At $3,800, Is This 1991 Mercedes 360SD SWB A Sweet Diesel Deal?

The original engine in today’s Nice Price or No Dice Mercedes earned the unenviable nickname “Rod Bender” owing to too-common failures. This car’s engine has been replaced, making that problem moot. Let’s see if its price needs some adjustment, too.

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“Bad as a car and bad as a truck.” That was how many of you described yesterday’s 1983 Chevy El Camino Royal Knight. And that didn’t even address opinions on the sadly dated dragon-themed decal treatment worn by the car/truck. All that, and a $16,000 asking price, couldn’t prove a winning combination with the El Camino trundling off in a 72 percent No Dice loss.

I think it’s safe to say that, while a perfectly acceptable pseudonym for a porn star, “Rod Bender” is not a comforting name when it comes to car engines.

In the case of the 1991 Mercedes-Benz 350SD falling under our adjudication today, Rod Bender was the unfortunate nickname earned by its original OM603 3.5 liter turbo-diesel six. At issue was a poorly conceived combination of an exhaust manifold-mounted diesel particulate filter in too close proximity to the engine’s aluminum cylinder head. High levels of heat from the former could cause warpage in the latter, leading to combustion chamber coolant leaks and a resultant rod deformation in the leaky cylinder. The problem was common enough for Mercedes to replace many of the engines with later beefier examples and to tar the early engines with that disparagement; “Rod Bender.”

Fortunately, this 350SD’s original engine has already been given the heave-go, having been replaced by an improved revision when the car was just three years old and had only done 60,000 miles. Per the ad, the car’s present mileage is “365” which likely means 365,000 or enough to ensure that the replacement engine is fully broken in and without rod-bending mischief. The ad notes other major mechanical repairs and refreshments, including a rebuilt automatic transmission, cooling system componentry, brakes, shocks, and tires. The engine also has new glow plugs and injectors and sits on updated motor mounts. All in all, pretty much everything that turns, burns, or churns on this car has been either replaced or refreshed.

The car presents acceptably well, too. The W126 was one of the last of the “Bank Vault” Benz models (a much more pleasant nickname), and these tend to hold up well, offering solid service even with a ton of miles under the belt. The car’s black paint seems to suffer only a couple of obvious scrapes and scratches, as do the factory platter wheels. This is a short-wheelbase model, which means it offers a less silky ride than the longer-wheelbase cars but is marginally easier to park. There’s still plenty of room in the cabin, too, and in this car’s case, fantastic-looking leather upholstery and well-aging plastics make for a comfortable-appearing space. It’s all reasonably clean, even under the hood, where the described work isn’t immediately obvious.

These cars aren’t slugs either, with the turbocharged OM603 making 136 horsepower and a solid 229 lb-ft of torque, all moving a car that tips the scales at just a little over 3,500 pounds. With automatic climate control, power windows and locks, and a comfortable interior, this should make for a reasonable daily driver even if it’s already reached classic car status. A clean title offers the cherry on top of this car’s bona fides. The asking price for this big Benz is a not-so-big $3,800.

What’s your take on this “not-so-new but still improved” Mercedes diesel at that asking? Does that seem like a fair price for the car as it’s presented in its ad? Or is that too much for a car with such a tainted history?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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