Faults:

The car had trouble with the heater. It would only come on if I said a special prayer or whacked the dashboard.

It leaked oil like the Exxon Valdez.

I had to replace the motor mounts.

General Comments:

Okay, my Mercedes sounded like a truck and smelled like a semi, but I LOVED THIS CAR! My kids always joked that it was a piece of junk and they hated to drive it because it was so heavy.

What I learned is heavy metal is where it's at. October first, I was hit by a drunk in an SUV going 70mph. She hit my back and then she hit me again driver's side. My heavy metal ate up her front end. Although I have spinal injuries, had I been in any other car, I could have been dead.

When it was time to get a replacement vehicle everyone said get a Japanese car. I am the proud owner of a 1979 Mercedes 300 Diesel.

Faults:

Heater core needs replacing.

Sunroof off track.

Belts beginning to wear and squeak.

Wood trim on dashboard falling off.

Tends to go through a fair amount of oil.

Lots of rust on the doors (but then again, I live in a state with lots of snow!).

Dashboard is cracked in several places.

General Comments:

With the exception of some cosmetic faults (see above), this car is an absolute dream. I am the second owner, as the original owner purchased the car in Germany and had it shipped to the States. It had 190000 miles on it when we got it (and it was already 12 years old), but it still runs great.

Since it's not a turbo diesel, it is a little doggy when first taking off. It definitely is not built for instant speed (like any diesel). However, it starts incredibly well for a diesel, especially since we're in a cold climate. It'll start fine even on a 0 degree day!

As for cruising, I can't ask for a better ride. It's smooth and handles great. Tons of leg room in front and back make for a pleasant ride for all in the car.

The mileage isn't the greatest (about 25 MPG on a good day), but it's comfort and reliability make up for it.

Faults:

Glow plugs at 150,000.

General Comments:

This car is amazing. Over 20 years old and Everything still works perfect except for the AC.

Very well built, solid construction. Very easy to perform routine maintenance. Oil filter is easily accessible from the top. Surprisingly I have found replacement and maintenance parts readily available and affordable.

This car starts very easily, even after sitting un-driven for a period of time. I once left the headlights on and killed the battery. The engine still push started easily - with no power for the glow plugs!.

The only downside is the low power. You won't be racing one of these! But I suppose its enough. The durability than makes up for it.

Faults:

Injector leak from return lines.

Radio and dome lights do not work.

Instrument cluster lights do not work.

Fog lights do not work on one side.

Lazy shifting automatic transmission.

General Comments:

It is average in durability, despite people's many optimistic praises. Germans definitely do not have their electronics correct. There are many electrical gremlins. A Toyota of similar vintage is much more reliable in the electronics area.

To start off, power door locks are air, so that is prone to problems when a leak occurs.

The dash lights are very dim, and sometimes do not work at all, despite replacing the potentiometer on the gauge cluster.

Clock sometimes works and sometimes not.

Dome light and radio cuts out from time to time.

Mechanically it is decent, but rust develops in the wheel wells.

The injector return lines (3.2mm ones) are prone to leaks. These lines are secured by barbs (no clamps) at the injector. They are also tiny and braided, and available only from Mercedes dealers. Leaks here can be a fire hazard. It would have been better if they used hard metal lines instead of flexible rubber return lines.

Performance wise, it is very slow, barely getting up a steep hill. Mileage is also not so great (24mpg) probably because of large weight. Its only redeeming quality is that it is immune from emissions requirements (even though it probably pollutes more than a regular gasoline). That opens up the possibility of an engine upgrade without government intervention.