Which to buy....?
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Newbie
Joined: May 2018
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E350
Which to buy....?
Very new here BUT learning.... I wanted to buy a Mercedes diesel. The fuel mileage is an incentive, but also it reminds me of my dad's beloved 1976 300D. But from what I have been reading in the Forum, unless one is mechanically skilled (....I so very much do WISH...) the BluteTecs do get very expensive (maintenance!!) with age.... and I am not in a position to buy a new one. Looking for some advice on what YOU would buy if "new with 0000 miles" might not be on your shopping list....? Cars I have been viewing....
E350s with 70,000+ miles Technically brilliant
E250s with perhaps more miles Fewer features, although some "features" are just gadgetry
300 Turbo Diesels Some old but very capable cars are still around, albeit with many miles and -- if in good shape -- high prices ($12,000+). As noted my dad had one so a "family bond."
SL 500 Okay, not quite in the same "family" as its a gas burner, but pretty elegant.... most I have looked at are very late 20th C (1999 and up) with a few cars newer. The "Freedom for Two" was the car both my parents wanted but my mother died in the 1980s without having bought one..... an emotional bond but of course still a handsome car, although "buy just to impress" is not what I am after.
Opinions are welcome -- how often do you hear that????
E350s with 70,000+ miles Technically brilliant
E250s with perhaps more miles Fewer features, although some "features" are just gadgetry
300 Turbo Diesels Some old but very capable cars are still around, albeit with many miles and -- if in good shape -- high prices ($12,000+). As noted my dad had one so a "family bond."
SL 500 Okay, not quite in the same "family" as its a gas burner, but pretty elegant.... most I have looked at are very late 20th C (1999 and up) with a few cars newer. The "Freedom for Two" was the car both my parents wanted but my mother died in the 1980s without having bought one..... an emotional bond but of course still a handsome car, although "buy just to impress" is not what I am after.
Opinions are welcome -- how often do you hear that????
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 9,224
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From: V E G A S
1922 Ford Model T / no OBD
If you look for simplicity, the 1998-99 300DT engines are hard to beat.
But they pump 176 HP and have noticeable turbo lag when our E was averaging 28 mpg at higher speeds.
Any newer engine will be step up in performance, but also step up in complexity with more that can go wrong, when parts pricing skyrocket.
If you can afford - the 250 bluetec looks very promising. Not cheap parts, but great fuel economy can offset that very fast, while relatively easy to work on.
But they pump 176 HP and have noticeable turbo lag when our E was averaging 28 mpg at higher speeds.
Any newer engine will be step up in performance, but also step up in complexity with more that can go wrong, when parts pricing skyrocket.
If you can afford - the 250 bluetec looks very promising. Not cheap parts, but great fuel economy can offset that very fast, while relatively easy to work on.
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 17
Likes: 3
From: Miami Beach
2011 R350 Bluetec
If you are going E-Class...I'd go for the E250...I talked to a woman who had one at the gas station, and she's getting 50-60mpg. That's nuts...you'll only get 36ish with the OM642.
You won't need the torque of the OM642, in a E...they put them in Sprinter Vans.
You won't need the torque of the OM642, in a E...they put them in Sprinter Vans.
