I bought a 1998 E300 turbo diesel about a month ago with 67,000 miles and had to put some money into it to get it road worthy. It was in good condition but not as good as I thought. Originally I was going to purchase a 1987 300d with only 37,000 on it but decided against it for fear that I would have had to put a ton of money into it; I thought the 98 a better bet. I had buyer's remorse over buying the 98 and since the 87 was still for sale and many on the forum speak highly of these, I went to drive it. The car was in pristine condition and had always been well maintained; not a scratch on it., interior, perfect! My impression was that it road like a truck, the seats were really springy and it just had a very strange feel to it. My 98 is so much more elegant and rides beautifully. I liked the 87 because of its simplicity, I fear the electronics in the 98 as it gets older. What do people like so much about the 87? I'm still kind of sorry I missed out because it was such a perfect specimen of a car and I liked the color combos better. Although the car was in Hemmings for a long time, someone bought it right before I called the seller back to tell him I was going to go for it. Amazing and disappointing. On the other hand, after putting so much money into the 98, it would been a waste.

 

Hi alchan, the 87 was when Mercedes were still built by engineer's,, as you say like a truck, a well maintained car would be good for many more miles,
The 98 falls when Mercedes were made by number crunchers your car is just in the years when this happened (over here rust is a problem) I am sure if you look after your 98 it will give alot of reliable mile's. I have a 1991 Eclass and with an older car there will alway's be something that needs to be replaced with components now at 20 years old!
In the long term you have made a good decision buying a newer model the milage on your 98 is not very high so now you have put it right hopefully you won't have to spend any more exept for regular servicing.