Best version of used E series diesel

[mbzoo]

I am looking to spend under £2k for a used Merc E series saloon or estate ( diesel )

I like the newer shape ( not sure when that started ) but I seem to be getting conflicting ideas of which is best E300 D , E300 DT, E220 CDi etc..

I will be doing around 10k miles a year so not worried about the mileage on the car just condition, reliability and if possible mpg

Thanks

Pete

 

[nick mercedes]

I am looking to spend under £2k for a used Merc E series saloon or estate ( diesel )

I like the newer shape ( not sure when that started ) but I seem to be getting conflicting ideas of which is best E300 D , E300 DT, E220 CDi etc..

I will be doing around 10k miles a year so not worried about the mileage on the car just condition, reliability and if possible mpg

Thanks

Pete

W210 E300TD is the best car in your price range.

Forget about W124 diesels, too old and finding one for less than £2k that could cope with 10k a year will be mission impossible.

 

[mbzoo]

Ok dumb question.. Is the W124 the older style and the W210 the new style

Cheers

 

[d w124]

The w124 is up to 96,the w210 is the later one and goes up to 2003

 

[312 Sprinter]

Ok dumb question.. Is the W124 the older style and the W210 the new style

Cheers

W124 square headlights made up to '95. No turbo RHD cars made, reasonable build quality. Performance is glacial with the diesel.

W210, bug eye headlights, early 3 litre was available as a RHD turbo. Build quality less than stellar, lots of rust issues. Engine replaced in '99 with the new CDI. 300 turbo performance is not too bad, E320CDI is a fairly quick car.

 

[mbzoo]

I came across this message in a MB board.. what do you think..

The 96 W210's are junk at best. They are ultra cheap, feature poor build quality, bad electronics, suffer from severe rust issues and are just plain ugly when compared to a 95 E320. They were the first in a series of non-Mercedes like cheapo mobiles that the company is only now pulling away from. The W124's were designed and made on an unlimited budget. The W210's were made on an el cheapo budget. If you are getting an W210, then you must get one made before the 2000 model year. Multiple changes/upgrades were made to the car that made them 10x times better and much more reliable in 2000. The build quality also increased. BUT, since you are focusing on 95/96, then there is no question that the 95 is 100% better then the 96. Remember that 94 is just about the exact same car as 95.

 

[312 Sprinter]

I came across this message in a MB board.. what do you think..

The 96 W210's are junk at best. They are ultra cheap, feature poor build quality, bad electronics, suffer from severe rust issues and are just plain ugly when compared to a 95 E320. They were the first in a series of non-Mercedes like cheapo mobiles that the company is only now pulling away from. The W124's were designed and made on an unlimited budget. The W210's were made on an el cheapo budget. If you are getting an W210, then you must get one made before the 2000 model year. Multiple changes/upgrades were made to the car that made them 10x times better and much more reliable in 2000. The build quality also increased. BUT, since you are focusing on 95/96, then there is no question that the 95 is 100% better then the 96. Remember that 94 is just about the exact same car as 95.

As ever with these things there is a grain of truth in there. The 300 turbo diesel in the W210 shell is a more fun car to drive than a W124 diesel; in terms of pure performance. It also feels more modern. Mercedes got rid of the steering box and generally updated the car.

A W124 will still have issues, the jacking points rust, the front wings go, The rear subframe mounts can fail, but they are nowhere near as fundamentally rot prone as a W210. Having said that there are W210s around that are bodily fine, you just need to check them out really carefully.

It is a compromise. A really good, low mileage W124 diesel will command serious money, the newer design can be picked up significantly cheaper.

The 320 CDI is a complex beast. I loved mine, but it was also seriously troublesome. Mechanically it was always fine. It is the complex electronics that let them down. Trouble shooting a W124 or an early 300 W210 on a DIY basis is easier than a CDI. But they're all fairly sophisticated cars.

 

[91dm]

I wouldn’t agree with that, my dad has a W210 E300TD. It’s a good car, never given any problems. Good performance and mpg, a lot of car for the money.

 

[Smiley]

I came across this message in a MB board.. what do you think..

