put on many miles then it is less of a consideration. The Cressida while not super economical is likely to give you many miles of service. My understanding is they age fairly well. My observation is that if you can (and like to) do all of your own work then a diesel Mercedes is practical. Otherwise you are left looking for the proverbial "Old German or european" mechanic to service your vehicle. Not so with Jap stuff , lots of guys out there competent to work on them. Here in Vancouver rust is not so much of an issue. Cressidas tend to go in the 2-4K$ range in good shape, probably not in as good shape as a 90K babied one. That price range is reasonable for a winter beater especially one that is likely to last you 10yrs or more of reasonable driving. Creature comforts most likely better in the Toyota. Save your Benz for the summer & have the enjoyment of both vehicles. Cheers Dan

toomany MBZ · #4 03-10-2011, 01:20 PM

You already know it has head gasket issues, at least that engine has.

Keep that in mind before you make a decision.

Skid Row Joe · #5 03-10-2011, 01:49 PM

You've already got two of the best vehicles money can buy, the Dodge Cummins diesel and the MB 240D. I'm trying to figure out why you need (3) vehicles in the first place?

When you have that many vehicles around, they end up draining your time, money, and space - when you can drive the CTD as a daily-driver or the MB diesel and get an average of 20 mpg on the two of them already.

I own a 2002 Ford PSD powered diesel coach and a '99 MB 300 ETD. But that's what works for me.

ah-kay · #6 03-10-2011, 02:01 PM

Do not know the concept of winner/summer car. It is always summer here in SoCal.

But if I am retired or about to be retired then I would keep no more than 2 cars.

BUT, by the look of it, you have almost made up your mind to get it if you are looking for cars so far afield.

zu! · #7 03-10-2011, 02:52 PM

Here are my thoughts:

If you like the Cressida, go for it. They're solid drivers and there are still some of them driving around back in the old country.
Transport is easy... I used CN Rail to transport my precious '74 VW Bus over the rockies from Regina Saskatchewan to Vancouver BC. $600 insured and it went in a covered car.
Rust can be stayed quiet effectively with yearly applications of RustCheck, which you can buy from Cndn Tire. Here's my thread on my application of the stuff under and inside my bus. There's also pictures of another guy from Halifax...8 years of driving on salted roads and just one tiny rust spot. It works. I only wish I had done it on my 300D. Its too far gone now...

So, if I were you, I'd rustcheck it and drive it come rain or snow. But that's just me.

engatwork · #8 03-10-2011, 02:58 PM

Why wouldn't you just put a new head gasket on the Camry?

Edward Wyatt · #9 03-10-2011, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

. I'm trying to figure out why you need (3) vehicles in the first place?

When you have that many vehicles around, they end up draining your time, money, and space - when you can drive the CTD as a daily-driver or the MB diesel and get an average of 20 mpg on the two of them already.

.

Yep, cars do tend to drain time, money, and space....... so does my wife.

I love her anyways, and I also enjoy my productive automotive hobby.

rstl99 · #10 03-10-2011, 03:58 PM

Thanks for all the great thoughts and perspectives. I've always found that the group of folks on here are some of the most savvy in the car world. I'll try to respond to some of your ideas, suggestions and questions but suffice it to say that you've given me some very useful perspectives with which to assess my vehicle requirements and options going forward.

Yeah, some of you in the South don't understand the need for "winter beaters", which is understandable. It's just a way of life for some of us up here, to try to preserve for a longer time some of our prized vehicles, which otherwise would develop serious chassis and body rot due to use of salt to melt snow and ice 5 months of the year (though some great products like Rust-Check DO help). Then again, nothing is forever, interests come and go, and once you've reached 55 as I have, I'm probably not looking to preserve a car for another 20 years!

Personally, I wish I _could_ limit myself to 2 vehicles, heck, maybe even one. Haven't found the perfect vehicle, and I do have some specific needs to be met, plus want to have a reliable daily driver, and a "specialty" car to tinker with and drive for fun or pride. Add a winter beater and you're up to 3! It's crazy, I know.

