Slow morning here at work so I was surfing Ebay. There are 2 - 1991 300D's listed within driving range. One has about 218K, the other 247K. Both appear to be well maintained or at least in good shape. 2.5ltr 5 cyl ? Concerns with that engine ?

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Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
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Do I miss being a service advisor ???

Great engine...regarded by most as one of the best.

Evaporators have a tendency to go bad...especially important because of where you live.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 156k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 173k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 143k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 67k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

I work at an Audi dealer so I have a shop & tools to work on it with, and, 2 of my techs are former Benz guys if I'm feeling lazy..

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Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
-
Do I miss being a service advisor ???

Head gaskets are a known issue with the 2.5.

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1987 300TD 309, xxx 2.8.2014 10,000 mile OCI


Be careful of the toes you step on today, as they may be connected to the ass you have to kiss tomorrow. anonymous

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter won’t mind.” Dr. Seuss

i could give you a list!...

i love my car and i love the engine. other than the usual stuff to look for, definitely the evaporator coil leaking. there is the possibility of the seller loading it up on freon right before you get there, so i don't know how you'd check it other than to drive it for an hour or two.

Head gaskets, yes, but I actually had a cracked head a while back (around 190k) and i read at the time that its a particular problem with this engine. I had overheated once awhile before then and that could have had something to do with it though.

those are the 2 biggest tickets ive had on it.

i have leather and it is REALLY starting to show its age lately. at that milage the interior is really going to affect the value the most, because the engine and a/c you have no idea if something is about to go out! and its cheaper to fix anyway.

id say that $5k would be a pretty good deal on one of those if theyre in good shape, but im biased! i wouldnt sell mine for less than $8k (especially after how much $ i put into it!)

good luck

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

Thanks for the info. I'm debating it. My 126 is about to turn 246K and the "little" things are going to nickle & dime me so it's a decision of whether to get a car that's nicer appearance-wise but still going to chisel my walet since both are relatively close to my mileage. I've decided I'm not going to worry about the peeling paint and maybe just fix the rust hole forming under the right tail light (chassis is solid) but focus on the mechanicals.
I got it last April and I've repaired/replaced:
- F & R pads & rotors
- 3 switch-over valves for the ACC
- adjusted the valves (probably gonna do that again soon)
- all fluids & filters
- rear shocks
- new tires & wheels
- stereo & speakers
- all bulbs
She don't look pretty but I know:
- the right rear wheel bearing makes noise intermittently
- the a/c compressor siezed
- oil cooler lines are the next item after glow plugs tomorrow
- front end is still tight but could use a rebuild
- I'd like to rebuild or replace the original calipers since it pulls just a bit under hard braking.

deal with it because I know the issues or get a nicer looking car with potentially the same or more issues....

__________________
Sharing my partner's 2012 Forte 5dr SX til I find my next 123 or 126..
-
Do I miss being a service advisor ???