Talk me out of it or tell me Yes. How about a 1987 Mercedes Benz SDL with 285k miles "drives like a dream".
Talk me out of it or tell me Yes. How about a 1987 Mercedes Benz SDL with 285k miles "drives like a dream".
I wonder what type of dream?
A friend's Dad drove one of these back in the day, and as I recall, it was sloooooow. Otherwise pretty nice, though.
...and being Me, I'm thinking
Not this:
pkingham (Forum Supporter) said:A friend's Dad drove one of these back in the day, and as I recall, it was sloooooow. Otherwise pretty nice, though.
Super smooth, and one cannot overstate, SUPER slow. That's fine though. You'll be so comfortable and relaxed that you won't care about speed.
ProDarwin said:I wonder what type of dream?
A very slow one.
I guess driving one at 5000' didn't help.
BoxheadTim said:ProDarwin said:I wonder what type of dream?
A very slow one.
I guess driving one at 5000' didn't help.
I recall riding with a friend in a a similar 300TD at sea level. At WOT it struggled going up even the most modest grades without losing speed. Wikipedia says this one is faster, at only 13 seconds to 60mph!
That's a later 6cyl model, which had some real problems with the cylinder head and much lower parts availability than the others as it was only made for a few years in small numbers. This is not the million mile previous motor.
In reply to Sonic :
Wasn't that one the 350SDL?
Oops, reading comprehension fail, that's likely a 350. Agree, avoid.
Okay, slowly stepping back. This one is a 1987 300SDL. Few were made. Here's what I found along with the 13 second 0-60.
"The diesel S-Class was changed very little until the 1986 model year when the 300SD became the 300SDL, featuring a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder turbodiesel. This motor made 148 hp at 4600 rpm and 201 lb-ft of torque at 2400 ..."
All of the OM 603 had the head issue, but the 350 also added head gasket problems and the ability to hydro lock itself, according to an old Mercedes mechanic I knew.
I grew up surrounded by various Mercedes diesel W116, W126, and W123, from brand new to complete basket cases, in my family. As much as I like Mercedes and appreciate the longevity of the 5 cyl, they are not good to drive.
If it's the 3.0L reliability depends on the head casting number. And honestly, if it's made it this far, it's probably an okay head.
The 3.5L is nicknamed the "rod bender" so take that as you will.
The W126 is a great chassis, and the brakes on these post facelift cars are an upgrade over the older/slower cars.
I don't understand people complaining about them being slow. I've raced the less powerfull cars in Lemons for years. They cruise the highway at 80 no problem and are smooth and comfy the whole time. No complaints about power driving the mountain roads of western NC.
In reply to buzzboy :
At this point, not expecting to buy it, but still learning. Here's what Wiki had about the OM603 heads - main issue with the US cars was the DPF mounted on the head:
"The 603 engine had a diesel particulate filter, or trap oxidizer, in the US market. As these were mounted at the cylinder head (modern traps are mounted further away), heat from these trap oxidizers caused failure of the aluminum cylinder heads on the first generation of 603-engined vehicles; debris from the traps could also damage the turbocharger. This first version was sold in the US from 1986 to 1987. Daimler-Benz removed these traps for free, and if the turbocharger had been determined to be damaged it was also replaced. Even without the heat from the trap oxidizers, the original #14 mold cylinder heads were weak and if overheated could crack. In general, the later model #17 or #22 mold cylinder heads are considered to be the definitive cure for cracked heads"
I think at 285k miles the head should have cracked already if it was going to. My high school girlfriend drove one of these 20 years ago. It probably had half the miles. I loved it! Incredibly comfortable.
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