Mercedes Benz Oil Burners

[cyborg]

Anybody have any experience with them? I'm shopping for a car and the diesel bug has bit me in a bad way and I'm looking for a car. the price for the MB diesels seem pretty good and they are known for their body work.

What do you guys know?

 

[Jim McCarty]

We've had four of them. one 240d, and three 300d's. These are the cars we bought for our daughters. The 240 was solid as a tank but underpowered, especially with the auto. The 300 turbo diesels have good power, some power amenities and comfortable and rugged. Regular 3000 to 4000 mile oil changes are the key to getting an engine that will have plenty of life left in it. We always bought the 123 body (1979 to 1985). These are legendary for long life. They have no cat. converter and are simple to maintain. All I can say is get to know a good Mercedes mechanic who may know of a good car for sale and get out and drive a dozen or more that are for sale. When you get an exceptional one, you'll know it. Pay your mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection and you'll have the confidence you got a good car. Some things may need repairing (trans. , a/c). You may need to spend some money and can use that as a bargaining chip. You may also find one that has already had the repairs done. These cars regulary go 300k to 500k miles or more. Some have gone over 1,000,000 miles without an overhaul. You will probably get tired of the car before you wear it out. Good luck. Let me know if you need any more advice. Jim

 

[southpaw]

cyborg, I will give you a rundown of my expierences, i owned a 76 300d it was a super auto for its time but it has glo-plugs mine was pre turbo so it was slow up to about 30 mph then it would take off. The body was tight the handling was very nimble economy was very good 20 in town +30 highway parts were beginning to become hard to find, filters and other parts. the car was bought with 90k and was used by college student , the transmission went at 300,000 plus, cost for rebuild $2500. it wasn,t worth fixin. We bought a 82 300SD with 120K paid around 3K for it its a bigger more refined car very comfy same fuel economy as the earlier unit the 82 handles much different than the 76 not as sport car feely but still good more like a big luxery car that it is. The Mzb is amazing for its simple but quality assembly. be wary of the higher luxury mods with ride level suspension they are trouble and shocks are Boge wich spells expensive and all are changed at the same time. I was told by the supplier those shocks run $700 ea. thats why they call them shocks. My 82 hits turbo at about 1500RPM and takes off. mech says drive it like you just stole it , don,t know top end but its well over 100mph. guage only regesters 85. Hope this helps also stay with mid 80s or older ie 80- 86. still many good rust free in so Cal. with good prices.

 

[monkfarm]

mercedes

We had a 240D, like previously mentioned underpowered. That particuliar model had a heater fan that would go out, and the whole dash had to be taken off just to get at the fan, the fan was so buried at the bottom, just everything in the world had to come out. But the German craftsman ship was usually a pleasure to take apart because it made sense to me, although you had to keep all the parts in order, so many were involved in the assembly. The fan motor was just over $100 but the shop wanted at least $1300 to get at it with the reserved point that it wasn't a bid and I would pay by the hour

I also had a 1967 250 S which was a 4 dr, the last year of the real wood paneling interior, doors, dash and supports. What a great car, good gas (not diesel) mileage, great handling ) but it would lean more than american cars, although once you were used to leaning (4 wheel independent suspension)

You could take corners at frightenly fast speeds in trackin stability. Pretty well balanced for tosing it into a drift; and S drifts were smoothly transitioned.

Big steering wheel, and great dash. Warm green (instrument) lights . Comfortable for long trips and cozies. (Had a red head that time)

I was ironworking high steel at the time, and took it booming =traveling to overtime jobs. It was great. The fuel pump went one time, and I just constructed a piece of rubber for the flapper piece, and went on.

The (standard) interior vinyl used to be better than leather in the long run, so high quality (was the vinyl,) it was virtually assured of lasting twice as long as the leather. . .

Individual heater controls postponed one of my divorces. . . . . . .

 

[Jim McCarty]

I forgot to mention in my earlier response, if you buy a California car, avoid the '85 and newer models. They have a trap oxidizer which is similar to a catalytic converter. These plug up over time and decrease power and mileage, and also cause the engine to run quite a bit hotter, which shortens both engine and transmission life. These cars are easy to spot. The oxidizer is a big silver thing right behind the turbo and the air filter is moved to the front of the engine, just behind the radiator. If you find the right car, YOU WON'T BE SORRY. Jim

 

[JMcDowell]

mb diesels

The best in my opinion are the 96-99 E300 and E300td. Both have excellent power and are near maintenance free. The older

300 are also excellent. My younger brother has a 78 300d and it has 180k and runs like a champ with very little smoke. We just got in the 2005 E320CDI's and they are rockets as far as diesels go while being so quiet they are hard to hear.

Have fun!

 

[JHerr]

I have always been a diesel nut. My father is the one to thank for that. His current car is a '98 MB E300td. It is quiet, smooth, relatively quick, and positively reeks of quality.



He found it on the internet in TX and had it shipped north.

The best part is that the cost was less than what a Toyota Avalon of the same year and mileage would be. Hmm... what would you rather drive? Legend has it that Mercedes Benz cars are too expensive... I beg to differ.



My father made a costly mistake by test-driving a new MB E320 CDI the other week... he takes delivery of his E320 CDI in October in Germany! MB has a great Euro delivery program.



I haven't driven one, but I believe him when he said the CDI had great power. He said that he lit up the rear tires by accident... and he doesn't have a heavy foot.



P. S. His '98 E300td will be for sale... any takers? (These turbo models were rather rare. )