Hello all. New to this forum and new to MB.
Well, I've gotten the MB diesel bug and am looking to get my feet wet, so I'm in the market for an MB diesel--most I can spend is about $5K.
The research I've been able to do thus far leads me to believe I probably want an SD, possibly an SDL, but I'm not sure what years to look for or avoid. However, I'm open to other suggestions about models (except the 240--my wife doesn't like the looks of it and I think its too slow for the driving I'll be doing). I'll be using the car to commute about 140 miles every day on interstate averaging 75 mph, so gas milage and reliability are crucial.
I'd like the car to be easy to work on so I can do some of the maintenance/repairs myself, so no computers and as few electronic engine/transmission controls as possible. Hope I'm not expecting too much.
Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

Robby

So, for no computers and as few electronic engine/transmission controls as possible, 84-85 300SDs and 86-87 300SDLs and 90-91 350SD/SDLs are out of the question. You should look for a 78-83 300SD. I think in 84, MB added small computer controls on the engine of the SD. 1978 is about as simple as you can get.
-Joe

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

I'll offer a counterpoint. The 300SDL has electronics to handle the emission control devices and stabilize idle. Pull the battery of a running SDL and there's more risk of killing the alternator than killing the engine. Worst case is that idle rpm will drop. Big deal. The base idle adjustment screw is easier to get to than in an SD. 84-85 SDs are the same way.

For $5000, you'll find SDs in much better condition than SDLs. If that's all the money you have for a car, get a $3000 SD and keep the rest to bring it up to par.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Sixto gave some good advice. Plan on spending around $2-3,000 on the vehicle and about another $1-2000 in repairs to get it to your liking. Be prepaired to do some of the repairs yourself. Don't worry, everything thing is pretty easy with our help. I own an '85 and I have never fooled with any kind of computer on my car at all. My advice is to look for a '81-'85SD.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

If you can find one in good condition (i.e. not rusted to pieces) there's no reason not to consider the 78-80 300 SD along with the 81-85. The 78-80 used the same robust engine, and delivered the same or slightly better mileage. The A/C could be a weak point as I recall, as it could be expensive to repair. Just look for a car in good condition inside and out, not worrying about the number of miles on the engine. To the extent you have a choice, a car with a recently rebuilt tranny or replaced front suspension would be a plus, as these are the big jobs that await most high mile owners. Oh, and working A/C would be good, although anything other than a leaky evaporator is too bad to replace. As suggested, keep the cost down to $3000 and chances are good we'll be able to help sort out your remaining issues. These cars are easy to work on yourself, and there are fantastic resources here.

I should also say that the 86/87 300 SDL is an even better highway cruiser, with a more powerful and refined engine. The engine had some head cracking problems if overheated, but if treated properly ran about as long as the earlier version. The only problem for your price range is that they usually command a greater premium.

Good luck

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Tjohn

82 300 SD
77 450 SL (gone)

Along with the body change, the SD went to a R4 A/C compressor in 81, and a number of other minor improvements (cold starting, climate control) Still, common sense prevails - general condition of car - trans shifting, engine blowby, rust, etc. must be considered. I looked at a number of 78-80SD years ago before I settled on an 82SD. If a car has half-a** repairs on it, it says a lot about how it was cared for.

Thanks for the advice, guys, I really appreciate your help. A couple clarifications on my situation:

1. My $5K limit is only an approximate figure. It's not too big a deal to me to go several thousand higher. However, I wanted to stay at around $5K if feasible because I'm so new to this and I figure its a lot easier to swallow a $4-5K mistake than an $8-10K mistake. On the other hand, if you all tell me I can get just what I'm looking for if I spend $8K, then I'll do it.
2. No matter what I spend on the car I'll still have money to bring the car up to snuff. I'm not poor, but don't want to get into a money pit situation either (the kids' college education can be postponed if necessary, however).
3. I don't want a lot of computer/electronics primarily for fear of getting stranded (my commute takes me through some pretty desolate areas in SW Missouri)--the repair thing is a secondary issue. If failure of a computer in a particular model year would be just an annoyance rather than an engine or transmission stopping issue, than a computer would be OK. Given this, what model year did MB start using computer to control vital engine or transmission functions on the SD and SDL?

