my 1985 190D 2.2 died a few years back, about 180K miles. a band broke in the transmission, and replacement did not make sense, so I sold it.

now my job situation has changed, and I drive 80 freeway miles a day. I am looking at diesels, Mercedes naturally. I am eying my uncles 1980 300D with 103K miles...it still looks and drives NEW. never had been eaten in..sheep skins so the seats are new too. but he wont part with it, for now.

today looking at 1985 300 turbo, just over 200K miles, supposedly in good condition, but they all say that, and I am getting tired of looking at wrecks.

in college in Copenhagen Denmark, I drove a taxi, a lot. that was a 1989 190D 2.5T what a little rocket, those are hard to come by here in California.

for my need anything is ok, powerwise, as I get on the freeway, drive 40 miles at 70 mph, and get off, and repeat at the end of the day.

is there a measurable difference in fuel consumption between the turbo and non-turbo ?

 

locally there is a 1987 300 SDL for sale, in a nice color, but it has 334k miles.....is that reasonable to think that could be a daily driver for 20-40k miles ? what mileage does such a boat get ?

 

My 1991 350 SDL gets 28mpg and it floats. Its a great ride. Do your homework on the 1987's. Not sure about the aluminum heads. Some say yes some say no. I avoid them.

 

Don't let the '87 head issue freak you out. Although the #14 head on the 603 is problematic, it does not guarantee it will crack. If a car you are looking at has a #14 head, one of the things you will need to find out is if it was ever overheated. If so, I would pass. If not, then all should be well.

If you buy a car with the #14 head, just keep an eye on the temp & NEVER let it go over 100* C (FI, correct me if I'm wrong). Overheating is what kills the #14 head. I have one in my '87 300D & the temp never rises above 85*.

If you find one with a #22 head or higher, buy it!