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  #1  
Old 07-21-2012, 11:04 AM
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Newbie seeks sagely wisdom

I've posted a similar question on two other MB forums but this group here seems more on my wavelength.

I've owned a lot of cars, mostly junk. All maintained by me. Finally I can afford something that's not junk. I find myself in a 2006 Civic hybrid.
Wonderful car but it's so boring.

Thinking about selling it and getting into something that makes me smile the way my 84 Saab 900 did.

criteria:
- great MPG
- price $2-4K
- either good resale or a very good deal (or both)
- highly reliable - (additional maintenance is OK)

So far I'm leaning toward the 190D, and W124's from around 90-95.

I could go as far back as the 70's but I don't think I'll get the MPG i'm looking for. I drive 25-30k miles per year.

Pretty sure the 240D would be too slow. My current car is about as slow as i can tolerate (0-60 in 13 sec)

This would be a daily driver, i have no interest in restoring a classic. I'd like to find one with a few blemishes and I would regularly add a few more.

I hope this question provokes some good discussion

Dave

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  #2  
Old 07-21-2012, 11:15 AM
JimmyL's Avatar
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Find you a nice diesel W124. 190D too small, W123 too primitive.
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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John
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  #3  
Old 07-21-2012, 11:19 AM
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yeah, maybe one of the w124 2.5 turbo cars...
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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (113k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
1993 300SD (291k)
1993 300D 2.5T (338k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K)
1985 300D (233K)
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  #4  
Old 07-21-2012, 11:47 AM
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I have a W124 diesel, and it it a great car. But I would not own it if it was my only car. That Honda you have may be boring, but it is probably more dependable that the W124 will ever be.
That said, there are plenty of the W124's on the market. The 87 like mine is the fastest, but also the most problematic. Still a great car.
Good luck on your Mercedes adventure.
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  #5  
Old 07-21-2012, 12:03 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Wilson View Post
I have a W124 diesel, and it it a great car. But I would not own it if it was my only car. That Honda you have may be boring, but it is probably more dependable that the W124 will ever be.
That said, there are plenty of the W124's on the market. The 87 like mine is the fastest, but also the most problematic. Still a great car.
Good luck on your Mercedes adventure.
Yeah, i hear you. There's a third vehicle in the yard. 2001 Expedition for towing the camper. If we could only have two cars I'd have to stick with the Civic and the brides Chrysler minivan.

What makes the 87 the most problematic? From what I've read, all the W124's are quick enough for my taste. I'm kinda drawn to the 95 E300D

Which years came with the 90 liter tank?

thanks
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  #6  
Old 07-21-2012, 01:23 PM
Stretch's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hertfordnc View Post
...

Thinking about selling it and getting into something that makes me smile the way my 84 Saab 900 did.

criteria:
- great MPG
- price $2-4K
- either good resale or a very good deal (or both)
- highly reliable - (additional maintenance is OK)

So far I'm leaning toward the 190D, and W124's from around 90-95.

...
In my opinion the only Diesel Mercedes that fits that criteria is this one

Mercedes-Benz W211 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mercedes-Benz E-Class W211 2002 - Car Review | Honest John

The OM648 engine will probably make you feel like you are in a comfortable version of your Saab 900.

Highly reliable - well that comes down to luck / getting a good buy.

You'd probably have to pay more than 4K for a good one though. I've seen high mileage ones go for as little as 1500 euros over here.
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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!
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  #7  
Old 07-21-2012, 01:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Army View Post
In my opinion the only Diesel Mercedes that fits that criteria is this one

Mercedes-Benz W211 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mercedes-Benz E-Class W211 2002 - Car Review | Honest John

The OM648 engine will probably make you feel like you are in a comfortable version of your Saab 900.

Highly reliable - well that comes down to luck / getting a good buy.