Thanks again.

Robby

Personally I have never heard/seen any problems with any computers in any year SD. Someone mentioned earlier about the tranny/engine/turbo rebuild. If you pick up a car with any of these components new or rebuilt it would be a big plus. The biggest thing I think you should look for is service records. I bought my '85 300SD with 238,000 miles and it had extensive service records. I put about $1,000 into it since then. 99% of this work I did myself. Some of that work was cosmetic upgrades (wheels/euro lights) and other stuff was little like power ant. fix, brakes, front end components. My car now has 301,000 miles with the original engine and trans. It runs beautifully and it is my daily driver in the summer.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

The main thing I would look at on any older MBZ you are looking at is rust. I am 19 and I work on my 82 300sd with little problem, the shop manuals are almost impossible to find and Haynes never made one bc the 126/116 where the top chaise and was not usually worked on my the owners. So depending on how much you know it can be hard to get the info you need at times. I have bought MBZ that looked good and ended up to rust buckets. Look at fenders behind the front wheels. Be wary of cars with fresh paint. If you find one you like take it to a shop for a compression test. Bad compression on a cylinder means you really don’t want it. The Trannys usually last for 250k so a new/rebuilt would be a great thing. New ball joints would be good to. The 300 is a bullet proof engine, but the 350 has had some problems. One nice thing about these cars is that they will almost never leave you stranded.

Your on the right track, I agree with Sixto I have done tons of work on my SDL, it is a simple car to work on. It is not a 1950 Chevy but, it is a very comfortable car that loves the highway. Mine has a sweet spot at 75-80, it loves to go. Depending on how much you want to spend nice SDL's can be had for $5k-$7k range. The 300SD's are also nice, you really can't go wrong either way. Just check for rust!!! Here are a few places to look:

Check all of the jack points.

Check the wheel wells.

In the front wheel well, their is an inlet that the front swaybar goes threw, they rust in their!

Lay on your back in the trunk and look up at the rear windows seam, mine has rust in their that needs to be fixed. You really can only see it well laying in the trunk.

The corners of the rear windows rust, lift up the rear window gasket and look under.

This may apply to the SD but on all SDL's their is and oil cooler under the front drivers side bumper. Check to see if the fittings are rusted. New lines cost $351! (this was a costly lesson for me)

I have found these cars to be actually pretty plesent to work on, if you having never worked on a Mercedes these cars are ment to come apart and be fixed. The diesel's are nice in the W126 body because they are kind of small compared to the V8's.

Good luck, budget $2k to bring the car up to your standards. Their is always more to fix then you think their is!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Having owned both, I prefer the SDl for the smmother ride, acceleration and overall quiter sounding engine.

Having said that, I love both cars and if you get the right one, you'll be really happy.

If your budget is 5k and up, you should be able to find a really nice car with low miles, and lots of service records.

The hard part is to find a perfect car for 2-3k. They're out there, just take a bit longer to find,

Just be patient and get it cheked out prior.

A little reminder: CHECK FOR RUST. Hatteras guy hit it right on the head with his rust analysis.

My SD, had a shotload of rust that was not visible to the novice, had I known then what I know now, I never would have bought it. Nothing worse than having a perfect running rustbox.

.02

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

What Hatterasguy says about SDL pretty much covers SD also, cept the oil is cooler is mounted to the radiator. You can easily get a good idea about the blowby by removing the oil cap while its running. Oil is probably black, that's not necessarily a concern. A lot of blowby indicates you need to find another car.

I have both an sd and and an sdl. The sd is better in city driving. The sdl is better on the highway. However, they are both great cars, you just have to find a good one.

Thanks again for all the help--can't believe I found this site.

I've got a "blowby" question that I'll post in another thread for the benefit of the other members who may have a similar question.

I'll let everyone know when I find something (currently checking e-bay and cars.com). If anyone sees a good 81-85 SD or 86-87 SDL for sale, please let me know. I promise to "love and cherish" the car to death do us part...

Robby

Don't forget Autotrader.com.

Or try putting a wanted ad in this forum's car section.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200