Greetings Mercedesshop members

Although I have an Illustrated Buyer's Guide and various resources on the internet, I do not have enough knowledge of the 300D to make a desicion about a rush purchase. Having not studied the market, and stumbling upon a potentially "good deal", my only hope is to ask the board.

The description reads 1979 MERCEDES 300D DIESAL: AUTOMATIC, MILEAGE: 238,000, HAS NO REVERSE, MOTOR RUNS PERFECT NO SMOKE, CLEAN INTERIOR, SUNROOF,
with the following pictures:






the price is very low. note: does not go in reverse. Again, i hope i don't get flamed for my first post expecting a lot from the board. I HOPE TO be a frequent to this board once I purchase the right car.

Let me introduce myself. I am currently a student in California, and as an environmentalist i would love the opprotunity to not depend on fossil fuels for transportation. handy with the wrench, but never worked on diesels. We need to preserve what we have left of our earth. As a student, I do not have a very steady income, and am willing to cut corners on costs by buying a less than perfect vehicle. Without much knowledge of 123 cars, or any mbz cars, I do not want to make my first mistake a painful one!

Thank you!

that car has bundt cake wheels and euro headlights, both of which indicate that somebody loved it for at least a short while, as neither would have come with it from the factory. (I don't think) But, some numbnuts put the silverstar on the trunk on upside down, which makes me believe it's been re-painted.

that car is non-turbo, so you might want to drive it to see how the pick-up is. I'd be concerned about no reverse. Although, depending on the price, it might be worth it. I bought a '78 volvo wagon with no reverse once, and drove it for 9 months without incident (did park head-in once on a hill and that sucked)... but then the rest of the tranny self-destructed after that.

there are so many 300D turbos out there with transmissions that actually work- how hard have you looked? You might find that by spending an extra thousand or two on the car can save you an extra five or eight that you'll spend getting a 'cheap' car in operating order. So, you may end up actually not cutting any cost corners at all.

all that said, the 617 engine is a beauty for SVO, and very easy to convert.
good luck with it!

k

__________________
Cannondale ST600 XL
Redline Monocog 29er
2011 Mini Cooper Clubman
2005 Honda Element EX

www.djugurba.com
www.waldenwellness.com

djugurba, you are right that it has been repainted. I also forgot to mention the price of $300. No door handles on the drivers side, either.

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SAVE THE EARTH

i don't know how cheap cheap is, but i would price a transmission for it and factor that into the price personally.

generally speaking i think the 300D is a great car and in my limited experience reasonably intuitve to work on in comparison to most other cars.

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1979 Thistle Green 300D 272,xxx miles
1984 Orient Red 300 D 4 spd Euro Import - 189,xxx miles
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Lofat Productions
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for 300 i would snatch it up.

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1979 Thistle Green 300D 272,xxx miles
1984 Orient Red 300 D 4 spd Euro Import - 189,xxx miles
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lofat Productions
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I seem to remember an issue on the older transmissions where an adjusting bolt on the outside of the transmission could work loose and you would lose reverse. I guess it would probably be the reverse band adjustment. I don't remember what year is the break between old style and new style transmissions though. I'm sure you could find the details by searching.

My only issue with the early 300D's like this one is the evil climate control servo. If you can dodge that bullet, this is probably a good car for alternative fuel experiments. You have to promise us that you're not going to butcher the fuel system though.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

It's owned by a tow yard right now and was confiscated from a dui driver. As djugurba mentioned the wheels and euro lights as indication that someone once loved it, the dash cover may also? i know that dash pads can cost some money, at least for older domestics. I am considering driving the 2 hours with $300 in hand tomorrow. I appreciate the response from the board thus far!

is there anything else i should especially look out for in this car? rust spots? anything to listen for when test driving? i found researched a little on the tranny issue and Palangi, you were right about the reverse band bolt issue it seems.

I should probably sit back and analyze the market a little more before jumping in, but I just do not want to miss out on a good opprotunity!

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SAVE THE EARTH

What's that saying "the most expensive MBZ you will ever own is the cheapest one you can buy...?"
What's with all the wires under the dash? Looks like the stereo was ripped out, but there is more than that dangling, vacuum lines? What is that, the ignition...?!?...that car might have a lot of problems, a tranny aint sure gonna be cheap. Do the simple blowby test for sure. Be skeptical. These cars are for sale $1000-$2000 all day long....

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Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

Jimmy Joe, i think the idea that these cars can be had for 1000-2000 dollars all day long is a good thing to remember. in the excitement, icompletely forgot about compression testing equipment and other things. I will probably hold off on this one although it looks like a potentially good deal.

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SAVE THE EARTH

For parts, its a steal. For a daily driver, its a gamble. Compression check for sure, a working tranny next big money item. Might be better to wait...

__________________
Think Alternative Energy!
300CD '80 (now gone but not forgotten...)

you could part it out and have $300 before the end of your first ebay auction. the euro headlights alone could bring that much... Offer $150 and drive it like you stole it.

__________________
Cannondale ST600 XL
Redline Monocog 29er
2011 Mini Cooper Clubman
2005 Honda Element EX

www.djugurba.com
www.waldenwellness.com

At best, it's a runner. At worst it's a parts car. I'd pay $300 for a parts car, especially one that looks that good.

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- 1980 300D "citrogroen" (puke green) - +300,000 KM, homemade WVO 2-tank conversion
- 1974 Ford Econoline Club Wagon - for sale
- 1988 Honda Hawk GT - sold

Could the B-1 piston have failed?? I'm unsure about about the earlier trannys. But if I were you, I would look around some more, its almost always better to buy a more expensive car and put less money into it later in life. One college student to another.

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-Randy Wakefield

1969 220D 4 speed (parts car)
1976 280C
1976 280S
1981 240D 4 speed (parts car)
1982 300D
1983 300TD (Ivory)
1983 300TD (gold)
1985 300TD (gray)
1987 190D 2.5
1970 280SEL (sold)
1977 240D 4 speed (sold)
1974 280 (rusted to death)
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1927 Chevy 4 door sedan
1938 Chevy 2 door sedan
1950 Willys Jeepster
1955 Studebaker President 4 door
1977 Ford F250
1979 Glastron 17'
1948 John Deere A
1960 John Deere 2010
1979 Satoh S650G
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2000 Bichon (Doby)

Is it just me or is the star on the steering wheel ALSO in upside down! It sure looks like!

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I have an '80 300d that had no reverse. Loose band adjust bolt. The hardest part was washing it to see it.

I'd say take the gamble. You may end up with a parts car. Maybe not.

However, this will be your least expensive investment toward saving the planet by running wvo. Just make sure she doesn't leak fluids.

Peace,

Dan