I was planning on buying a E300 D, not sure what year, hopefully looking for one with relative low miles (which is hard because people love to drive these cars) and in good condition. But before I make the jump, in terms of maintenance, what I am expecting, given that I buy it in good shape. I have a reliable mechanic and will make sure it is in excellent condition before I buy. What heavy costs has your E300 exhibited? I am college student that is about to head in law school so money will always be tight. Would you suggest such a car for such a person in this economical situation considering the long-term costs?

 

You will be shelling out quite a bit of dough for these vehicles. These vehicles require a lot TLC. Glow Plugs, Leaking/Weeping fuel lines, etc are labor intensive and expensive. I would not reccomend purchasing one of these cars without a pretty good warranty, or the ability to pay for things that will need to be replaced. If you are looking for a trouble free vehicle I would suggest getting a Japanese car.

 

I have yet to have a leak anywhere on my car. What to expect from a diesel? Good mileage, long lasting, and overall reliable car. Trust me I've driven my E300 TurboDiesel over 85,000 miles and it's running flawlessly. Hopefully you will purchase one as well and get to enjoy a TRUE diesel. It's really fun to play around with the turbo, as you can hear is spooling up when climbing hills. I do all my own servicing on the car now that it is out of warranty and all I can say is....it's not a hassle working on the car. I can't really think of anything bad on the car, my father owns an older TurboDiesel (300SDL) and it was made in 87. It has over 180,000 miles on the car and it still runs strong! People say "dont get a diesel because there high maintanance" but idk what they are doing with there cars to create such an issue. Well...keep us updated on what your decision is. Oh by the way, I have a 1999 E300 TurboDiesel (As seen in signature)

 

Every car is different on maintenance. Some people "luck out" and others don't. My car has been pretty decent, but I wouldn't suggest purchasing one of these cars if you're going into law school. Your oil changes alone will run about $80. I do a lot of my own maintenance, but it has still cost me a decent amount of money.

 

What kind of oil do you use that it costs $10/qt?

 

What equation got you the result of $10/qt?

 

8 qts/oil change x $10/qt = $80/oil change

 

There's also the cost of the filter + labor. I don't do my own oil changes.

 

Yeah, my dad has told me all about the maintenance fees, right now I have a 2005 mercury mariner, it does the job but I want more styling and I miss driving a German car. My dad first gave me a 420Sl and that is fun as hell to drive. I will not be completely broke, but I also understand some of those thousand dollar fixes are not cheap and would put a major dint in the finances. But I also understand preventative and early maintenance also guards against major problems in the future, but still not cheap either. I might just fix up the 450SL and deal with that, but the diesel would save me overall on gas….