Hi all!

I'm hoping to buy an early 90s MB diesel for $4k-$5k in the next couple months.

I was searching around Google groups and found a guy wanting to buy an early/mid 80's MB diesel and found this response:

"With the amount you are able to spend, it is not at all clear that you
should buy a Mercedes Benz. The year of the car that you are able to
afford is sure to have several thousand dollars worth of maint needed.
100-140K is front-end rebuild time, both the water pump (which is not
that expensive) and the alternator could croak at any minute and they
should be replaced as a set at that mileage. My 240D with 125K mi
and which cost me $6K cost me $6K to repair to good condition. And I
had a mechanic look at the car before I bought it. "

This makes me wonder if these cars are too expensive for me. I'm planning on having any potential car checked out by a Mercedes dealership (I did the same thing when I bought my used Volvo) to avoid getting a lemon, but are they really that expensive to fix?

I see a lot of 1987 models for sale but I'm a bit afraid to dump a few thousand in a car that's 20 years old. So I was looking for '91s/'92 but I'm really not sure.

Any advice would be appreciated!

James

 

I absolutely love all of my benz's

But I do my own work

I couldn't imagine owning one and paying someone else to maintain it

good luck
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Definitely helps if you are mechanically inclined when you own a M-B, dieselOR gas in my humble opinion. If you don't know how to work on cars but are willing to learn and have a good attitude you're more than 50% of the way to a great car ownership experience.

Here's a personal example. My first Porsche was a 1986 944 turbo. It spent 50% of it's time with the hood UP and the other 50% with the hood DOWN. Hood down was aBLAST! Hood up, not so much, but enjoyable just the same. That car forced me to learn some fine mechanic's skills. I can now change a 944 turbo timing belt and counter-balance shaft belt in a morning and getthe cbs belt tensioned properlywithout using the Porsche special tool - every time. That's an expensive job for a good German shop, and probably twice as much (yikes!!) at the Stealership. I've heard of some folks paying $1,500 for that service, but the belts cost less than $75 combined. Roller bearing, if you need it, about $40.

My point? Be willing to turn wrenches and learn. Most M-B parts can be found on the cheap and your labor will pay a big dividend down the road. Don't let a little weekend maintenance scare you away.

As for the major stuff, just make sure you buy a car that has already had those services performed by the previous owner so you can reap the benefits.

 

I paid $400. for my rust free, no cracks in dash, all power windows and door locks working, good compression, very little blowback1982 300D T. ( It burns a little less than 1 quart of oil per 3000 miles. ) I could have merely replaced one bad injector and dash lights, and driven it for a few years as is... But I chose toreplace the steering box, Timing chain, adjust the valves, replace motor mounts, motor shocks, transmission mount, and differential and sub frame mounts. I also did a front brake job,replaced shocks and tires, and bought a good drivers seatfrom a junkyard for $50.
BTW, It had 312,000 miles on it when I bought it. It now has 321,000 flawlessmiles on it using free waste veggie oil in place of diesel... and I'd drive crosscountry with absolute confidence... If given the proper TLC it should be good for another 200,000 or more miles...

For more in depth info go to: http://www.mercedessource.com/search/node/buyers+guide

I know for a fact that one can buy a creampuff MB 300D T between the years 1982 and 85 for $3000. and often very much less.... ( An aquaintance recently bought the most beautiful creampuff 1985 MB 300D T I've ever seen for $2600. ) Advertize in your local paper. You'll get a lot of nibbles. Hang in there and you'll get a good one.

 

The 86-87s are a wanted year cause they have the 6-cylinder diesel that has more power and the same reliablility. Look under our sticky of Diesels to Buy/Avoid

 

remember many of us only see the day star where we are driving our MB's were here to help. perhaps even in person if you happen to be local. or at least recommend a good shop it its one problem you just cant lick.
yes you are going to likely put in more money that the vehicles blue book value but you will have a hobby that as you know is awfully fun to pull out of the garage and go for a spin on the weekends.

i always have a simple motto .automotive work consists of two parts, money and your own personal time how much of which is yours to decide.

just as a side note i checked out the new bluetec at the detroit auto show and there was very minimal rear passenger leg room, i was flat out disappointed.

if its a 76' ot a 86' your bound to love it. check the sticky first tho...

 

The 123 bodied Mercedeswill start eating tires @ ~250K miles. I currently own an '82 300D Turbo Mercedes andhave owned two previous 123 bodies (300D and 300TD both normally aspirated). Full front end replacement costs $3K.Any car you buy with that many mileswill needa front-end re-work.Same with water pumps, alternators, etc.But once it done, your good for another 10 to 15 years.With regularmaintenance, MBtransmissions are bullet-proof; I've never replaced a tranny.

What you really need to consideris theone a yearrepair shop visitto have oil leaks repaired. Medium to high mileage MB Diesels are notorious for them and therepairs costsare not cheap. Pre '86 models will encounter periodic aggravating vacuum leaks. Be sureand make friendswith a mechanic that specializes in MBdiesels.

If you plan on owning a MB diesel long-term, you could not have picked a better vehicle to purchase.But if you tend to grow weary of a car after two to three years, your better off looking elsewhere.

 

You can never be too poor to buy a Mercedes diesel. I bought my diesel the same month I left highschool while I was working for Wal-Mart. It's never given me a real problem that wasn't fixable besides the $800 maintainance cost to get the car to pass MD regulations. The only problem mine's ever had was overheating, caused by a bad thermostat. Easy 30min replacement from MercedesForum help.

You asked are they expensive to fix...yes, very expensive. Mostly caused by the labor factor which is higher compared to a domestic car's labor. If you can DIY even simple things...or at least try by buying the parts, you will save yourself hundreds.

See if you can find a diesel car, like mbz300sdl said, in the late 80's. Definately do your homework first otherwise you may end up with a rod-bender. 80's models are the best bet, 90's+ are reliable, but nothing like the 80's were. I would reccomend the 190D if you can find one, they're very solid cars with a lot of potential.

 

Yep,old 123 MB's tend to eat tires... But more often than not it's because of bad subframe mounts which causes the rear end totry catching up with the front end... ( It'll startmis-behaving at 50MPH and above. ) and in the process eats the inside edges of all four tires...
That said, one of the first things I did on my 1982 300D T, with 312,000 on the OD, was to replace all mounts, from the engine to the differential and particularly thesubframe.... At the time all 4 tires were worn on the inside. I now have 321,000 on the ODwith 9000miles onthe new tires which don't show even the slightest wear.
BTW, I have the log book and it seems it has the original front end, which is still tight. I also replaced all 4 wheel bearings.