This is my first post, but I've already gotten tons out of this great forum by browsing around for a while.

I'm looking for your advice on an '81 300TD turbodiesel wagon I'm thinking of buying. It's a lifelong California car, no rust, never wrecked, no body damage, paint is good, 161k miles. It looks like the owner wants $2,500, but it has a few problems: lumpy idle, is VERY slow off the line, AC doesn't work, two of the windows don't go down, the motor has a slight oil leak, and the trans shifts pretty hard. The owner also said there is a noise in the rear end, but I didn't notice it.

Another concern is that there are no maintenance records. The current owner bought it at auction and has only owned it a short time. It's not advertised for sale, I just noticed it in the neighborhood and asked the guy. He says he will sell because he has too many other projects.

Otherwise, everything is intact and works and the car drives great. The interior needs a cleaning but is in perfect condition except for a wear area on the driver's seat. The self-leveling rear suspension appears to be working.

From my reading, it sounds like several of the problems could be caused by vacuum leaks (windows, idle, poor accelleration). Or could it be something worse? Do you all think the price is fair? Is there anything else I should be looking for?

I've never owned a diesel but have done all my own car repairs for more than 20 years. I am interested in running this car on biodiesel if I get it.

Thx in advance for all your help!