I have owned many 300D's (123) with the 617, a '95 E300 (124), and a 98 E300T (210). By far, my favorite is the '98 E300. All that has been said about the 210's is true. I am sure you will really enjoy the comfort, power, and economy that the car will provide. I think I enjoyed the power more often than I should have, as I drove it like I stole it. Your MPG will suffer a little if you drive it like I did, but it is still very respectable (26-30) for a large luxury car. I enjoyed it, and I am sure you will enjoy yours too!

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All Diesel Fleet
1985 R107 300SLD TURBODIESEL
2005 E320 CDI (daily)

LOTS of parts for sale!


EGR block kit
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/355250-sale-egr-delete-block-off-plate-kit.html

1985 CA emissions 617 owners- You Need This!
Sanden style A/C Compressor Mounting Kit for your 616/ 617 For Sale + Install Inst.

Sanden Instalation Guide (post 11):
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/367883-sanden-retrofit-installation-guide.html

Have you thought of buying a VW diesel?

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1983 300D, the "Avocado"
1976 240D, 4-spd the "Pumpkin", SOLD to Pierre
1984 190D, 2.2L, 5-spd, my intro to MBZ diesels, crashed into in 2002

I'm a fan of the 617, 603 and 606's all engines have their merits though. those just happens to be the ones i've had experience with or have driven

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

Best Mercedes diesel ever? That would have to be the 1980 W116 300SD without EGR. '78-'79 come in a close second with 10 less horsepower, and none of those years came with EGR so that's nice. You get the most reliable engine in an absolutely beautiful chassis, the awesome ride of an S-class, and a classier appearance than any of the newer stuff. The ONLY downside of the W116 diesel is that there was no long wheelbase model, but you can engine/tranny swap between a 300SD and 280/350/450SEL, which I plan to do once I get an unrusted SEL chassis.

If you are considering a 91-96 MB vehicle, search this forum for engine harness failures. Here is a link: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/general-information/128181-mb-wiring-harness-failure.html

This may be the reason that MB's of this vintage are so cheap and plentiful. This is a major issue not related to the engine discussion, but it can have a very big impact on the car's associated electronic components when the harness shorts out, fails and frys the modules.

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Pete Williams, President emeritus - MBCA-International Stars (Eastern Mich.) Now Wi. & Az.
1985 300D Manual 4 speed Green Hen's tooth
1979 MGB triple black Az car nice
1969 back 1/2 of MGB (Az home built trailer)
1991 Volvo 245 Wagon Nice AZ Restored Gold Brick
1983 Jeep CJ7 37,600 Miles Summer use only

I had two 1992 300D's and neither had the biodegradable wiring harness. Both harnesses were original and were in fine shape at 15-20 years age. I'm pretty sure the bad wiring harnesses only affected the 93-95 model years (of which I currently own two ).

FWIW, I think the best engines were the OM602's put in 300D's from 90-93. The only problem with those engines is the electronic wastegate which would shut down the turbo at the drop of a hat. On my second 92 300D, I disabled the electronic wastegate and went to a basic mechanical wastegate and never had any more problems. The 2.5 is a little underpowered but who cares. No one buys a diesel for speed, and I consistently got great fuel mileage.

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1972 280SE 4.5
1984 300SD, 250K
1991 300SE, 89K
1992 300D (330K miles when KIA'd by mother-in-law 8/10/09 - still sitting in my barn)
1994 E320, 109K
1995 E420, 60K
Proud Member of the Mercedes Benz Club of America - Idaho Chapter

This would be the answer to the question plain and simple.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"