Matt,
You should drive this car and see how you like it. See if it has enough power to get you around (no turbo).
I haven't driven the 190D, yet my '85 300D drives much nicer then my wives '86 240 Volvo, as well as the seating position.
What shape is this car in? A well taken care of MB, is great, a beater will cost you to keep it going.
That said, yes, any 20+ yr old car will need some maintenance and repairs. 285K is a decent amount of miles too. Has anything been done to it like: suspension, steering, radiator etc? The fuel cost can be a factor, yet if you get 10 more miles to a gallon, then it's a better deal. No smog checks needed. Cold starts? Where are you? If someplace cold, I'll let others chime in.
1986-89 190D 2.5/ 4-cyl. diesel, 93hp
Rob
'85 300D
Garden Grove, CA
==
On 1/9/11 7:43 PM, diesel_mercedes@yahoogroups.com wrote:
Diesel newbie question on mid-80s diesel Posted by: "mattnmason" mattnmason@yahoo.com mattnmason Date: Sun Jan 9, 2011 7:43 pm ((PST)) Hi all, I've got a good neighbor (& friend), who has been vacillating on whether he's going to sell his 1986 190d 2.5 with a 5-speed manual transmission and a truckload of miles -- 285,000. I think he's going to sell it, and has offered it to me. I'm probably going to buy, but am looking for some pre-buy advice. First, is this a good (not trouble-prone) engine/transmission combination? It must be, as the car seems to run well with nearly 300,000 miles... Is there anything I should out for specifically upon inspection? What would be a fair "good neighbor" price? Secondly, can someone explain the draw of these diesels? I'm almost assuredly going to buy the car, so maybe I'll figure it out as I drive, but right now the benefits elude me. At first, I thought these cars would be extremely long-lived, which they are (obviously), but they also seem to require a lot of maintenance to get there. My gas Volvo 740 (with an equal level of maintenance) will likely reach 400,000; it already has 292,000 and runs great. Then I thought they'd be incredibly fuel efficient, which they are as well, but with the price of diesel being higher than gas, that benefit is mitigated to a large extent. Finally, diesels are not quicker or more powerful. They might be easier to work on, but my Volvo is pretty easy and straight-forward already. then you've got the added "difficulties" of cold starts, finding diesel, etc. I'm not trying to alter anyone's opinion of diesels. I'm sincerely wondering what the draw is! Any insight would be appreciated to clarify it in my own mind's eye. Warmest regards, Matt
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