Too many problems in this listing to list all at once. I'll let you guys pick out some of the others.

The biggest one to catch my eye was the 110 MPH claim. Also note the different color shade on the front door from the hood.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6783&item=7952044430&rd=1

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Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

Hmmm...with a 3.07:1 axle ratio and a tire diameter of 24.3" a speed of 110 mph would only require 4600 rpm...certainly seems possible...Bert

Someone here once posted that when he was a child, his mother or father pushed their then new 300SD to 125mph. If that's true, then the 110mph claim could also be true.

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver

105 maybe a little more is about all they are good for.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I was under the assumption that peak hp on the 617 comes in about 4400 rpm. Torque is falling quite precipitously here and it would be extremely unlikely that the engine could reach 4600 rpm, especially when the force required to push the wind is increasing as a square function.

One reason I doubt the veracity of the 110 mph claim is the condition of the vehicle. Couple of other noteworthy items:

No pin striping on the front left fender (repainted after body damage);
Listed states no knowledge of the prior water damages, yet totally totally pulled the interior and cleaned it;
If there was water damage, was the differential drained, or is it still filled with water from the breather hole on top;
Non-OEM exhaust (in picture of rear axil);
Missing left side door beam trim (which means the seat belt has been removed - and could be water damaged - as a matter of fact the seat belt appears to actually be missing);
What's with the rear seat cover - or lack thereof;
Where is the instrument cluster and the rest of the climate control;
Damage (rust?) under front left turn signal;

I suspect the lister knows more than he is saying. I'd be interested to know what car-fax has to say about it.

I've got a hunch that the winning sucker, er, I mean bidder, will be looking at this in person and demand his money back.

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Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

I say that for the $610 that the bidding is going for right now, that would not be too bad to pay for a parts car. Expecially knowing that is has rear control arms and bearing replaced along the with axles. All 5 injectors were replaced, glow plugs and relay was replaced, brand new coil springs, and shock installed. If you added all those parts up, Im pretty sure you would be around the $600 mark. Add to that the rest of the car which could be used for parts that ours might not have functioning, or simple as a spare. I personally would not drive that car to the corner, but if I had the money I'd buy simply for the parts!

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Robert Ayala

1985 300SD (W126) 300K miles

Yeah, that was me, and everybody said I had to be remembering wrong, except for Compress Ignite, who says he used to do it. But that was blamed on spedometer error. But the car was an 85 (taller gears) and new...

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B
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1983 300SD

Thats an Invalid VIN number he listed...................

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

It would be a fantastic parts car for $610!!

With three days left, I'll wager that it sells for $1400. Any takers??

At $1400. it's a bit pricey as a parts car. Now you are hesitant on whether to try and restore it. But, you know how that slippery slope goes.............

Something just doesn't smell right - seller just added a note that a winning bidder with < 93% feedback must make 15 % down payment within 2 hours or he will leave negative feedback. That's kind of harsh.

Here's something else worth considering. The winning bidder has 0 feedback. Could it be a shill? http://www.vendio.com/service/tipsandtactics/buy-shilling.html

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Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

Since the car was new, I doubt there was a speedometer error. Additionally, something like a high speed of 125mph is kind of hard to remember incorrectly.

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver

Brian,

You are correct regarding the increase in wind resistance, but peak torque numbers are not entirely representive of an engine's maximum rpm potential.

In the case of my 440 (7.4 Litre) Pontiac, peak Torque is reached around 4500 rpm, although the engine maintains 400+ lbs/ft (minimum) all the way from 2000 to 5000 rpm.

However, the engine develops peak Horsepower at 5500 rpm, yet it is still capable of turning 6200 rpm in high gear, despite the wind resistance factors.

Of course, the diesel has much more modest horsepower & torque production...Bert

Same situation. Different engine. Between 2000 and 5000 rpm, you have a reasonably flat torque curve and the horsepower is climing linearly. But, the fall in torque above 5000 starts to slow the horsepower climb, until, at 5500, the torque is falling at the same rate that the rpm's are rising.

Of course it may be capable of turning 6200 rpm in high gear, because of the tremendous horsepower, but, I will tell you that if this engine can achieve this performance, it is geared too short, and a taller gear will provide the vehicle with more speed. The goal, for maximum speed, is that the engine reaches its horsepower peak, no more, and no less.

In the case of the 617, which is severely limited in horsepower, the chance of gaining additional speed on the back side of the horsepower curve is non-existant.

Brian,

You are correct, but low speed performance and 'feel' is better with the lower (higher numerically) axle ratio.

Additionally, since the engine spends much of its time in the lower rpm ranges, 3.42:1 seemed a better choice than the factory's 3.23:1 the car came with...Bert