Which diesel is best? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Alan S · #1 06-24-2002, 09:28 AM

I'm looking for a good diesel. I've always been intrigued by them and there durability. I live in MN so I hope this won't be a problem for winter. I drive 170 miles a day for work. Which diesel will be best for me? I've learned a lot from reading these boards and I'm thinking a 190 d, or a 300 d. Any pro's or con's, parts availability, things I should look for when test driving? Thanks in Advance, Alan

#2 06-24-2002, 10:32 AM

I drive a 79 SD after having driven an84 TD wagon (sold because of rust) and an 85 SD (sold to my sister). The 79 is my favorite. It is significantly faster and quicker and the feel is well connected to the car and the road. The wagon was a good car and the 84 SD was beautiful. For utilty - the wagon. Fro comfort - the 85 SD. For driving - the 79.

Holson Adi · #3 06-24-2002, 10:48 AM

I personally feel that the BEST diesel would be a starmark'd 1999 E300 (W210) Turbodiesel.
However, they all have their own character.

#4 06-24-2002, 10:53 AM

There is always an early 80's G'wagen with the 617...

#5 06-24-2002, 11:00 AM

A mid-80's 300D would be a very comfortable and fairly economical ride for that commute, but if it were me, I'd look for a decent 240D with a manual tranny. The ride is comfortable, the fuel economy is great, and they are easy for the DIY'er to repair.

My 240D (automatic) gets mileage comparable to the wife's Saturn, rides almost as well as our old 300D, and is easier (and cheaper) to work on than my Town Car. If it were up to me, my driveway would be loaded with 240's.... and a nice 300D, of course....

wheelguru · #6 06-24-2002, 12:01 PM

Hey, I live in MN too. The most important thing I can think of is rust, or lack of. I think you should seriously consider looking in the south or out west for a car. You should be able to find any of the previously recommended ones on ebay or in the auto trader online for $1,500 up.
I think the 300d will be the easiest to find, wagons are less common and therefore more expensive, and 240s seem not so common either, but they are cheaper. From what I have gleaned here, the 240s are simpler mechanically, although only 4 cylinders makes them fairly slow. The heater on the 300s runs off the vacuum system, if you get a leak in the system you will only have defrost for heat, with a 240 I think it is mechanical and therefore less prone to failing.
If your car does not come with a block heater you will want to put something in it for winter. Block plugs are very hard to install - not too much room and lots of leverage needed, but you can also stick on an oil pan heater in about 25 minutes.
As long as you have good tires you should not have much problem in the snow, these are heavy cars and go pretty well in the snow. For supreme traction get some Nokian snow tires, about $80 each. good luck, Andy

#7 06-24-2002, 12:02 PM

You amy want to drive a model with the turbo in order to assess. I would not want a non-turbo model since driving the turbo. Maintenance and mileage differences (minimal) are more than made upfor by the power.

wheelguru · #8 06-24-2002, 12:04 PM

by the way, I am on the west side of St. Paul. where do you commute to? -Andy

Ducati · #9 06-24-2002, 11:41 PM

I know how cold it gets in Minnesota. I used to live a little to the north of Minneapolis. (Okay, a lot to the north - in Winnipeg) It gets *%@#$#& COLD in Minneapolis. I've been there in the winter and its just as cold as Winnipeg - or Siberia. You will need to run fuel additives to prevent gelling and to add some lubricant as "winter diesel" has some of the waxy lubricants removed to prevent gelling. Also, you will need a block heater or some such engine warming device. Do a search in this forums archives to find the rust prone spots on the model of Mercedes you are considering, and then zero in on those spots for signs of rust or bondo.

190D22 · #10 06-24-2002, 11:54 PM

I drive a 190D 2.2. It's really a great little car. It's the cheapie of the older mercedes, so therefore it is looked down upon as such. It's really a very well built car, I mean, hell, It's a MERCEDES! I live in columbus ohio, so I don't need the block heater, at least not often at all. If all is well mechanically it will run forever and it will run strong. Mine's got 139+ miles on it, and it's just goin as good as the day it was bought. It has lived here in columbus too long though, it's got some rust. I just hope that it lasts me another 5 or 6 years until I can afford a newer mercedes.

