1990 Mercedes-Benz

350SDL Sedan

6 Cylinder

Automatic

WDBCB35DXLA559850

Diesel

Power Windows

No reserve. No BS. Not asking a fortune because I've gotten my money's worth out of it. I've driven this car all over the south-west - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and even in Mexico (to Guadalajara and back) which tells you how much confidence I have in it. Steady 28-32 mpg on highway at 65-70 mph. 20-22 around town in heavy stop and go traffic. As a regularly used car, I demand that the A/C works, the left window rolls down at Starbucks, and tires don't hydroplane. 'nuff said ! I just purchased a 1993 350SD with 60,000 miles on it - one owner - so this car needs to go - the '93 becomes my diesel fix. There's also a 2011 on the way, thus also have 1982 300SD and 1989 420SEL for sale - see my other auctions if not already sold. Selling very nice condition 1990 350 SDL. Everything works. Never have added freon (R134 - it was converted sometime in the past), yet it blows cold withing 5 seconds of start - even in Texas 100 degree heat. A/C auto-temp controller does it's thing - going up and down the mountain passes in Colorado blows A/C or heat as required with no intervention. Registered. Insured. State inspection last done 03/2010. Starts immediately - first turn of engine. Nice repaint sometime in past, a few door dings - but otherwise great paint. Interior in very good to excellent condition. Has rear foot rests, and emergency kit in rear hat panel. There's a very slight scuff mark on the driver's bolster where all of these wear - but even that is minor. Firm seats, no cracks in dash plastic. Hairline cracks in a couple of places in wood - but not noticeably distracting. Newer radiator front grill (including new from MB OEM grill insert) with replacement emblems and star. Good, nice, but remembering this is a 230,000 mile car - the known issues; 1) when not used, transmission leaks. If I drive it every day (as I have for periods of time), no drips, nothing. Let is sit for three weeks - and a spot appears. Eventually have to add a pint. But shifts well as long as I keep trans full. 2) circular crack in windshield - not annoying and mostly ignored - tried to take picture of it 3) cracked front lower fascia - just noticed it - nuts - I'll at least get it patched up some - must have hit a projection somewhere 4) air bag module removed !!! No air bags whatsoever - never had passenger side. Newer motor mounts, filters, recent tires (about 3000 miles). All work & service while I owned it done by Park Place Mercedes in Dallas (yes - I have other & newer MBs). Otherwise runs and drives well. Cruise and all controls work well. All windows work, as does sunroof, and power antenna. Radio not original. Nice after market radio works well - and properly works with power antenna. NOTE: This car is for sale locally - if I happen to get an offer for more than what the auction is going for - it's going to be sold & pulled from eBay. Either that or call me up and offer me a bushel full of dollar bills. That said - it's a used diesel - sold as is - where is. Buyer is responsible for pickup / transport. Fly down - drive home. Or on two week's notice, I will deliver anywhere (I'll drive it) in lower 48 US states for $750 flat fee to cover expenses and air fare home. ** NEW ADDED SECTION ** I would expect anyone looking at a '90-'95 Mercedes 3.5L diesel to know the car's / manufactuer's history. I was asked a question which indicates some don't. So here's the scoop. I'm not a mechanic or a dealer - just an engineer who's learned all the lessons the hard way. The diesel will live forever ... IF ... you maintain it. It's not a cheap engine. On the plus side - nothing goes out of tune, mileage is fantastic for a huge car, and it climbs hills with the turbo pumping away as if there was no hill. Downside - with respect to the engine - everything is more expensive by about 5x. And you absolutely, positively, must keep clean fuel (replace those filters / strainers) in the system. It has multiple filters for a reason !!! Did you know that stuff grows in diesel fuel which you must strain out and clean out every once in a while ? No - then better get educated fast ! The W126 MBs are great, classy cars. But ... if you want a cheap W126, buy the gas engine car. Of course you get what you pay for. Fuel prices go back to $4.00 / gal - and anyone with a diesel will be laughing at everyone else as they pass gas stations everywhere. The 1985 and older W126 have the 5 cyl diesel - very - very - very understressed engine - lives forever, but the problems are mechanical valve adjustment, low power until they are on boost, the non-turbo engine is a true dog, and it's getting hard to find one of those cars with a body to match the engine - they are getting old. But if you can find one - get it (shameless plug here for my other listing). 1986-1987, W126 diesel went to 6 cyl - 3.0L and hydraulic valve adjusters - big step forward. It had a lot more power, and did not need the annual tune up. So people did not maintain them - not good. Only real issue is that they are prone to cracking heads (especially if diesel particle filter was not removed in time). Great car - if you put a later head on it - "22" highly desired. The '90 and later 3.5L was a development of the 3.0L used in the W126 cars in '86-'87. 