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Originally Posted by MIA-W126
I am wanting to purchase an older Mercedes diesel car just as a Daily Driver( something that wont stop working every 10 secs like my 560 sel and that i can get for about 800 running)
I dont know much about the diesels , but i know that they last a long time and get great MPG's .
What should i look for when trying to purchase one ?
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WOW Where to begin? First, understand and accept the fact that for what you're budgeting, an expectation of finding a daily driver is already a tall order. If you have no intention of spending more, the main things to be concerned with would be rust and basic drivetrain health. Don't think rust needs an explanation. As for the drivetrain, focus on signs of engine wear and, more so, neglect. Check fluids and blowby, mentioned earlier, but also keep an eye peeled for bad hoses, clogged filters, and signs of any leakage, eg. oil, brake fluid, ps, hydraulic, vacuum, coolant, etc. It's simple to swap your fluids to make it appear that everything's on the up-and-up, but cleaning gunk out of the engine bay, hiding weeping, cracked and aged hoses and leaky fittings and masking vacuum/exhaust leaks so there are no traces of problems is pretty difficult. Make it so that you see the car when the engine is cold. A warm engine can disguise alot. Tranny is kinda hard, but if you know how to disconnect the vac line to the modulator, though the ensuing drive may be a little jolting, you can easily weed out a tranny rebuild or replace, no fun! No flaring = you're looking good. Only suggesting this as troubleshooting the vacuum system could take a few seconds or a few weeks. In the rear, check you're axles for torn boots. It won't be driving daily for long with dirty joints. Whew, that was a little windy. Did I mention rust? Man, bodywork is a serious pain. Depending on your locale this might not be such an easy feat. As the other posters said, read, ask, and read again. There is a googols worth of sites with info on these cars, perfect for the DIY minded. The search function is your friend. Here's a freebee:
How much $ would you spend on a daily driver? <--- Mucho info
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Originally Posted by MIA-W126
Is it smart to buy one with over 250k on it ?
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Rhetorical? Mileage, to a large extent, is irrelevant with some models.
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Originally Posted by MIA-W126
Can a amature mechanic work on this car ?
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For an eight bennie chariot, you can expect to log plenty of hours wrenching. Keep a maintainence journal. Very handy.
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Originally Posted by MIA-W126
What are the common problems with these cars ?
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See first answer.
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Originally Posted by MIA-W126
Please let me know anything and everything i need to purchase my diesel !
Thanks
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The search is strong with this one. Good luck on your journey.
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Originally Posted by Aquaticedge
if the car is in good condition and runs well, mileage like that really wont hurt it too much.
Things to look for are tires in good condition, no rust! that's important. I would look at the fluids to make sure they look and smell normal, do a blow-by test, there's a couple ways to do that.. make sure all the lights work etc. I would personally take it to a mercedes specialist and have them give it a once over to know what your getting into. Some things you can do simply other things if your a novice it's best to take it in so that you dont damage anything important. Oh, Another thing is, if the Diesel has a pre filter, (small clear filter located on the injector pump side towards the bottom of the engine near the frame rail) check that the Diesel is the right color, it's usually green or has another tinge of color, I think it's blue. look at the filter itself, if it's black or just in general really dirty you will want to investigate why, Diesel can grow bacteria, and algae depending on what it's exposed to but a dirty filter could just be a dirty filter, so it pays to investigate further. the search function on the forum here can give you a wealth of knowledge, There's also a lot of great knowledgeable members here who can answer specific questions about motors, types of cars etc,
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x2 on the search function and knowledgeable ilk in these parts.
A "specialist" might have a good chuckle if presented with something in this price range, but, may just as well charge you double + if business is slow.
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Originally Posted by jt20
1) read this forum for at least 3 months religiously before buying anything.
many of us regret paying too much for the cars we have now.
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Agree with the researching, way too simple to work on most things with these autos. Did you really pay that much more? Dang, woulda been happy if I'd paid twice as much.
FNHB