Which car sounds better on paper?
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Joined: Jun 2021
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300D
Which car sounds better on paper?
I've always wanted an MB diesel and as my current Chevy ****box needs more work than it's worth I don't have time to wait for the perfect diesel to become available. I've kept an eye out for a little over a year and haven't found one that checks all of my boxes so it may not even be out there.
After reading the Mercedes Diesel Buyer's Survival Guide from Mercedessource I've gotten the possibilities down to 2:
1.1985 300D with 120k miles. Interior and exterior are in excellent condition. No tears, fading, visible rust, etc. The current owner owns a car dealership and says he'd been maintaining it, but with the amount of miles obviously hasn't driven it very much. It had Austrian plates on it when he got it so it may be a European version (which I understand makes parts harder to find and/or more expensive).
2.1987 190D (NOT turbo) with 390k miles. Interior shows moderate wear but less than I would expect for something nearing 400k. Exterior paint had faded to the point of being practically gone in some spots. No visible rust. California car so it may still have the crap that was mandated there for a few years. It has been the daily driver for its one owner since 1987. The Mercedessource book only recommends buying these when they have less than 250k so that makes me a little apprehensive.
After shipping fees the 190D would be 400-500 more. I like the 300D for the look of the interior and the 190D for the fuel economy and larger speakers that will allow for better upgrades down the line. Based on this information what would you recommend? I plan to learn how to do simple maintenance (1 star difficulty in the Mercedessource book) and see how that goes before I say I'm going to do everything myself.
If anyone can recommend a diesel mechanic in the Cleveland, OH and Los Angeles areas to do an inspection that would also be quite helpful.
After reading the Mercedes Diesel Buyer's Survival Guide from Mercedessource I've gotten the possibilities down to 2:
1.1985 300D with 120k miles. Interior and exterior are in excellent condition. No tears, fading, visible rust, etc. The current owner owns a car dealership and says he'd been maintaining it, but with the amount of miles obviously hasn't driven it very much. It had Austrian plates on it when he got it so it may be a European version (which I understand makes parts harder to find and/or more expensive).
2.1987 190D (NOT turbo) with 390k miles. Interior shows moderate wear but less than I would expect for something nearing 400k. Exterior paint had faded to the point of being practically gone in some spots. No visible rust. California car so it may still have the crap that was mandated there for a few years. It has been the daily driver for its one owner since 1987. The Mercedessource book only recommends buying these when they have less than 250k so that makes me a little apprehensive.
After shipping fees the 190D would be 400-500 more. I like the 300D for the look of the interior and the 190D for the fuel economy and larger speakers that will allow for better upgrades down the line. Based on this information what would you recommend? I plan to learn how to do simple maintenance (1 star difficulty in the Mercedessource book) and see how that goes before I say I'm going to do everything myself.
If anyone can recommend a diesel mechanic in the Cleveland, OH and Los Angeles areas to do an inspection that would also be quite helpful.
Last edited by Kalas; Jun 8, 2021 at 09:27 PM.
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Joined: Dec 2020
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2010 E550, 1985 300D
I would go with the 85 300d, but I am biased as that is what I have. Mine has about 145k on it and it's a great car. There are tons of resources for the W123 cars. Most of your parts are generally the same for European vs American W123s.
Thats a lot of miles even for a diesel. I like the look of the 190 models as well but 390k.
Thats a lot of miles even for a diesel. I like the look of the 190 models as well but 390k.
