Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 With gas prices the way they are, my 12 mpg Ram is not cutting it. I'm looking at buying a car with far better fuel economy, and have started reading about the Mercedes diesels. They're relatively inexpensive ('87 SDL for $6300 w/135k in perfect condition) so I could keep my truck for when I need it. Plus I have a serious thing for German cars after my BMW. Any opinions on the late 80's/early 90's Diesel Benz? Thanks for all help you guys can give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 btt. . . some of you Euro's must drive them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members inferno79 Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Well, the old diesel engines have not much in common with the new ones (TDI, CDI and whatever they're called...). Especially the old mercedes are lame because of the weak engines and high weight. Typical taxi/cab car here. The 135K won't be a problem though, those old Mercedes are very well built and the engine will last forever. If you have the money get a modern common rail turbodiesel. Those get better milage and drive way better than any other engine with similar hp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T2Russo Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 a lot of guys convert em to vegetable oil too... they can run veggie oil, or regular diesel... veggie oil is like $2.50 a gallon new... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 $7k is about my limit. Newer Mercedes Diesels are pretty price here in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Originally posted by T2Russo a lot of guys convert em to vegetable oil too... they can run veggie oil, or regular diesel... veggie oil is like $2.50 a gallon new... Veggie oil??? I need to read up on Diesels. Btw it's the 300 SDL with a turbo 6cyl in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JerryP Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 I'm not sure on the years, but the old Benz diesel was a DOG! Dependable, but no power and slower than {censored}. The new turbo diesel kicks ass. Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Originally posted by JerryP I'm not sure on the years, but the old Benz diesel was a DOG! Dependable, but no power and slower than {censored}. The new turbo diesel kicks ass. Jerry It is a turbo diesel, and I've read they've got decent power. I'm just looking at something for highway cruising. I've always got my 360 powered Ram if I want something with oooomph. Thanks for the replies so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members argonaut4 Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Originally posted by JerryP I'm not sure on the years, but the old Benz diesel was a DOG! Dependable, but no power and slower than {censored}. The new turbo diesel kicks ass. Jerry +1 I had an early '80s 240D. That thing was a DOG, but was bulletproof. The turbo diesels are much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Originally posted by argonaut4 +1 I had an early '80s 240D. That thing was a DOG, but was bulletproof. The turbo diesels are much better. 300SDL turbo diesel I'm gonna go test drive it tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members inferno79 Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Still a far cry from the direct injection and common rail turbo diesels. The first Diesel that was acutally fun to drive was the TDI from VW/Audi that came out in the mid 90s. I'd be looking for a VW Passat or Audi A6 TDI that you could easily find for 7000 here. But I guess they weren't sold in the US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members argonaut4 Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Originally posted by D/FW XJ'er 300SDL turbo diesel I'm gonna go test drive it tonight. Cool! Good luck. Another thing to consider if you live in a colder climate, they are a bitch to start in the winter even when plugged in. And, you'll probably have to replace the glow plugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 22, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Glow plugs were just replaced, injectors were just serviced and I live in Texas. Is 60 degrees considered cold? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doug's Tubes Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 Had a 1996 E300 for 10 years. Finally unloaded that albatross this past April. The most unreliable car I have ever owned. My 2005 Hyundai Elantra puts it to shame in reliability and gets the same fuel economy and uses less expensive fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZachMetal Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 I've been reading up on 80's Mercedes for a while now. Get a 88-92 300SD. They're better built, and do better than the SDL on gas, and IMO look better than the 87. Zach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZachMetal Posted June 22, 2006 Members Share Posted June 22, 2006 That seems a bit high $$$. You should be able to find an 88-92 with those miles (300SD) for around 5k. Zach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 This thing was M-I-N-T. I mean babied during every well documented mile. I put a deposit on it, and will be back to pick it up when he gets back in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZachMetal Posted June 23, 2006 Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 Originally posted by D/FW XJ'er This thing was M-I-N-T. I mean babied during every well documented mile. I put a deposit on it, and will be back to pick it up when he gets back in town. Solid car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bikehorn Posted June 23, 2006 Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 not a mercedes, but we have an '05 VW Passat TDI and i love it. plenty of pickup and power, crisp braking, comfortable and good looking...plus i get just about 1000 km to the tank...as advertised. to put that in perspective, we drove from Toronto to Youngstown, Ohio to visit some relatives on one tankful!!!!! i think people need to get past their past preconceptions of diesel. my next car will be a diesel for damn sure. also have driven a new Mercedes E 320 CDI, which my dad was looking into(ended up with the Passat instead). it is a dream of a car, i loved it too. so much torque! too bad it'll be ages before i can afford something in its class. incentive to get into law school, i guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nrarocks Posted June 23, 2006 Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 Originally posted by bikehorn not a mercedes, but we have an '05 VW Passat TDI and i love it. plenty of pickup and power, crisp braking, comfortable and good looking...plus i get just about 1000 km to the tank...as advertised. to put that in perspective, we drove from Toronto to Youngstown, Ohio to visit some relatives on one tankful!!!!!i think people need to get past their past preconceptions of diesel. my next car will be a diesel for damn sure.also have driven a new Mercedes E 320 CDI, which my dad was looking into(ended up with the Passat instead). it is a dream of a car, i loved it too. so much torque! too bad it'll be ages before i can afford something in its class. incentive to get into law school, i guess. + 7 billion My parents bought a diesel Jetta a few months ago, and it's great. We're getting close to 50 mpg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members decode6 Posted June 23, 2006 Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 I'd love to get a diesel car, but Kansas gets cold during fall/winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ZachMetal Posted June 23, 2006 Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 Yeah. That wouldn't be too great, glow plugs would probably go bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lefchr Posted June 23, 2006 Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 Originally posted by D/FW XJ'er It is a turbo diesel, and I've read they've got decent power. I'm just looking at something for highway cruising. I've always got my 360 powered Ram if I want something with oooomph. Thanks for the replies so far! never mind didnt read the whole thread:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thejaf Posted June 23, 2006 Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 I have experience with a 1984 300D, I bought it from my grandparents about 5 years ago (they bought it new in 1984). Overall it was a good car; however, once it hit 160K a lot of suspension repairs wee needed, which became rather costly. The old design of the independant rear suspension had a non removable or repairable CV joint boot. If/when the boot tears and the CV joint starts going you have to repair the whole drive axle and CV joint assembly. I opted to upgrade to the newer style, but it still cost me about $800 per side. Overall, I think for the money, they're hard to beat. I recall getting about 25mpg (5 cylinder turbo diesel). Learn how to change the oil, fuel filters, and replace brake pads yourself, this will save money. As far as winter driving, I left my block heater plugged in at night. Block heaters were a free option when new, and I beleive that just about everybody opted for this. The plug will be located in the front passenger side of the engine compartment, just behind the headlight assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members D/FW XJ'er Posted June 23, 2006 Author Members Share Posted June 23, 2006 Cool! Thanks for all the help and opinions. btw it's definitely a DOG. Pedal to the floor just to try to keep up with traffic. Oh well, like I said I've still got the Ram if I want/need power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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