Replace the head-gasket on the Camry, that's a possibility. The mechanic who diagnosed it said "it wouldn't be worth it, I did it for a customer but the coolant had gone into the oil so 3 months later that bottom end blew up". So I figured it wasn't worth paying someone to do it, even though the car runs well and is very practical (plus not a lot of rust on it, it's been treated regularly). Maybe I could try to do it myself once I'm retired and have some free time to give it a shot.

The Cressida seems to me a bit like the W123 in MB, the last of a series of cars from a time when there was arguably more quality in the design and construction. I suppose that's why I'm attracted to owning one. Buying long distance sight-unseen (I realize that shipping is not necessarily a big issue) is not something I'm familiar nor comfortable with, so I'd have to get over that. The local specimens I've seen over the last 2-3 years have all been shot.

Yeah, CTD has a good reputation, and I got a 12-valve version with low mileage (40,000 miles, was owned by a senior who used it occasionally to tow a 5th wheel). Time will tell if this is a good specimen. Recent repair records indicated the owner spent a FORTUNE on it last couple of years, including an $8,000 bill (I think he got soaked by an independent garage) who replaced the injection pump, lift pump, etc. because the truck stalled when parked up hill... Anyway, I plan on driving it a fair bit this spring/summer and seeing how it performs. If I feel comfortable with it, I could choose to use it as winter vehicle next year, and solve problem of daily driver.

Indeed, as I am on the verge of retirement, part of me wants to down-size, simplify my life (e.g. vehicle fleet), so I can enjoy doing other things. Another part of me (the tinkerer I suppose) wants to have more cars to tinker with. Maybe I should give myself some time to see how I accomodate myself with the CTD and the Benz and wait a while before acquiring something else. See how retired life takes me.

Not sure I've answered all the points, but they've all been useful to my thought process on this Cressida, and vehicle ownership in general. Thanks!!

engatwork · #11 03-10-2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Replace the head-gasket on the Camry, that's a possibility. The mechanic who diagnosed it said "it wouldn't be worth it, I did it for a customer but the coolant had gone into the oil so 3 months later that bottom end blew up". So I figured it wasn't worth paying someone to do it, even though the car runs well and is very practical (plus not a lot of rust on it, it's been treated regularly). Maybe I could try to do it myself once I'm retired and have some free time to give it a shot.

There you go. Are you losing coolant? How much? If it is not much then I would not think you have done any damage to the lower end. I'm not going along with the mechanic in the fact that "it wouldn't be worth it" but that is just me. I would think you can have a new head gasket installed for less than US$750. It sounds like the car is worth more than that.

I always thought the Cressida (dual ohc six) would be a good car. I don't like the seat belts that they put in them back then though.

Changing the head gasket after retirement would be a good project.

Skid Row Joe · #12 03-10-2011, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rstl99

Thanks for all the great thoughts and perspectives. I've always found that the group of folks on here are some of the most savvy in the car world. I'll try to respond to some of your ideas, suggestions and questions but suffice it to say that you've given me some very useful perspectives with which to assess my vehicle requirements and options going forward.

Yeah, some of you in the South don't understand the need for "winter beaters", which is understandable. It's just a way of life for some of us up here, to try to preserve for a longer time some of our prized vehicles, which otherwise would develop serious chassis and body rot due to use of salt to melt snow and ice 5 months of the year (though some great products like Rust-Check DO help). Then again, nothing is forever, interests come and go, and once you've reached 55 as I have, I'm probably not looking to preserve a car for another 20 years!

Personally, I wish I _could_ limit myself to 2 vehicles, heck, maybe even one. Haven't found the perfect vehicle, and I do have some specific needs to be met, plus want to have a reliable daily driver, and a "specialty" car to tinker with and drive for fun or pride. Add a winter beater and you're up to 3! It's crazy, I know.

Replace the head-gasket on the Camry, that's a possibility. The mechanic who diagnosed it said "it wouldn't be worth it, I did it for a customer but the coolant had gone into the oil so 3 months later that bottom end blew up". So I figured it wasn't worth paying someone to do it, even though the car runs well and is very practical (plus not a lot of rust on it, it's been treated regularly). Maybe I could try to do it myself once I'm retired and have some free time to give it a shot.

The Cressida seems to me a bit like the W123 in MB, the last of a series of cars from a time when there was arguably more quality in the design and construction. I suppose that's why I'm attracted to owning one. Buying long distance sight-unseen (I realize that shipping is not necessarily a big issue) is not something I'm familiar nor comfortable with, so I'd have to get over that. The local specimens I've seen over the last 2-3 years have all been shot.

