Diesel E-class

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This is tempting. I need to replace my dissolving truck...I have been planning to get a P71 Crown Vic. However, when getting gas yesterday, I saw something intriguing for sale: a 1998 Mercedes E300 turbo diesel. It's cream-colored, claimed one-owner, and has a 1/2" thick folder of paperwork on the seat. Price is $7K. So...anyone who knows later E-class diesels better than I do (that would be...everybody) have any input?
 
They're fun to work on (not necessarily a good kind of fun), and parts are expensive. Not sure I would recommend one to a diesel newbie, but the W123 ('82 300D Turbo) was almost impossible to kill. The newer ones have more stuff to break!
 
Not a diesel newbie (it would be my fifth diesel owned...sixth if you add in my wife's Blazer), but yeah, I was worried about high cost of ownership.

I think the P71 is a smarter choice...
 
You do know, that a 1/2" stack of repair invoices is *not* always a good thing...

If they're mostly all oil changes and assorted maintenance... sure.

But, if they're not...
frown.gif
 
We had a 1996. Rust just completely took it at around 250k miles. Ran like a champ.

Most parts were NOT expensive, and most jobs were pretty DIY friendly. But it is still different than a typical domestic or Japanese car, and the mpgs, while not bad, aren't as high as the new ones (we would get around 36 mpg).

A 98 is probably a turbo, which will have great torque, be a great cruising car, and overall should be safer, better handling and more efficient than a crown Vic, which is an obsolete ageing dinosaur (though of course the w210 is also).

Personally I'd look for either a w124 or 126, or else go newer and find a w211. That's a combo of ownership, styling, and design-based... But I'm partial to w123 cars myself...
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
You do know, that a 1/2" stack of repair invoices is *not* always a good thing...

If they're mostly all oil changes and assorted maintenance... sure.

But, if they're not...
frown.gif



If not it could be things that went wrong and were fixed, so they are not an issue anymore...

Question is how many miles for 7k with a stack of receipts?
 
Mercedes Diesels are rugged and reliable. I've seen quite a few go way beyond 200,000 miles.

If you need parts they're expensive, but all diesels are, so I wouldn't see that as a disadvantage unique to M-B. That car is old enough that junkyard parts should be easy to find.
 
A 17 year old european car isn't a good starting point when shopping for a used vehicle, unless you are a MB enthusiast.

7K buys a lot of other less risky vehicles.
 
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Oh, that brings back horrible memories.

I agreed to work on one a number of years back, a few engine related repairs and a window issue. It kicked my butt. The final straw was the replacement of a window regulator on the drivers window. The old one was made of some form of pot metal, and it had actually started "melting" into some bizarre semi-liquid shape. I replaced the drivers window and regulator and all was well.

Until I closed the rear door. The door stop (hold open mechanism) came apart, hit the rolled down window and shattered it. I had to cover the cost of the rear window and the repair of the door stop and other internal damage. Total invoice for my work, $500. Total cost to me $1000 worth of damage. No thanks. Those cars are truly disgusting.
 
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Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
A 17 year old european car isn't a good starting point when shopping for a used vehicle, unless you are a MB enthusiast.

7K buys a lot of other less risky vehicles.


Right, but those other cars aren't Mercedes.

I always stayed away from the diesels because it seems they have their own unique set of problems and because they didn't sell as many as gasoline models, not that many people know how to fix them. Also at one point diesel was more expensive than gasoline and there was somewhat of a premium for diesel models that the increased price kinda wiped out your fuel savings.

I would suggest checking out the MB forums, I think a 98 would be the W210 platform. You could probably get a regular gasser 2007+ E350 for 10-14k depending on mileage.
 
Those are wonderful vehicles, very easy to work on and parts are very easy to get and reasonable priced. The OM606 is one of the best diesel motors ever put in a car, smooth and powerful.

The W210 has its issues but they are well known by now. A big thing to check for is rust.

$7k is a lot of money so it better be in good shape. If your not very familiar with them have a PPI done at a dealer or a MB shop. Any Mercedes can hide a lot of neglect if you don't know what to look for.
 
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Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
You do know, that a 1/2" stack of repair invoices is *not* always a good thing...

If they're mostly all oil changes and assorted maintenance... sure.

But, if they're not...
frown.gif



I suspect it is every piece of paperwork since the car was bought, I would guess receipts for every oil change and quite possibly for all fuel ever bought. (There was something sticking out that looked like the original window sticker.)
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
We had a 1996. Rust just completely took it at around 250k miles. Ran like a champ.

Most parts were NOT expensive, and most jobs were pretty DIY friendly. But it is still different than a typical domestic or Japanese car, and the mpgs, while not bad, aren't as high as the new ones (we would get around 36 mpg).

A 98 is probably a turbo, which will have great torque, be a great cruising car, and overall should be safer, better handling and more efficient than a crown Vic, which is an obsolete ageing dinosaur (though of course the w210 is also).

Personally I'd look for either a w124 or 126, or else go newer and find a w211. That's a combo of ownership, styling, and design-based... But I'm partial to w123 cars myself...


It's definitely a turbo. (Badges are E300 and TURBODIESEL.)
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
You do know, that a 1/2" stack of repair invoices is *not* always a good thing...

If they're mostly all oil changes and assorted maintenance... sure.

But, if they're not...
frown.gif



If not it could be things that went wrong and were fixed, so they are not an issue anymore...

Question is how many miles for 7k with a stack of receipts?


I have no idea...owner wasn't around and mileage isn't on the sign.
 
IDK what it's like to get at the evaporator on that car, but on w123s it's 92 easy steps.

I'd make sure the AC works. Fall is a great time to sell a car that lacks it.
 
I'd take a used crown vic over the Mercedes. Worse gas mileage, but lower repair costs unless you can DIY most everything.
 
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