1980 300 Sd
 

1980 300 SD, 20 miles from me. :D

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4556931211

What say ye?

How much to pay??? :confused:

I came upon a nice '80 SD also, it's $2k out the door here. Everything down to the AC works, just needs a new sheet of back glass as it's cracked.

Brian-

Looks good in the pictures - I hope you will be making a personal visit before you bid. I wouldn't give more than $1000 for it if the tranny is truly bad and not just mis-adjusted. I don't have to tell you that these rust badly. Check the window seals and the floors. If you get around to pulling the tranny apart I may have a little advice for you....

Rick

Has rust in the front fenders. Look carefully where the chrome ends at the bottom. Then, look back just behind that and you can see the bubbling. Most likely it has rust in the rockers, very bad. If it's in better shape than your 300SD I'd definitely replace a 126 with a 116. If you had to drive both you'd know what I mean. A 116 has soul.

Thanks
David

If it doesn't have much cancer on the structural parts it might be a deal. But look close for it.

There can't be too many of these left in thid good a condition. So it should be worth at least $2000.

If you want one, get it while you can. I have 3 so don't need another or I would bid on it.

P E H

If brian is using the condition of the body of mine as a benchmark he may never buy one at all....becasue it will be hard to find one with a cleaner body....Now cleaner interior maybe.....

Guage
 

My only two concerns would be rust and the weired looking gague leaning against the Ashtray.

- Peter.

that 'gauge' looks like a clock. Between that and the fender chrome, we can probably guess as to the owner's typical repair methodology.

That car looks like a POS. Either go rust free with a 116 or dont go at all.

You're not too far off the mark. ;)

The good:

Interior is pristine. One small crack in the dash. Dash wood is excellent.

There is no rust in the structural members. All the jack points and the unit body is rust free.

The bad:

Rust around windshield on roof. Looks to have been repaired and has cracked.

Surface rust on passenger side rocker.

Surface rust on RR wheel arch.

Rust through driver door rocker panel.

LF fender rusted out at wheel well due to chrome wheel arch holding water.

RF fender ruster out at wheel well due to chrome wheel arch holding water.

A/C shot.

Transmission absoulutely non functional in any gear. Not even a hint of movement.

Rear bumper dented.

Front bumper dented.

All the polished stainless and aluminum trim is totally shot.

Antenna shot.



The engine started immediately when cold, but the motor mounts are clearly original and the body shook horribly.

This engine was recently replaced due to the fact that the original engine lost a timing chain and trashed itself. The replacement engine doesn't look like a spring chicken, that's for sure. It had a decent amount of smoke when cold.

The fellow owned it since 1985 and knew a bit about it. He had a box of hoses, clamps, etc. so he's not a stranger to maintaining it. But, I think the transmission was the straw that broke the camel's back.

He's 300 feet from salt water with the vehicle remaining outside. It didn't do the body any good.

I believe that the old aphorism applies:

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes Benz

....except that it may or may not be cheap, depending on how high the biggest idiot bids.

Sounds like the tranny lunched its front pump/torque converter like the totally rust-free California import I am sorting out.

I just looked over the listing again and I realize how this seller is deceiving everyone on e-bay:

1) He refers to a "new" motor. The engine that is installed came from a junkyard and probably has more miles than the one removed. It sure looks horrible.

2) He doesn't mention anything about all of the rust on the body.

3) He implies that the transmission will need work. He's evasive when someone want to pin him down on whether the trans will work at all. The trans does not operate in any gear.

4) The a/c is not functional. He does not mention it.

5) The bumpers have quite a few dents and dings. You can't see it in the photos.

6) He takes the photos on a rainy day, deliberately, so that the trim looks brand new. It's horrible.

7) No mention about the fact that it shakes terribly at idle. Motor mounts are totally shot.


This should be a further lesson to everybody. A few photos, carefully taken, without proper disclosure, can lead an unknowing buyer to a very poor purchase. :pukeface:

I don't think you could justify the purchase of this vehicle if you got it for free. The cost to restore it would be well over $7K to do it properly.

Typical of ebay, good catch Brian. When he wrote "new" motor I first thought maybe somebody got a little crazy and ordered a brand new crate engine from MB for it.

Don't you love how sellers overlook certain things in their adds?

This guy overlooked alot, but he also outright lied: "The body is in excellent condition." The pictures made me suspicious, though. Why not include a picture of the engine? I think what's missing from the pictures often tells more than what's in the pictures. In light of the fact that the driver's left bolster is usually the first spot of upholstery to wear out, have you ever noticed how often this is conveniently out of frame?

Brian if you really want a W116 you should buy one the right way from southern CA. You can fix a lot but a rust bucket will always be a rust bucket no matter what you do to it.