Hey guys,

I'm looking at Benz to buy (my first ever diesel) but I need advice as to whether its worth it or not.

The Car is a W126 (I think), an '82 300SD. Black with Grey Leather. Automatic Climate Control. With 220,000 kms.


They are asking. 6900 dollars Canadian.


I test drove the car today. Here are my impressions.


The Good

Car Started Well

No Smoke

No Rust

Good Power

No Dash Cracks

Shifted Well

Power Windows/Power Seats/Antenna Worked

Low Mileage


The Bad

Tachometer/Clock Not Working

Quite a Bit of Steering Play

A Paint Chip in the left quarter panel - looks to be body filled

Drivers side seat torn otherwise rest of interior perfect.


I thought it was a good car really. Felt like a tank. More of a highway because the car has true turbo lag. The turbo wakes up around 2200 rpms or so (best guess). Most of the haggles seem like minor issues except for the steering play. I'm not sure if it's worth the price.

What do you guys think?

[QUOTE=DieselMac]Hey guys,
"They are asking. 6900 dollars Canadian. "


How much is that in American dollars?

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

You can get one for near half that price. The person has probably put alot into it and want to recoup his/her losses. Too expensive for what you get.

__________________
1983 240D 4 speed running on B100 and SVO
www.b100wh.com/b100wh.html#reactor
My Biodiesel Reactor/Processor

may be nice but it would have to be great for that. It's 23 years old

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

The price is equivalent to $5570. U.S. dollars.

For this amount of money, the vehicle should be in excellent condition with less than 150K miles on the clock, no rust or body work anywhere and all components and accessories should be working properly.

It would be one of the higher priced vehicles in the U.S., but, there are examples that sell for more than this amount, however, they would need to have mileage closer to 100K.

I personally thought it was overpriced. It drove well and all but the car is NOT "mint" as it was advertised. I thought it was worth 3500-4000 but not more.

I also forgot to mention that the car comes with full service records and that everyone thinks I'm inheriting a boat load of problems with this car .

Are these Mercedes real money pits? What should I look for to be replaced (by the PO) to make it a better buy?

Cheers

DzlMac

Any 20+ year old car is going to need work, I don't care who made it. The average seems to be $2k-$3k the first year and then half that after the first year.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Hmmm..If this is the case I guess I lucked out. I fixed all the little stuff on mine myself, then took it to the shop where I told them to go over it and fix anything they could find wrong. The bill was $230 for various normal maintenance items. Thats been 10 months ago with nothing but oil/filter changes since.

Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut--I got two more months before the first year is up.

Cheers,

Bill

Sacrifice a chicken to make the diesel gods happy! See now that you said that I bet your trans blows! Everytime I make coments that my car dislikes something expensive breaks.

Those just seem to be average numbers, most spend a lot less. I would just be ready to spend a few bucks with any old car. MB, Toyota, Chevy ect.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Canadian cars do tend to cost more (even allowing for $ exchange), due I think to lesser availability and perceived higher values due to higher costs of spare parts and labour. Having said that I think this car is overpriced even though it only has 138,000 miles on the clock.

Where are you located DieselMac?
There are usually a number of cars available in the AutoTrader here in the Toronto area.

__________________
1991 M-B 560SEL Arctic White/Grey 99,000 Miles
1987 M-B 300SDL Ivory/Palomino 229,000 Miles (sold but never forgotten)
2006 Volvo XC70 Blue/Beige
1999 Porsche Boxster Arena Red/Savanna Beige
1986 Porsche 928S Goldweiss/Brown

Good advice man...

The other half of the battle is...

Convincing people your NOT insane for buying an old Benz. Let alone a diesel one!

Everyone except my best friend thinks I've gone off my rocker. Either that or they chalk it up to be 18 ...

EDIT...I'm in Mississauga man. 403/Erin Mills. I check Autotrader everyday. I thought that one was the best example! Have you any other suggestions on there?

Cheers

DzlMac

If you get to the point you are going to make an offer, it's a good idea to spend a little and get a pre-purchase inspection. Take it to an independent shop that really knows the MB diesels. A mistake on the purchase of a MB diesel can be very expensive. Compression, Compression, Compression. I bought one in the past with low compression. Was okay in a warm climate but when I moved to a cold climate area, the car was history and that was a $3000 loss to me.

In my opinion, it's worth $150 or so for an inspection, especially if you are not real familiar with these cars. The information from the inspection can probably give you some good points in order to negotiate a lower price, if issues are found, which they usually are. You'll know the cost estimate of any repairs needed and can ask for a lower price on the car, or at least know what you are getting into.
Just my opinions, good luck.

I agree with Black300CD, a pre-purchase inspection is well worth the money.

Check out this car in the Autotrader:
Year: 1984
Make: MERCEDES-BENZ
Model: 300SD
Model Detail:
Price: $1,500
Mileage: ------- km
Date: 1/29/2005
Ad Type: Private
Comment: Car is MINT! Carefully maint by owner, all orig., it is a must see car, diesel, auto, blue leather, everything still working, great on fuel!! Asking $1500 obo. (416)209-7171 (416)283-5475 jetta_g60_is@hotmail.com

Picture looks good too, but not sure about the kms. For $1500 though

Good luck with your search.

Dervman...Just saw it..Called..Has been sold

Cheers

DzlMac