Looked at a 81 300CD...
 

Looked this morning at a 81 300CD (non turbo); the good news, almost everything works, new tranny, paint looks good (dark grey), all rubbers are good, new Michelins, arco is working (just spend $2000 on it), cleanest engine bay I ever saw, Interior looks new (dark red), no cracks in the dash, same owner for 20 years, records for the last 20 years.

The bad news; it won't start, mechanic says it needs work on the injection pump. Starter cranks but won't start up the engine, owner says he drove it to the shop...

He wants $1500 for it, am I I crazy if I let this one go?

compared with the engine, the interior is MUCH more difficult and expensive to fix, even assuming that the IP needs replaced, that still sounds like a pretty good deal to me, and you could probably get it for less than that. there arent so many of those CD's around so they seem to go for more than the sedans. do you have the milage? that would be handy. did the mechanic give you an estimate?

i almost bought an '81 240D 4-speed manual that had been rebuilt and ran great with a really beat up interior that eventually went for $1400, i wish i had bought it.

you said 300CD (non-turbo), but wouldnt that make it a 240CD?

forgot, mileage is 226 000. The mechanic was not sure what the problem was, the only thing he said it could be in the thousands...owner knows nothing about mechanics.

there could be any number of thing wrong with it, you wont know until you get it running, which is why buying cars that dont run is so much cheaper! once the IP is fixed, there might be something else wrong with it, who knows. to be safe, i would assume that it needs $4000 worth of work and then decide if the car is worth $5500 to me in perfect shape. others might have a different number than that, its really just a guess.

Remember, there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Benz.
:D

I know, that's why I'm hesitating.

Maybe I'm thinking too simple, but could it just be that the glow plug system is not working? Easily checked with a voltmeter on each glow plug. Where is it located? If in a cold area, it probably won't start at all without glow plugging it. Ask the owner if the car had decent power when they brought it in and how well it started then. If it was low on power, then it the engine might be worn and low on compression, not letting it start.

The mechanic who worked on this car is a very good mechanic. Most of the cars on his lot are really prestine old benzes; a 600, fifties convertible some 190 roadsters etc. This guy knows his *****.

And the glow plug light was on and went out after a couple of seconds.

What would the car be worth in top shape?

Did the mechanic say how much to fix it?



Take (A) subtract (B) and the car is worth less than that. How much less, depends on how you value your time and if you feel lucky.

If you want a wild ass guess, I would offer him $500 and be happy if he took it, relieved if he didn't.

IF he is positive that its the injection pump, thats not relaly a big hurdle to get past. I found a new pump for my friends 240D when his quit for $100 and put it on in the cold for free, aren't I nice :P

Its not too hard of a job to do, just time it right.

if you are considering it so you can have another project car and have storage for it while you 'dial it out' then i say go for it. it's likely not a simple fix or the mechanic would have found it. of course that's not to say it won't be a cheap, or 'worth it' fix - it may be.

sounds to me like you have the correct expectations to do it and not regret it. i mean - it's not like you are starting a new job 3 towns over next monday and need transpo. ;)

if i were in your shoes the things i would consider would be a) space and b) spousal approval.

if you have both of those - then i would go for it personally.

300cd
 

first look for the simple things. if the car was running when brought to the mechanic why is it not now? just because he is a good mechanic on gas engines doesnt mean he knows anything about diesels. i would personally be very surprised if it is the injection pump. they are extremely long lived and 225,000 miles is nothing for them... and the're about impossible to ruin. if it looks as good as you say then you probably cant go too wrong to buy it... but a non running car can have an awful lot of things wrong and if you dont have money to put it all right it will still be a drag.

glow plugs, clean fuel, shut off valve...these all could be the culprit... the injection pump is the last thing i would suspect.

It would seem to be common sense, but why not pay the tech an hour or two for diagnosis time and an estimate to repair it, especially since it is already in his shop? Invest some $$$ now and at least have an idea of what is in store before you make an offer. I don't see how it can be that expensive to repair, even if you had to drop a whole new engine into it you could find one from a recycler for $1500 or less I would think.

Ask to spin it over and see how it sounds. Does it sound like it even wants to hit? Any loud knocking/out of place noises? After trying to start it a bit, remove the fuel cap and see if you hear a vaccum. I bought a 240D once that would not start. Turns out it was just a clogged tank vent and got the car for next than nothing.