Hello all. If this has been talked to death I sincerely apologize.

I sold my 1979 300D a few months back, I bought a 1968 230 for a project. My daily driver is a 2004 Yukon and I absolutely 100% hate it. So I am tempted to buy an older mercedes to daily drive. I love the late model W126.

I found 1991 350sdl. It's super clean with 145k miles, interior is perfect, everything works. Doesn't burn any oil, no blow by at idle on the fill cap. I got the owner to send me a picture of the head and it has a #20 on it. I read somewhere on here that #20 and #22 were never supplied on a production 126, they were offered as replacment heads. If thats true maybe the engine has been replaced or rebuilt or at least the head swapped? He also gave me the vin so i called the dealer about service history looking to see if the engine had been replaced, and service history stopped in 1994, at 50k miles. Mainly contained just oil changes and other odds and ends for the body.







I could probably get it for 3800. I drive 60 miles a day for work, and it would probably be the family's drive out of town car also.

I like the 1990 and 1991 with the updated interior, and I want a diesel. I'm mechanically inclined, I did a head job on my 300d with the om617. I always stay ontop of maintenance also. I would ask the owner to send me a picture of the engine serial number but I don't know where to tell him it is if he doesn't know.

What do yall think? Should I get it?

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"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

As the old saying goes, "if the price is right"...

Just keep in mind that the 3.5L OM603 was not Mercedes' finest effort. The heads were updated and improved, but that's the least of the 3.5L's problems.

Do be aware that the 1991 seems to have a lot of model+year specific parts to it that can be extremely expensive to source (3 piece driveshaft, motor mounts, etc).

Crazy is also a relative thing. I'm resurrecting a 300SDL that sat in a field for 10 years in the Texas sun. Crazy? Perhaps, but it makes me happy, and that's what's important.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 157K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 125K (SLoL)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Gone and wanting to forget:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™) [Definitely NOT a Benz]

I lot of people will say the idea of daily driving an old car is stupid, but if you are mechanically inclined and can keep up with maintenance and repairs it's very feasible. I've daily driven nothing but vintage vehicles my entire life and if you keep up with maintenance and replace parts when they show signs of being near the end of their life, I've found that the car will never break down on you.

My roommate daily drives a 1991 W126 350SDL to work for at least a couple hours a day in Phoenix, Arizona heat. I daily drive a 1980 W116 300SD and up until recently was using it to drive to work for 2 hours a day in this desert heat. Then before that I daily drove a 1968 W110 200D fintail and that was an awesome and fun car.

Before the 350SDL, my roommate was daily driving a 1965 Ford station wagon that he bought for $400, for about 8 years and that car seemed to never let him down. I also used to daily drive a 1965 International-Harvester Travelall and that was a pretty dependable vehicle and I've driven it through 6 different states.

I could never do the new car thing. My 1980 is the newest car I plan to ever own.

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Stop paying for animal enslavement, cruelty, and slaughter. Save your health and the planet. Go vegan! I did 18 years ago. https://challenge22.com/

DON'T MESS WITH MY MERCEDES!


1967 W110 Universal Wagon, Euro, Turbo Diesel, Tail Fins, 4 Speed Manual Column Shift, A/C
1980 W116 300SD Turbo Diesel, DB479 Walnut Brown, Sunroof, Highly Optioned, 350,000+ Miles

I've daily driven older cars to work before. MGBs, older mercedes, lots of different stuff. I tend to trade project cars a lot. I feel confident that I could keep one running. The engine issues that the 3.5 can suffer from is what kinda worries me. We are moving to Spain in 3 years, so I'd probably only put 70k miles or so on it before either selling it or dropping it with family until we return.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

$2500 is the most I'd pay for that car. There's plenty of SDLs out there. The engine could go if it isn't replaced, or it couldn't. Who knows.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

Plenty of SDLs yes, plenty of clean ones no, at least in my area.

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1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

That's my problem here in northern VA, there are quite a few available but most are in poor shape or I don't like the color or they have a billion miles. This 350sdl is exactly what I was looking for minus the engine, would rather have the 3.0L. I've been looking for a while off and on and haven't seen much that was decent.

__________________
"It's what non-car people don't get. They see all cars as just ton-and-a-half, two tons of wires, glass, metal and rubber. That's all they see. People like you or I know, we have an unshakable belief that cars are living entities..... You can develop a relationship with a car, and that’s just what non-car people don't get."
-Jeremy Clarkson

Get it, I have a 300SDL with twice the miles, if you do your own work, you'll be fine.

__________________
1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.

Buying these cars as drivers makes sense, especially (maybe only) if you can do the work yourself. They're rugged and parts availability is fairly good. I bought my 190DT with 107K miles, now it has 413K. Driven every single day, and the preferred car for long trips. The 3.5 engine has a poor reputation, but if you can squeeze 100K miles out of it, it's half the price of a new Japanese car.

See if the engine has been rebuilt with the stronger rods etc. I suspect it will have done with that head on it. Remanufacturing tag should be on the rear right of the block.

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1978 300D, 373,000km 617.912, 711.113 5 speed, 7.5mm superpump, HX30W turbo...many, many years in the making....
1977 280> 300D - 500,000km+ (to be sold...)
1984 240TD>300TD 121,000 miles, *gone*
1977 250 parts car
1988 Toyota Corona 2.0D *gone*
1975 FJ45>HJ45
1981 200>240D (to be sold...)
1999 Hyundai Lantra 1.6 *gone*
1980s Lansing Bagnall FOER 5.2 Forklift (the Mk2 engine hoist)
2001 Holden Rodeo 4JB1T 2WD

I had one just like the picture. That engine, the 3.5 is known as
"The rod bender". Mine was not bent or if it was it was very slight. Search here for Rod Bender and you will find a heap of threads.

If the car has anything other than a perfectly smooth idle I'd recommend against it. Heck, I'd recommend against it period, unless it can be shown to have a 3.0 in it.

Actually I'd recommend looking for a really nice early one with the much loved 617 motor. There are still clean ones around.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Get a used engine oil lab analysis. If that comes back clean, buy it.

A replacement head probably was installed with the improved head gasket, which is strengthened at the oil passage near cylinder #1. Failure of that oil passage allows oil into #1 which hydro-locks and bends the rod, and then the engine is toast. If you can confirm this, and the lab analysis doesn't show abnormal levels of metals, the engine is probably sound.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

At a price of $3800. I can't see you going wrong from an economic stand point Vs the Yukon. Better fuel efficiency, lower insurance, lower registration and plates (here at least) if you are a DIYer lots of help here, and if a major failure parted out interior and cyl. head can get you half of the purchase price back.

3800 seems high unless there is proof of a new engine and perfect condition.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I mean, my car is identical to the one in OP. My paint is a lot tougher though. But it is Black and tan.

I would trade honestly if I had the chance.

__________________
1998 Ford Escort ZX2 5 speed - 279,000 miles My Daily

1992 Mercedes 300D 2.5 202,000 - Pure junk
2000 Mercedes E320 Black - 136,000 miles - Needs repair

Don't forget to grease the screw and threads on the spring compressor.