I was wondering about this myself. Great info guys, helped answer my questions

 

Ok so this thread has been extremely helpful and had helped orchestrate my first mb purchase as well (will be next week).... I'm looking seriously at a 1987 300d that is extremely clean with 150k miles but it's off eBay and it's a cali version, I can't find any information on the difference between the federal and cali anywhere... Any help would be appreciated. The other is the 1991 350sd that had approx 115k miles on a replaced engine from '97... It's from the original owner and has every service record ever done. I'm sick between these two, any suggestions?

 

1987 300D were the same nationwide, nothing different for CA. If you're looking at the one in CO (light ivory), I know the owner, it should be a pretty nice car.

The 1991 350SD is a totally different car. The S-class is much larger, and combined with the bigger engine, fuel economy will be lower too. Sounds well maintained and has the motor replaced which is good.

Kinda depends if you want a mid-size car with better fuel economy, or if you need a larger vehicle.

 

The '87 was from a dealer in Illinois, I unexpectedly won the bid at 3800, which just makes me paranoid that it ended so cheap for such a clean car of this of this type with low miles...

 

Cograts! Let us know how you like the car once you have it in your driveway.

If you haven't yet seen this, read my writeup on things to check out on a 1987 300D/TD:
http://www.w124performance.com/docs/...uying_tips.txt

 

So, I followed this thread and realized there were lots of smart people here who could help me overcome my ignorance.

I got an old 83 VW Rabbit for free from my dad about a year ago. It was pretty much a piece of yard art. I brought it back to life and you can see pics and such here: My exciting diesel rabbit story

So earlier this week, while driving to work, the engine stalled. After a restart and getting it through the intersection and another stall, I popped the hood. Timing belt had come off. So here's where I hope you all come in.

After bringing that car back from the dead, I'm sold on diesel. I think they are just awesome compared to gassers. I'm tired of working on that old car and the wife refuses to ride in it.

What do you all recommend for the following:

- Haul me back and forth to work each day (about 30 miles round trip)
- Big enough for me, wife, and my 2 kiddos
- AC that runs on 134a (I converted my rabbit without much issue)
- I can't be under the hood all the time. I want it to be reliable and I can do maint
- Get 25+ MPG
- I'd like to spend between $2K - $5K (my ignorance is in knowing if thats a good range)

Is there an MBD that fits the bill? Maybe something in another make/model?

All help with this is greatly appreciated, I don't want to lose my sanity as a newbie trying to figure this out.

 

It depends what size MB you are looking for... small (190D), medium (300D/E300), or large (300SDL, S350). Most any of them in good mechanical shape will not have you under the hood "all the time" but hey, for a <$5k car, you'll be doing repairs occasionally. All 1993-up have R-134a system from the factory (1992 might have R-134a also - I forget the exact year break, it was 91 or 92). Original R-12 systems don't work well when converted, so I'd try and stick with a 93+ model if you are anti-R12, or anti-conversion. All of the 1986+ models should get over 25mpg, some will be 30-35 depending on the model/year.

I'd probably try to find a 1995-1997 E300, if you can locate a decent one for ~$5k. The 96-97 are the newer W210 chassis which is a step down in quality, but the powertrain is still great. 1997 has the 5-speed electronic tranny which is awesome. If you could afford a 98-99 turbo versions that would be ideal but I doubt you'll find a nice one for $5k. All these should be in the 30-35mpg range.

Second choice would be a 1992-1993 300D. I had one for a few years, it averages 30-34mpg under most conditions, power is decent, etc. If you live in the snow belt, try to find a car with the optional heated seats.

If you need a "large" car, that's a different discussion... the 90-95 S-class diesel has the rodbending issue, the 86-87 has the head issue, both will end up in the 25-28mpg range, 86-87 has R12, etc... lots more variables to consider.

 

I'm looking for a mid-size. The car would be my daily driver to work and then I'd want to be able to put the family in it comfortably at times. I have a large SUV for hauling stuff around and lots of people.

I checked craiglist in my area and found some cars, but they are all 80's vintage. There were about 5 local as seen here on CL None really seem like something to get too excited about. Not sure why someone would post their car with a bunch of mattresses on the roof for example!

My wife said: NO! to any Benz or BMW, saying that they break too much and are too expensive to fix. I had an old 533i that had an overheating issue and some other stuff. I bought it used and should have paid more attention. I don't think the one car, which was a gasser, really tells the story of diesel Benzs. Thoughts?

 

That white 87 300D for $2k might be worth a look, but the mileage is high, and it sounds like it's a fixxer-upper (i.e., HVAC fan not working). Seems a bit tired & worn, but the price ain't bad, especially if you can get them down further. For a detailed buyer's guide on the 1987 300D/TD, click here. If the car has the "high cold pressure" symptom, you probably should walk away, it's a ~$2k repair when the head crack gets worse. If it happens to have a newer head casting, then it's not an issue. Only way to tell is to go see the car and look at the head casting number. The owner will probably have no clue.

The 190D is a small car, probably not what you're looking for. The 1985 and older 300D's are dinosaurs... no ABS, no airbag, slow, noisy, leaky, and generally going in the wrong direction. Not to mention they're right around your 25mpg minimum for fuel economy.

The white 1991 300D for $500 that needs a tranny could be a good deal, if you had time to fix it:
1991 D Class mercedes 300 D class

Most likely you would need to expand your search to neighboring states, or plan on searching daily for months until you find the right car locally. I did not see a single 1995-1999 E300 for sale. Check eBay and AutoTrader too.

Well maintained (read: not cheap beater) Mercedes do not break often, and if you can do your own repair work, they are not expensive to fix. If you have to pay a mechanic for everything, just forget the whole idea, and go buy a new VW with 10-year warranty.

 

gskr, thanks for the great input.

That 91 300D appears to have either been sold or just relisted for $1100. I don't think the original ad listed it as a turbo. New Ad Here

So in general would you agree that if I shop around $4 - $5K should buy me some reliable transportation?

I put a new timing belt on my rabbit last night and when I started it up, the engine sounded horrible. Pretty sure the valves are bent, so I definately need to shop around for a new vehicle. Thanks again for the replies, especially since I'm on the hunt for something new. Much appreciated!