The 96 W210's are junk at best. They are ultra cheap, feature poor build quality, bad electronics, suffer from severe rust issues and are just plain ugly when compared to a 95 E320. They were the first in a series of non-Mercedes like cheapo mobiles that the company is only now pulling away from. The W124's were designed and made on an unlimited budget. The W210's were made on an el cheapo budget. If you are getting an W210, then you must get one made before the 2000 model year. Multiple changes/upgrades were made to the car that made them 10x times better and much more reliable in 2000. The build quality also increased. BUT, since you are focusing on 95/96, then there is no question that the 95 is 100% better then the 96. Remember that 94 is just about the exact same car as 95.

That pretty much sums up the difference between the (now increasingly) desirable w124 vs the newer w210.

 

[dinoy]

if would like w124 and do not mind saloon u can find bargains expect to do some work on them unless u want it mint but it would out of your budget.

i used both pre facelift and facelift, although the facelift has 24v engine i prefer the older ones as the engine is bullet proof, less chance to break.

i also not sure if the facelift escaped the dreaded wiring loom problems as mine ie beginning to drain the battery when left connected for a few days.

but the w124 w123 the series before are sought after because of the build quality versus w210 in my own opnion

 

[drocter]

I had a '98R W210 E300 TD Avantgarde estate between 2007 and 2008..car was loaded with spec including 7 leather seats.

I used it for everything including a 200 mile daily commute..I bought itwith 113k and put 70k in one year. It didn't let me down once!

Buying a later car will afford a few modern niceties - mine had heated seats, xenons, cruise, 5 speed auto, lots of airbags, ASR, climate control..it averaged around 30mpg and was comfortable sitting at 80+mph all day long.

Ultimately as it approached it's MoT the power steering pump gave way and it was part-ex'd at trade..

I'd say go for a W210 TD...virtually bulletproof

 

[Barbanasos]

+1 for the 210, very reliable and better than the 124 in my opinion, bigger as well. I got in a 124 taxi in poland, haven't been in a 124 for a while and was surprised of how much smaller it felt. Plastics were of the same quality, wood the same.

 

[raymont]

Had a 98 210 ( E240) for about 8 years and 100K plus miles. Mechanically and electrically very reliable, struggling to think of anything part from a MAF sensor that went wrong.

That's was the good side. On the bad side it needed repairs to the rear doors and tailgate (estate) because of rust and the front wings were replaced as you could virtually see through them.

 

[MangoMan]

I would prefer a good condition '95 w124 to a '96 w212. And 10000 miles a year is minimal.

 

[DrNick]

My 210 300TD was a great car, mechanically excellent - did over 450k miles without real issue.
Only common problem is rust. If they rust, they rust badly, but there are ones out there that havn't rusted too much (I've now got one!).

Search the forum to find out about where they rust, then armed with that knowledge, you should be able to spot the bad ones.

From my knowledge they rust:
under the door seal rubbers -easy to keep under control with a squirt of waxoil etc every so often
Spring perches - relatively straightforward to replace
Rear door lock/number plate. It can rub
Cross mount under engine
Around bumper mounts, or where the bumper meets the wings (rubbing again)
Wheel arches - stone chip damage - spreads quickly if not stopped early.
Paintwork on front of bonnet susceptible to stone ship damage, not a problem if stopped early

So find one thats not too bad and then check it over every couple ofmonths witha touchup brush and it will last - probably!

 

[mbzoo]

E300

Thanks for all the advice so far.. I had a look on autotrader and I can find all the models

( E300 D , E300 DT , E220Cdi, E320CDI ) for under £2000 with around 120-170k miles

increasing to around £2500 shows quite a few more..

so..I know its personal but I really dont want to spend more than £2000 so can I say for reliability, costs etc the order is as follows:-

E300 DT
E220 CDi
E320 CDi

Cheers

 

[mbzoo]

I forgot to mention... sorry BUT I would be just as happy with a C series..

any views on the C220CDi, C250TD etc

Cheers

 

[d w124]

Is this any good to you MERCEDES BENZ TURBO DIESEL AUTOMATIC 12 MONTHS MOT. on eBay (end time 07-Nov-10 03:36:28 GMT)

 

[d w124]

I forgot to mention... sorry BUT I would be just as happy with a C series..

any views on the C220CDi, C250TD etc

Cheers

Pete:If that`s the case,check post two on this thread http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/classifieds-wanted/97394-wanted.html

 

[mbzoo]

used merc

Thanks.. I will have a look..

Pete