87 300 MBTD or 83MBD-turbo?

Evening,
 
I found this site earlier today while I was doing an internet search on ratings of a couple of MB's I am looking into purchasing.   My wife and I have a 98 E-320 Wagon which we use most of the time, a 77 450SL (for fun trips around town), and a 02 Chevy 3500 Duramax diesel, dually for ranch and horse uses.   We are looking into replacing our 77 450 SL with 80's diesel MB.  We love the 77 450 SL, but we our life needs require us to have all our vehicles take 5 folks on trips (safely, with european handling).  I have narrowed our choices down to securing either a 83 300 D (turbo) sedan, or maybe another wagon- an 87 300 DT.   Has anyone ever evaluated the performance and reliability aspects of the 5 and 6 cyclinder MB diesel engines?   ....Any items that I should be sure to check out on the two options I am looking at in the used car market?    
 
We live in the foothills (2300 ft) and we have some rather steep climbs in our area that require a bit more acceleration then our former 240 D (a 1981) could provide (to make me feel safe getting into traffic on some of our highways!).  
 
Mark  

Go for the 87 i had that same engine im my 300sdl and was more than happy with the power.

MB stopped producing the iron horse 617 engine in 1985. From 1986 forward, they used aluminum heads. The first heads, up until 1990 were prone to cracking. So if you must have a more modern MB diesel it may be best to look for an E class creampuff 1990 to 1993, 190D. 190D weren't built in 1994, but were produced again with the even more powerful 6 cylinder engine in 1995. All are strong engines but the harness on the 1995 is suspect and may have to be changed.

However, if you're a diy'er with basic mechanical skills and a willingness to learn, then the 617 iron horse engine on the 123 chassis which covers the 300D T, is simple and rather rewarding to maintain. IMHO, it was nearly flawless by 1982 to 1985. The turbo model also has enough power to deal with the hills in your area. However, acceleration does have a few second lag until the turbo kicks in. Yet those old rigs get a bad rap for poor acceleration, which is often an easy fix. Merely clean the inner banjo nut and line that goes to the switchover valve, as they are often clogged with soot. It's about a twenty minute chore, at best. Other's go even farther, and by-pass the switchover valve by hooking the line from the banjo nut on the rear of the manifold directly to the ALDA which give a lot of zip. ( I drive a 1982 300D T with 323,000 odd miles on it. No smoke, good acceration, no cracks in dash, no rust, modified to burn WVO. I hope to soon move Wife out of her Lexus and in to an E class 190D which is also suitable for WVO modification. )

The 87 has more get up and go then the iron horse 617 engine, but it also has an aluminum head, which is prone to cracking. However, if the engine has been well cared for and never overheated, it will probably give many thousands of miles of service.

`Hope this helped.

Hello Cowboyshome!
( Rick? ) What's the skinny? Have you read Kent's books and are now an armed and dangerous MB buyer? If so, please fill us in, i.e., what are you now looking at; have you changed your mind completely and gone another route...?
best wishes,
charlie