I had never even considered buying a mercedes-benz until I stumbled upon this little treasure. This thing has made me a benz driver for life. The engine will definately outlive the body. I would transplant the engine into another car if it were easy enough when the body is dead.

Any of the diesels are great cars. The 190s are the more economical of the 80s diesels, but also the less roomy and of course the looked down upon models. But non the less it's a mercedes, and if taken care of, it will do you well.

Ducati · #11 06-25-2002, 12:01 AM

Uh, oops - I forgot the main part of your question - the best diesel; I will tell you why I like the 123's with the 617 motor. They made the 123 body style from 1977 to 1985, so body and interior parts are plentiful. Many thousands of them still ply the highways in exceptional shape despite having 400,000 miles on them. (My 83' with 250000 miles on it is still very solid, shiny, comfortable and reliable, and makes the Buick I owned before it with 1/3 the mileage seem like a complete p.o.s.) They have great handling and brakes, and an incredible turning radius for easy parking and city manoeverability. Parts are plentiful and quite inexpensive. They are straightforward cars that a person of modest mechanical abilities can service themselves.
Others on this forum have argued well for the 126 models because of the comfort and admittedly better looks. They also have the 617 engine, but with more wheelbase & weight they do not handle or perform quite as well as a good 123. None-the-less, I think my next diesel will likely be a 126, when I find just the right one.
I have driven the 240 with a non turbo diesel and an automatic, and consider it to be almost dangerously slow. Go for the turbo 5 cyl or the newer 2.5 (which I will admit that I do not know as much about, other than that they are known reliable performers with enough jam to get out of their own way) Be very wary of the 3.5 litre diesel. Do an archives search here to find out why. Some people have put 200,000 or more on them, but generally they are a weak diesel that has demonstrated great unreliability.

Ducati · #12 06-25-2002, 12:07 AM

I agree with 190D22. The diesel engined 190 would be a great car. If you can find one with a standard transmission in good shape at a fair price you would be a fortunate man indeed.

Someone else on this forum said "go for pedigree, not mileage".
Sage advice! Maintenance records are more important than low mileage without evidence of a good maintenance regimen by the former owner(s).

Alan S · #13 06-25-2002, 10:24 AM

Thanks for all the replies, I live in Inver Grove Heights and will commute to Rochester. I'm currently training in Phoenix for my new job and have seen several rust free Diesels here, so I'm thinking of maybe driving one home. I'm looking at a 240d today and hopefully a 190d as well. I'm mostly worried about the drive home, but will probably take the car to a local mechanic to check it out. Thanks again for your help, Alan

#14 06-25-2002, 10:39 AM

I think that there are many, many good diesel cars out there. All of us will probably steer you to a different chassis, year, model, based on our opinion or experience.

There are two groups of "issues" with any given car:
Issues which are unique to that model or chassis and usually well-documented in forums like this.
Issues which are unique to the particular car offered for sale, perhaps brought about by previous owner's actions or lack of maintenance or driving conditions or climate.
No matter how highly recommended by others, every car that you think of purchasing will have issues in these 2 areas.

My personal opinion is that the best thing you can do is first decide what function the car will serve and decide: wagon or sedan or coupe?
Then, how much wrenching do you want to do yourself versus paying a mechanic? The newer the car, hopefully the better condition and reliability but also take into account they are more electronically-oriented and not easy to work on for us newbies.

You can learn a ton by lurking this forum, which is what I did before I bought our MB.

Buy something that you like, that you are comfortable with, that you believe will meet your needs.

Have a pre-purchase inspection before to make sure there's not something really awful waiting to happen.

I'm from Wausau Wisconsin and wondered about the cold weather, too. But then I realized that there are members of this forum all over the northern US and in Canada! If they drive their cars year 'round, why can't I?

jobah · #15 06-25-2002, 10:45 AM

My family has:

84 300SD
83 300D
84 190D my daily driver

I drive about 80-100 mph.

I agree with the guys above that the 190D is a great car (mine is an 84 2.2 5 speed).

My favorite for extended driving (like you at 170 miles per day), I think that my preference would be an 86-87 300SDL. It has the advances of the 60x engines (please do not start a thread relative to the 617 v. 60x -- my personal preference is the 60x engine for the advancements), and certain creature comforts not found on the earlier 82-85 SD's.

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