I did the pre-buy inspection today. It started and ran well, and the transmission shifted OK. It looks very good inside with the exception of a 1"x2" hole in the driver's seat left bolster. Sheet metal is all straight - no evidence of rust or body work. It has some rock chips and I think a "keying" mark that needs touch-up paint. Good tires. Wheels need to be refinished. Car did not smoke on startup - didn't even sound like a diesel.

I have also seen the car on EBay at least one previous time. In fact the current seller used some of the digital pictures from the previous seller's auction. He also said he had tried selling it previously on EBay but the buyer didn't show up to complete the sale. In talking with the current owner, he went over some of the items that he had fixed at the dealership:

- Replaced leaking fuel hose.
- Replace air conditioning high-pressure hose and recharge (expensive!)
- Install missing auxiliary fan, main fan, fan clutch and shroud. Previous owner had rigged up two aftermarket electrical fans of some type.
- Replaced power antenna.
- Has a nearly new DieHard battery.
- Replaced some vacuum hoses.

Apparently one of the previous owners was a businessman that did a lot of commuting between CT and AZ - so the miles added up quickly. Hopefully it spent winters in AZ to avoid the salt!

So, on the surface it looks like a good deal. Time will tell. I need to get started on changing out all the fluids and filters when the sale completes next week. I could tell by looking at the fuel filter that it was VERY old.

Now I get to start learning all the little problems with the W124 from the ShopForum. Sure has save me a lot of trouble on the W123.

Ken300D(s)