I like my 1985 300D the most, but I dont know of the latter Mercedes-Benz variants because I couldnt afford anything past the early 1990 models. Can anyone recommend one to me? I love Diesel.
What was the best pre 1993 Mercedes Diesel, Performance wise.

my vote goes for the 1990-93 300D 2.5 Turbo...very reliable,had the updates of safety...airbag...ABS..plus updated engine with things such as self adjusting valves and a quiet smooth idle and great fuel economy...also a pretty powerful car



Warren
1992 300SD
Columbus Ohio

Carameow,

Keep in mind that everyone has their own parameter by which they measure.

My favorite parameter is longevity. Others, however, only consider power, or only consider economy.

If you want power, an '86 or '87 in good shape with the trap oxidizer properly removed would be a good car.

For reliability/longevity I still like the 123 cars.

The 124 diesels have an aluminum head which takes something away from the "tough as an anvil" nature of the 123's.

Good luck,

You can't beat the W123 diesels for reliability - and as an added bonus they are very easy to fix. My favorite pre-90's Diesel is a W123 240D with a 4 speed stick. Lots of room under the hood and a simple manual HVAC system.

For post 90's the 300D 2.5 turbo is a superb car. Great power, reliable and fuel economy in the 33-36 MPG range. Only downside here is these cars are much more costly to repair - they have lots of electronic gizmos that will fail and are not repairable.

As Larry points out beauty is in the eye of the beholder but IMHO if the OM606 4-valve turbo engines prove reliable over the long haul the hands-down-no-brainer choice for best MB Diesel of all time will be the W210 body E300 turbodiesel....Unless we ever get the CDI engines on this side of the Atlantic.

Tim

I agree with that...the last 98-99 E300 Turbodiesels are superb cars..very quick and very efficient.I have an old college buddy that has a 98 model.....and I was told by my local MB zone rep that that is has been a very good car to them in terms of warranty claims.In fact it was the car he recoomended I look into after one of my heated discussions with him about reliability of the car I now own


Warren
1992 300SD
Columbus Ohio

Hi Guys,

The best ever diesel in my experience is 1995 E300 (W210).

They are really quiet and gives petrol driven engines a run for the money.

But now with the latest CDI (common-rail diesel injection)engines they are a gem from standing start.

The side effects one has to bear with is the rocking noise the engine makes during idiling.

If they are available in your country you should test drive them.

Best Regards,



1995 E300 Diesel (W210)
1999 E250 Diesel (W210)
2000 S320L (W140)
2001 V220 CDI (Vito/V-Klasse)

I'd either go old or new. 123 or 210. W123 for tanklike construction and ease of maintenance and repairs. W210 for power, Lexus-like reliability and pure comfort. Our 98 E300 turbo is one superb driving car. It's a great handling car, is the quickest North American sold diesel, and gets exceptional fuel economy.

My dream car is a W203 C270 diesel. It's the only car that would make me rush down and trade the C230.

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

1983 240D...last of the line, so all had full options (sunroof, AC, etc). Real mature technology, no computers. If perfection means there is little you could add or take away, then these cars are perfect...have one now, looking for as good an example as I can find to keep it company.