1993 mb 300d
 

So I'm looking at a 1993 Mercedes 300D with 211K on the clock.

It's in an online auction :( and I can't get down to inspect in person but only see a video of it being driven and a bunch of pictures.

However, it looks pretty clean and no odd sounds. A friend of mine that works at a Mercedes dealership got me the carfax info and the car is fully serviced by the local Mercedes dealership, only had 2 owners, the last service was at 207K miles. So the car *should* be in good shape in that regard.

I'm looking at this as my son's first car. Should I run away from this or is it a find?

all input welcome.
thanks!

To me, online auction without inspection seems a really bad idea.

W124?

I believe it is a W124, but I'm basing that on the model/year and wikipedia ;)

can i tell succinctly in the VIN what model it is?

oh and believe you / me i don't like buying a vehicle without an in-person inspection, but... it was serviced at the dealership like 4K miles ago and has 43 service records at the dealership over the decades. that and if i can get it for like 2K I think it might be a steal, but I never owned one of these so trying to get a sense of is it a headache to keep on the road and so on.

I dont put much faith in dealers OR Carfax.

Then there is the baffling ordeal of StarTek (MBZ online repair manual).

The W124 is solid, but they are OLD cars now. Why must it be a MBZ for a first car?

it doesn't have to be a MB, it's just more that I think I can get this for about 2K, and how many vehicles can you really get that are reliable / decent for that price? It's just that I saw it, and I Know this car has gone more then a million miles for a few people. and it would be a cool car to own (i think)

There is one on FB marketplace in Columbus Ohio for $4500. 167k. Looks clean.

0 - 60 times must be measured with a sundial.

What does your kid like? (realistically). Those were new cars when I was in high school. I thought they were old man cars. But maybe your kid digs it.

There's a reason you see cheap ass MBZ as hood rides..

Have you ever driven one? I wanted one until I drove it about 300 yards...I was sorely disappointed.

I have an 84 that I'll sell you. 🤣

thanks everyone for the input.

i rolled the dice, got it for 2300. Pick it up on thursday.

Good first car in that it will be damn hard to hooligan around in. I think the 80s were the sweet spot for Mercedes diesels though.

A 1990-'93 w124 with a 2.5 turbodiesel? I can't imagine what you were expecting but those are fantastic cars and it sounds like the OP scored if it's clean. Not many people service their car at the dealer for close to 30 years...I'd disagree that is not significant, it means that it's gotten nothing but factory parts including filters.

Sounds like a really nice car, what part of the country is it in? :cool:

Not the model he bought. It performs exactly like the gas model of the same year.

Any MB is a great car if it's in good condition and maintained, especially the diesels. But all things being equal, (meaning condition), the car in the OP crushes any '80s MB diesel except maybe the w126 300SDL from '86-'87 w the OM603 6-cylinder engine. The 2.5 OM602 is the same engine w one cylinder chopped off...almost literally. Same pistons, everything the same, just one less hole.

WAAAY more refined and powerful than the old OM617 5-cylinder turbo from the '80s.

Corrosion underneath ,not visible from a walk round is the enemy of these cars.

That’s why I asked what the location of the car was. Vehicles do not rust within 1000 miles of where I live.

my only real experience is with a couple from the early 80s. very easy cars to work on. nice drivers if you like boats. ws told that somewhere in the 90s the level of complexity became irritating.

If it's a total turd and losing $2k is going to break the bank, move on. You really only need it to go a couple of years and you're ahead of the game though.
Bought my first and only MB a couple of years ago sight unseen. A 78 300TD euro 5spd. with 300k miles. $1k sight unseen. It's a dream boat.

so rust on the frame is my primary concern right now, as I haven't seen the thing in person yet. but from what I can tell in the pics there is no rust in the door jams or wheel wells.
2K won't kill me, and I thought it was worth the gamble at that price.
here's a youtube of the car that i bought was on the auction site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JRT5p0Dczc

This car is in maryland. I'll post up some pics once I have it my possession.

I bought an '83 W123 240d two years ago for 2k with 284K miles on it. Just hit 305K miles on it...not a single hiccup. The car is an absolute beast. I'm sure you'll be just fine.