[notfarnow]

Originally Posted by Scott98

I've owned two 210 MBs. The first was a '97 (non-turbo diesel) and the second was a '98 turbo diesel. I loved them both. I got 34 mpg in the '98 and had plenty of power. I would strongly recommend a diesel over a gasser. You'll get much better fuel economy. These engines also last practically forever.

Scott: how do you find the NA e300d compard to the tubocharged one? I drove a '96 NA and found it a bit sluggish, but it also idled poorly because of air leaks in the fuel lines, so that wasn't a good "baseline".

Originally Posted by Scott98

Glow plugs and air in the fuel lines are the two most common problems but aren't bad or expensive in most cases in the grand scheme of things.

Glow plugs aren't expensive to replace, but you can be in a whole world of trouble if they break off in the head, as they are wont to do. I was able to successfully drill & tap mine and weld up a puller, but I know 2 people who ended up having to pull the head to get it machined, to the tune of 3-5k.

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

What do you guys think about this one? '97 E420 with 120k, $5990. Looks super clean. I haven't bothered calling to see about service records, condition, etc.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=239633279&dealer_id=1387252&car_year=1997&model=E420&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=200&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&make=MB&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=1&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=67226&advanced=&end_year=2009&doors=&transmission=&max_price=6000&cardist=164

Nice! That burgundy is my favorite color on them... there was a diesel one in that color that I considered, but it had no records.

Another thing to check is the transmission. I read that some of the earlier ones were more prone to failure than the later, fully electronic ones. Also, the factory originally stated that the transmission fluid was a "lifetime" item, but now everyone seems to recommend changing @ 80 - 100k