You'd probably have to pay more than 4K for a good one though. I've seen high mileage ones go for as little as 1500 euros over here.
I'm no authority, but AFAIK those cars are not available in the states. The w210's were, and you may find a 96-97 in that price range, but the turbo 98-99's go for much more than that.
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  #8  
Old 07-21-2012, 02:37 PM
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With all due respect to those who disagree, I think a 90-93 300D (W124) fits what the OP is looking for. My two have been extremely reliable....although obviously there's lots of stuff to replace over the years. You can certainly find one in the price range you have in mind and you'd get a solid 30 mpg highway. If I only had one car, I wouldn't hesitate to have it be one of these....PROVIDED that it was well maintained.
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  #9  
Old 07-21-2012, 02:56 PM
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And the 95 E300D is certainly a great car...just watch out for that biodegradable wiring harness!
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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
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  #10  
Old 07-21-2012, 03:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shertex View Post
And the 95 E300D is certainly a great car...just watch out for that biodegradable wiring harness!

About that, was it just the 95 (of the W124s)? What are the other advantages to the 95 versus previous years?

And is it just the engine harness? What about the rest of the cars wiring?

I'm actually hoping to find a decent 95 that has wiring problems. Nothing scares the price down better than electrical problems and they don't intimidate me as long as i can find a schematic.


thanks


Dave
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  #11  
Old 07-21-2012, 03:16 PM
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Haven't owned a 95, so don't know about the particulars....just know the general issue is a matter of concern. But I think your strategy to beat down the price is a good one.

I don't know that the 95 offers any particular advantage. Different engine of course....non-aspirated 606 vs. turbo 602. The 95 is 0.2 sec quicker 0-60....negligible.

I would gladly owner either one.

Quote:
Originally Posted by hertfordnc View Post
About that, was it just the 95 (of the W124s)? What are the other advantages to the 95 versus previous years?

And is it just the engine harness? What about the rest of the cars wiring?

I'm actually hoping to find a decent 95 that has wiring problems. Nothing scares the price down better than electrical problems and they don't intimidate me as long as i can find a schematic.


thanks


Dave
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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
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  #12  
Old 07-21-2012, 03:19 PM
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Best bet is to find one with just over 200k miles....that will help you beat down the price a bit.
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14 E250 Bluetec "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 153k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 171k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife
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  #13  
Old 07-21-2012, 03:25 PM
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124 or 201 should be fine, though a non-turbo 190D might be too slow for the OP. The best way to find out is to drive one. Other possibilities include a turbo 123, or a 210 if he can find one within his budget.
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83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
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  #14  
Old 07-21-2012, 04:41 PM
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Only the '95 E300 and 92-95 500E/E500 have 90 liter tanks. I don't know if gas and Diesel use the same tank. The larger tank can be retrofitted to any 124 sedan. It's up to you to swap over the trunk liner parts or trim/hack the existing liner parts.

A 2.5 or E300 has to be in tiptop shape to do 0-60 in 13 seconds considering they're closing on or at 20 years on the road.

I don't know the context of David Wilson's problematic characterization. I wouldn't say the '87 is the more or less problematic than other W124 Diesels. The potential for the early head casting to crack is well documented but you'll be bucks ahead to get into a well maintained '87 than a neglected '90-93 or '95. You break a glow plug in a '95 and the head likely has to come off to be fixed.

Do you plan to service the car yourself? They can be expensive to maintain otherwise.

Sixto
87 300D^2
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  #15  
Old 07-21-2012, 05:28 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sixto View Post
Only the '95 E300 and 92-95 500E/E500 have 90 liter tanks. I don't know if gas and Diesel use the same tank. The larger tank can be retrofitted to any 124 sedan. It's up to you to swap over the trunk liner parts or trim/hack the existing liner parts.

A 2.5 or E300 has to be in tiptop shape to do 0-60 in 13 seconds considering they're closing on or at 20 years on the road.

I don't know the context of David Wilson's problematic characterization. I wouldn't say the '87 is the more or less problematic than other W124 Diesels. The potential for the early head casting to crack is well documented but you'll be bucks ahead to get into a well maintained '87 than a neglected '90-93 or '95. You break a glow plug in a '95 and the head likely has to come off to be fixed.

Do you plan to service the car yourself? They can be expensive to maintain otherwise.
Off the line performance is not that important (why would i be looking at 3700 lb diesel) I do like a car that is comfortable at 80 mph for extended periods.

Good to know about the tank- swap option.

I definitely plan to work on the car myself but I don't want that to become my new hobby


thanks

Dave

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