Powerstoked!

Hey yall, I am probably one of the newest noob's on here, I just joined today. Anyhow, I have been looking at buying an E300D for a while now, and I am finally getting really serious and pulling money together. So I have a few questions, first about the diesels, and then about the w124's in general.

First off, I know the 87's had the OM603 turbo, and I do love a turbo, can't get enough of em. How big a deal is this cylinder head problem? If I found an 87 in decent shape for about 2k, should I jump on it or save a few more pennies for a 95 with the 606 in it?

If I find a 95 that I feel ok with the price about, what is the difference between the 606 in 95 and the 606 in 98, with the turbo? I definitely want a turbo diesel because I'm a performance nut, and either way I'm going to be getting better mileage than my 97 F350, even though that big ol diesel cranks out 17mpg with that 7000lb truck. So is a turbo upgrade a viable option on a 95? like maybe junk yard an exhaust manifold and turbo and do an R&R on the stock gear... And what's this business about the intake manifolds? They have baffles or something in them? For why?

Ok, so with the w124's in general, if I were to buy this 87 I'm looking at, are interior parts between 87's and 95's interchangeable? Like door panels, and console/dash pieces and what not. Seats? Are they interchangeable? Basically, with the 124 going through an update process in the early 90's, how much of the vehicle's parts are interchangeable if I wanted to just junkyard update an 87 to a newer looking interior...?



Thanks so much in advance for all your help folks. I'm pretty excited about taking on a new diesel project. I didn't know a thing about diesels when I bought my truck three years ago, and now I know that truck and motor bumper to bumper, and have learned a lot about diesels in the process. I am hoping that MBZ's won't totally stump me. Thanks again, I look forward to hearing from you all!!

edwinwalke

I owned a 95 E300D and it was a great car but it is underpowered compared to a turbo. Never driven a 87 300D Turbo but I did own a 99 E300D Turbo and it was a rocket ship compared to the 95. I doubt that much part interchange will be possible between a 87 and 95. The w124 is a great car and if I could justify it financially, I would buy another as a daily driver. Just make sure you know what you are buying as they can be expensive to fix and maintain. One other issue with the OM606 engine is the glow plugs. Both my 99 and 95 had glow plugs break when trying to remove them and that is a costly repair and it happens frequently. Do a little search and you will find many issues with those glow plugs.

Happy hunting and good luck.

ptoro01

The interior swaps over. Dash, door panels, for the most part except the headliner. You're better off buying one that you like tho. A 15 to 25 year old car will need plenty of attention on everything else, you won't get bored.

Powerstoked!

I appreciate the two of you who did reply, but is this really all the help I can get on here?

neanderthal

The important questions you've asked have been answered; the interior pretty much swaps over.

The rest is you trying to justify buying a non turbo diesel when you're a confessed performance nut.

There is no such thing as a cheap Mercedes. A $2k 87 turbo is going to be a turd. Period. But i'm sure you know this.
The differences between the turbo and non turbo OM606s are many. It's not just the manifold and turbo.