tough choice - 91 or 99 turbo diesel

Feb 27, 2004 2 Replies

I've looked at two 99's. The one I prefer has 115,000 miles. It's basically almost new condition. It's a private seller, original owner,



- he's asking $20k. The other 99 has fewer miles but it did not seem like a car that somebody took good care of.



The second car that I hope to see tomorrow is a 91 2.5 turbo with



110,000 miles. According to the seller it's a 2 owner car in excellent condition. He's around $9k.

Assuming the condition, maintenance, etc. to be equal, which would you choose?



Obviously, I'll save at least $10k on the purchase with the older car. But I was wondering if the 2.5 turbo, despite it's age, would have fewer costly repair items because it has fewer high tech goodies. I must say that the power of the 3.0 turbo is awesome. How does the 2.5 turbo compare?



Does either car have any gotcha's?


Thanks for the help!!!



Dave


It doesn't! Given a choice I would always opt for a six cylinder over a five. The additonal power will be much appreciated when the A/C is blowing and you are going up a hill! The six is also quieter and doe not have to work as hard to propel the car.

Get the 99 E300TD. I got one recently and these are terrific cars. The turbocharged straight 6 is a very powerful and quiet engine. This is my first diesel and I am just very impressed with the low-end torque (244 lb-ft at 2600 rpm), the build quality of the car, etc. Excellent 5-sp auto transmission. The car has a range of about 750 miles on the highway (~35 mpg). Great car for long-distance driving. Raj

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