Yeah, CTD has a good reputation, and I got a 12-valve version with low mileage (40,000 miles, was owned by a senior who used it occasionally to tow a 5th wheel). Time will tell if this is a good specimen. Recent repair records indicated the owner spent a FORTUNE on it last couple of years, including an $8,000 bill (I think he got soaked by an independent garage) who replaced the injection pump, lift pump, etc. because the truck stalled when parked up hill... Anyway, I plan on driving it a fair bit this spring/summer and seeing how it performs. If I feel comfortable with it, I could choose to use it as winter vehicle next year, and solve problem of daily driver.

Indeed, as I am on the verge of retirement, part of me wants to down-size, simplify my life (e.g. vehicle fleet), so I can enjoy doing other things. Another part of me (the tinkerer I suppose) wants to have more cars to tinker with. Maybe I should give myself some time to see how I accomodate myself with the CTD and the Benz and wait a while before acquiring something else. See how retired life takes me.

Not sure I've answered all the points, but they've all been useful to my thought process on this Cressida, and vehicle ownership in general. Thanks!!

I better understand your situational needs.

I would love to own that CTD Dodge, in BOLD above^^ especially if it has BOTH an extended cab and 4X4!

rstl99 · #13 03-10-2011, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by engatwork

There you go. Are you losing coolant? How much? If it is not much then I would not think you have done any damage to the lower end. I'm not going along with the mechanic in the fact that "it wouldn't be worth it" but that is just me. I would think you can have a new head gasket installed for less than US$750. It sounds like the car is worth more than that.

I always thought the Cressida (dual ohc six) would be a good car. I don't like the seat belts that they put in them back then though.

Changing the head gasket after retirement would be a good project.

In bitter cold weather, the heater wasn't coming on. That's when I took it in, and mechanic saw that coolant was way down in the rad. Plus engine was missing when starting, and a bit of white smoke out the back. He didn't check the plugs or anything else, figured it wasn't worth spending any more money diagnosing what he felt was a sure case of failing head gasket. I took it to my old-time mechanic (guy who's repaired my Benz a few times) and he wasn't so pessimistic. Put some product in the rad to fix some coolant leaks, and said to just watch the coolant level, and for signs of oil contamination (which there is not). Said it could last 6 months, or longer, no way to tell. Car only has 230,000 kms on it. Put about $5000 into it (including purchase price 3 years ago) - needed a rad, timing belt, catalytic converter, front brakes, etc. As you say, might be worth fixing, the car is practical. I've done a bunch of stuff on cars but never a HG. I understand in some cases one needs to get the surfaces shaved, if it was just replacing the HG it wouldn't be too bad if one took one's time, I suppose. Might be worth a try, anyway...

rstl99 · #14 03-10-2011, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

I better understand your situational needs.

I would love to own that CTD Dodge, in BOLD above^^ especially if it has BOTH an extended cab and 4X4!

Sorry to be long-winded, but glad it helps see what kind of crossroads I seem to be at.

Yeah, the truck is extended cab and 4x4, and has the "camper package" suspension in the back. Hopefully all the work that the PO paid for was well done and give the truck a long life. I still can't understand they needed to replace his IP after only 40,000 miles. But I figure the old guy probably never replaced the fuel filter (probably the first diesel he ever owned, and the owner manual Dodge gave him was for a gasser).

Skid Row Joe · #15 03-10-2011, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rstl99

Sorry to be long-winded, but glad it helps see what kind of crossroads I seem to be at.

Yeah, the truck is extended cab and 4x4, and has the "camper package" suspension in the back. Hopefully all the work that the PO paid for was well done and give the truck a long life. I still can't understand they needed to replace his IP after only 40,000 miles. But I figure the old guy probably never replaced the fuel filter (probably the first diesel he ever owned, and the owner manual Dodge gave him was for a gasser).

Now, I'd really like to own it if I wasn't already outfitted with a Ford PSD diesel rig in my coach. I'm an older guy at 59.5 yrs.

You've got a nice unit with a mere 40K miles on it. Enjoy the heck out of it! I would.