What do you make of this 300SDL?

[KCampbell]

eBay 300SDL

I'm not sure how to tell, but I am wondering if it actually has MB Tex rather than leather? I have not previously seen leather crack in quite that way, but don't know if the SDL ever came with Tex.

There is an interesting discoloration on the hood pad above the coolant tank.

It looks like the lower trim panels on the outside of the drivers door skin are "proud" compared to the others, any idea what causes this?

Engine bay has been nicely cleaned

Kevin

[mbzkid]

Theres a green light on the dash, directly under the speedometer. Not sure what that is.


The engine bay is very clean but that could be for different reasons. Maybe its to hide something, or maybe they just wanted to make the car presentable. Be suspicious. Check the engine bay after the test drive.

Are you planning to buy it?

[dmorrison]

Had a 86 300SDL with gray interiors. I'm afraid that the ebay car looks just like mine did. Same kind of leather cracks. Same kind of dash cracks. Hood pad looks like mine before I replaced it. So, I would say its an original car. Its mechanical condition? Make sure you get it checked out before purchasing.
Driver door. Look at the first driver door photo. The section just below the rubber seal at the bottom is the door outside panel. It is easy to "bend" the panel out over time due to catching the door on the ground when parked at curbs etc. Drivers door would be affected the most due to its excesive use. I would want to check for physical damage or rust at the mount points but the car looks to be in to good a shape for that. After 150,000 miles I could see that panel showing its age.

Green light is were a temperature display should be. A LCD type display. Looks like the backing pealed off. Mine did this too!!

Dave

[KCampbell]

I'm certainly in the market for a 300SDL, and this example doesn't look bad. There really aren't that many of them available, especially from non-rust belt areas.

There's no way for me to test drive it, the intervening 900 odd miles puts paid to that. I guess it all comes down to how long I'm willing to wait, and how lucky I feel!

Kevin

[dmorrison]

We absolutely loved our SDL. And if it was cost effective I would have rebuilt it. The SDL does have more bells and switches to break compared to the 300D/TD/CD/240D. But it also provides a tremendous increase in luxury.
If you are a DIY the SDL will ask a little more form you in terms of repairs, only because it has more. That converts into more $$ to maintain. But what a wonderful car.
If you are not a DIY. Make sure you find a FULL record one. One that has been well maintained or you will find lots of things to fix on a 19 year old car.
Mine required a new engine and tranny. That made it unrebuildable. My daughter was the recipient of the 2nd hand me down. We found a pristene 240D. Great body and interiors and only needed a few items repaired. She now has a car that will last her another 20 years and be cheaper to maintain then the SDL. ( and it was purchased new by an Texas A&M Aggie. handed down to his son to attend A&M given to his other son the next 4 years while at A&M and my daughter is now at A&M. The car wanted to go home
But for luxury, I think the SDL was the best.

Dave

[Mr. FancyPants]

What would it cost to fly down and back? And if you did, what if someone outbids you, or if there is a "buy it now" what if someone buy's it while your looking at it?

That's what leather looks like when it gets dried out from sunlight, always on the front part of the seats where the sun hits! I suppose they could be repaired by a pro, but wonder how much $ ??

I hate cracked dashboards and wonder if this could be repaired or replaced?

Overall though, if it could be had for a resonable price, $2800 to $3200 my guess anyway, it could be worth it! But I don't think it's worth $5100 Their thinking is "there's a sucker born everyday, and there is a seat for every ass!"

Add up what it would cost to put this car in excellent shape and then find one on the market in excellent shape, see what the difference is in money. I'd bet you'd save thousends buying one already in exellent shape. Unless of course you enjoy a good project to work on!

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by Mr. FancyPants

Overall though, if it could be had for a resonable price, $2800 to $3200 my guess anyway, it could be worth it! But I don't think it's worth $5100 Their thinking is "there's a sucker born everyday, and there is a seat for every ass!"

Add up what it would cost to put this car in excellent shape and then find one on the market in excellent shape, see what the difference is in money. I'd bet you'd save thousends buying one already in exellent shape. Unless of course you enjoy a good project to work on!

