Hi all. I am new to this site and thought I'd post a hello message with a short question. I recently purchased an 83 300d in really nice shape. No rust, no dents, dings or scratches. The only minus is a few cracks in the dash that I assume is fairly normal for a car of this year. Other than that interior is real nice. ecerything on it works. I got it from the original owner and he showed me maintanence for the life of the car 200k mikes to include oil changes every 3k miles. My question is other than this forum (that seems real informative) where else online can I find good info on this car). I've googled but mostly find for sale sites. Also, what would a reasonable price be for this car? I already bought it but was wondering if I paid to much????

Thanks, JLD

How rude! (just kidding )

Mercedesshop is, bar none, the best place to learn about MB cars.

You can find some of the original technical manuals here.

Check through the listings on Ebay or Autotrader to get a feel for the value of the car.

Oh, and welcome aboard.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Thanks for the reply. I actually bought it off of ebay but it was local and I got a feel for the guy and the car before I bid. It went for more than others but it is in real good shape and the guy maintained it well. Another guy kinda bid me up a little or I would have had it cheaper. Thanks for the link....

One thing I'm a little concerned of is it takes a little more peddle than I'm used to to get it going??? I found a post on this site that states you need to gas these things hard all of the time to get the rpm's over 2000 so the turbo kicks in. Once it's going it runs fine. The previouse owner just had it services to include the valve adjustment which someone in the post mentioned could be a cause. This could just be something I need to get used to????

Well, it all depends on how much of a hurry you are in to get to the next red light

If I am around town, I don't use the turbo. I let it shift, painlessly, at 2000 rpm. I get to the red light a little bit later then the average dork, but I get to the destination at the same time.

Seriously, if you have never driven a diesel, it feels very sluggish when compared to a gasoline engine. However, you get comfortable with it quickly, and the power is there if you wind it up.

With regard to your question whether you paid too much, please post again in 18 months with a list of all the things that were necessary repairs on the vehicle to return it to proper condition. Then and only then can we determine if you paid too much.

Welcome to the Forum and glad to hear you got what sounds like a decent '83. My first diesel was an '83 300D, paid $5000 for it in 1990 with 206K miles on it, single owner car with mostly highway miles. My wife still drives it. I had to look at quite a few diesel before finding one that was near virgin at least as far as body and interior (and very important, no rust!)

I sense that you need to get used to the way the W123 diesels work. The transmission shiftpoints are determined primarily by vacuum level that is valved somewhat by acclerator pedal position. You can make one shift earlier by letting up on the pedal for example. Most drivers learn to play the pedal according to traffic, etc.
Putting the pedal to the metal is appropriate most of the time. Don't worry - you won't break the tires loose unless its wet and maybe if there are some leaves on the pavement or something to slip around.
These engines like to be run over 2000 RPM especially when accelerating.
I recommend you keep the gear selector in S (actually third gear) rather than D if you are in lots of stop and go traffic, say under 40 MPH, that will prevent the trans from upshifting into high gear where low RPMS cause it to be sluggish. Engine braking also results when in the lower gear and this helps extend the life of brakes, especially if driving downhill on inclines. So learn to select the gear appropriate for the conditions by carefully changing it as necessary.

You didn't indicate your location but if in an area that gets very cold in the winter you might want to see if the car has a block heater, as winter can make these hard to start, or at least the starter motors tend to last longer as you don't have to crank on the engine as long is its warm and the oil is not thickened up.
Good luck!
DDH

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

Thanks to all that replied. I'm glad to hear that I should get used to the pedal and it most likely isn't a problem since the car does run great. This site seems to be an excellent source for information since I've been doing alot of searches and have found many answers. Thanks again...JLD