100% of the 3.5L engines will fail unless they have the cylinder head gasket serviced. The problem (well documented) is that the larger bores on the 3.5L are just a little too close to an oil passage. With time (and boost) the head gasket wears away, and voila - oil leaks into the cylinder. You know what happens then - liquids are not compressible, the head bolts are apparently stronger than the rods, and one or more bent rods results (and how in the heck do you bend those things anyway - they are massive). Moving on, second problem, for those out there who don't maintain their cars, if you allow the engine mounts go to hell, the engine bounces around on the sub-frame, and eventually a little screw works it's way loose, and into an oil passage - when that happens, you loose rod main bearings - usually resulting in a rod thrown out the side of the block. How do you avert this - if you catch it before something bends or breaks, in order of expense - first replace the motor mounts every 100,000 miles or so. Second, drop the pan, and wire all the screws so they can't work themselves free. Third you must regularly maintain (replace) the cylinder head gasket. Fourth, while the head is off to replace the gasket, if at all possible, replace the cylinder head with a "22" version. If you do this, the 3.5L will last a long time. It's basically a great engine. Should you do this kind of repair with a '90-'95 car - depends on the rest of the car condition. The one I'm selling - hell yes ! Great base car, great condition. How much life on the engine - your guess is as good as mine - but it's on borrowed time. Long enough to drive for a while - it has so far caused me no grief - and along the way use it as a perfect base for some rebuilds. The most bulletproof engine installation - obtain an earlier 3.0L from a '86-87 which is a direct replacement, and while lower power (134 hp / 201 lb ft) vs. (148 hp / 229 lb ft) it appears to live forever - a worthy successor with hydraulic valve adjusters to the 5 cyl 3.0L of prior years. Of course that earlier engine also has been prone to cracked heads as already mentioned above - so you want either the head from the 3.5L you are replacing or the later "22" casting as above mounted on the 3.0L engine. Either way you go to fix it in advance - it's a $3000 problem. Transmission: basically the same unit from '86 on - very rugged - except there's a seal & piston which are both prone to break at some point in all these cars. This white car is in the early stages of that problem. A transmission shop will want you to remove & replce the trans and install the piston from the inside - which is a $2000 job. If you're handy, you can do it for $50 in parts, going through the bottom and side of the trans with a bit of patience. That's what I was going to do (and will eventually need to do with my now newer '93) when things got a bit cooler here in Texas. The trans did not leak when I first got it, but it does now - the start of a problem which will only get bigger with time. But fix the leak & piston - the trans itself is very rugged. So there it is - if you have a great base car, and fix the engine and trans at a cost of $5000 - you have a superb ride. A perfect condition all fixed up '90 or '91, or '92-'95 (W140 body) will run you in the $13,000-$15,000 range. If you find one which has not been recently so serviced you must decide just how much are you willing to pay for a base car knowing that you will need to sink $5000 into it ? Just as a reference point - I once did see a '90 with a brand new just installed (honest to goodness actual new - not rebuilt, not remanufactured, but brand new - drool !) MB engine - and that one went for $14,500. I just set my starting price where it should be. I'm moving on to a '93 which will need the exact same work - but at some point a bit further in the future. If you want the perfect car, there's a guy from PA who has just listed a white / gray unit on eBay - I almost bought it the last time it came up - that's a perfect car. Still will need head gasket maintenance, but it's as problem free a car as you'll ever find. Not to put mine down - but that's life. The other car should sell for $12,000 - this one should sell for $3000. And that's real. Back to the white '90 listed here - take this car and know that you will have to sink some money in it, but everything else is right. I personally think that the W126 and the W140 successor are the finest engineered cars on the planet. Know what you're getting into with the diesel engine, and it will live forever. I may be one of the few people on eBay who will tell you how it is. This car is easily driveable right now - but at some point will need to be fixed. If you're not mechanically inclined, and don't have a second car, you probably should not buy this or any other MB 350 diesel. On Aug-10-10 at 07:24:22 PDT, seller added the following information: ** ADDED BONUS ** Back from the past - I still have an MB 3.0L diesel long block with attached automatic trans out of a 1987 diesel W126. This particular one had about 190,000 miles on it when it was hit from behind (the start of my saga of searching for a replacement diesel car) - and was known working with no issues or leaks before being removed. Long block - means you would need most of the accessories (alternator, A/C, PS pump, starter, etc.) off the current one - simple unbolt - bolt on swaps. I knew eventually sometime I would want to take the head from the 3.5L - put it on the 3.0L, and have the bulletproof combo I've written up above. The winning bidder of this car may have the engine and / or trans for free (that's zero, zilch, nada) - on condition that they must transport it out of here at their expense. I can put engine / trans on separate pallets - and load into a freight truck or onto a trailer - but that's about the extent of my shipping help. I'm not a business - so I don't normally contract for such large items. My estimate for shipping is about $500 for the engine, and $250 for the trans separately (though if unbolted - the trans could easily fit in the trunk). Note that right now the engine / trans are bolted together sealed unit. If the winning bidder does not want them - fine - no obligation to take. The engine actually fits my now acquired '93 - so if nothing else it will remain a spare. However I thought I'd offer this up to whomever as a bonus. Do note that both are in a storage unit right now, and I'll haul them to my house only if / when so notified.