My thoughts on this vehicle differ from Steve. It does have a few issues that the seller has clearly shown. The paint appears to be in quite good condition, and the engine compartment also looks like there was some care taken with this vehicle.

Many of the SDL's have mileage that is approaching 200K, or greater than 200K. These typically sell for between 4K and 5K on ebay. This one, with only 150K will go for more.

If you wish to find one in pristine condition, then you must be prepared to pay dearly for it. As an example, mine had 103K on the clock when I bought it. It was a Florida car and was repainted recently (8.5 job). I bought it before it went onto e-bay from the dealer at a cost of $7200. It would have been a decent price, however, it has about $1500. in odds and ends to make it perfect. Such things as a sticking brake caliper, a bent tie rod, a non-functional temperature display (green thing in the photo above on the dash), a broken driver seat spring, Firestone FR380 tires, a non-functional windshield washer, a non-functional rear defroster, a leak in the exhaust system, and sagging rear springs were not disclosed.

On the other hand, to the best knowledge and belief of my indy, and my personal observations over the last six months, there is every likelihood that the vehicle actually had 103K when I bought it. The engine runs perfectly and the transmission shifts flawlessly.

My advice to you is to question the seller carefully on the following points:

1) After driving the vehicle and letting it sit overnight, ask the seller to pinch the upper radiator hose. If he cannot pinch it closed between his fingers, ask him to open the cap to the expansion tank. Then ask him to pinch the upper hose again. If he now can pinch the hose, when he could not pinch it before opening the cap, do not purchase the vehicle.

2) Ask him to confirm that the cruise control is functional.

3) The conditon of the transmission is always a concern. However, this cannot be determined without a proper test drive. The dealer is too stupid to perform this properly and give you any honest answers. It is always a risk.

4) Ask the seller if there are any maintenance records for it.


Buying on e-bay is always a risk. However, if you win the bid, and can get to the vehicle within two days, you can drive it yourself and be sure that the seller has not misrepresented it in any way. If it is what he says it is, then you drive it home. If it is not, then you fly home.

[Hatterasguy]

This looks like a nice one, the body looks nice and the engine looks clean. The radiator and electric cooling fan look new, the hose clamp on the top hose looks like an aftermarket one (I think), so their has been some cooling system work done. Check for Mercedes coolent. This cold be a very good thing, maybe a new head? The interior looks real clean, the carpet in the center console always gets dirty and stained and it looks real clean. The wood looks real nice to. Part of the tradeoff of getting a rust free car is that the interior will be a little tired, oh well. Seats are cheaper to recover then fixing rust.

These are getting to be very old cars and are going to need some work, as long as the body is good with no rust, and the engine is strong, everything else can be fixed. This does look like a nice one, from the looks of the ad I would next email the buyer and call him. If he sounds good over the phone, it might be worth a plane ride to go pick her up.

Btw the plastice below the door is pretty weak, mine has a good chunk taken out of it by the po. If someone was adjusting the door and got that peice caught in the jack it could bend it like that.

I bet this one goes for $5,000-$6,000

[Mr. FancyPants]

Well, what do I know about SDL's, not really alot! Granted this car does not look like a heap by any means!

I just thought that with the many items listed that could be repaired or refinished, that may exceed $2500, one could do better buying an SDL already in fine shape!

My estimate of value of the SDL's appears to be way off the mark and apologize for suggesting a lower value than they are!

I'm always suspicious looking at any used car and use caution sometimes with prejudice as may be the case here! Ebay seems sometimes to be a platform for thieves and my caution goes way up!


Steve................. :p

[Alan Hamm]

Not long ago there was discussion of one on this list going for $12K or so in pristine condition. I saw one over the 4th of July holiday that was exactly like mine. Same color, body perfect, interior perfect. Odo had 64K miles. I was going to leave the guy a note asking him to call me if he wanted to sell. I would have paid $8-10K on the spot for that car.