I picked the car up from my brokerage tonight. She started up right away (after waiting for the plugs, of course) and settled at idle quickly. Very impressive for a car of this vintage and mileage.
She drives so much better than my dad's '87 300SDL. Are the engines the same in these two cars? Maybe he'd finally listen to me when I tell him his isn't 100%.
The car obviously has issues, but they're few and minor. The dome light doesn't work with the door or switch, there's a small oil leak toward the front of the engine, the transmission shifts a little hard under heavier acceleration (was told an adjustment of a screw/bolt under the hood would remedy), and most importantly the gas gauge isn't reliable. Any help on these would be greatly appreciated.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vstech
Looks nice. Pressure wash away. Take a picture first making sure you note the routing of all the vacuum lines. Try not to spray hard on the vacuum lines and fuse/relays.
Also, you may want to vacuum out the spring pockets and pull the battery tray to inspect the fenders
|
Thanks for the info. My buddy just put a new battery in the car for me yesterday, didn't mention anything about rust. I'll take a look tomorrow when I'm going through the engine bay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RML
Amazing car for 290K miles. Looks like it was pampered.
|
So it seems. Owned by the same family since new. It was purchased new and driven 90k miles by the original owner, then sold to his son-in-law who drove it for the remaining 200k+. All in an area that very rarely gets any snow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy5848
After removing the battery, unbolt the battery tray and check underneath for rust. Make sure the jack points are clean and rust-free; early 124 jack point plugs can be used to fill those holes. Pull the carpets and check for floor rust. Looks like you got a good one!
Jeremy
|
Will do, thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorblue92
Looks lie you got a very nice one.
|
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by toomany MBZ
Good point, even low mileage cars can have a rust through spot under the battery tray, so be careful in that area when power washing.
Use a degreaser too and be judicious where you point the wand. 30+ year old vacuum lines and connecters may be brittle or weak.
Appears to be a fine example.
I'm not too far away, let me know if I can help.
|
I'll be sure to keep the nozzle at a safe distance from soft parts.
I see you're in central VA. I'm in Virginia Beach at the moment, but will be driving it home to Atlanta on Tuesday morning. After driving it briefly tonight, I'm somewhat convinced to keep this car around as a daily and keep the AMG for weekends/sunny days.
For curiosity's sake, what is a car like this, assuming no hidden surprises, worth on the resale market at the moment?