'83 300d wagon tranny $$$How Much$$$$
 

Granted, I have only seen her in picture but I love her. Please don't call the cops. I'm not a stalker.

This is her:

http://boston.craigslist.org/car/93317409.html

She needs a new tranny and according to the guy who is selling it (and www.adsitco.com), it should cost ~$1,200. Does this sound realistic? I assume this would not include labor. What should a guy (me) expect to pay to to get this beauty a new tranny installed? What do you think? Should I buy her?

its a nice looking wagon, great color combination!

the guy seems cocky by the language in the ad! if hes in the know as much as he claims, he'll know that 500k is a steep claim!!

the a/c stopping working "last month" means the freon leaked out years ago and something big needs to be replaced.

same goes for the "my mother owned it and didnt take it in to the shop" rust issue.

if these cars are really as great as everyone that is selling one says, and if they routinely last over 500k, then why is EVERY old diesel for sale?

if you havent owned one before, know before going in that something will ALWAYS need to be repaired, adjusted or "renewed." the to-do lists owners of w123s keep are rather lengthy and while parts may be cheap and plentiful, your time may not be!

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the guy seems cocky by the language in the ad! if hes in the know as much as he claims, he'll know that 500k is a steep claim!!
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Do ya think? The guy sounds like a certifiable pr!ck (he IS from Wellesley) but he's selling a sweet looking car. I am fully aware that although some say they have driven these cars 500K it is rare. I wouldn't expect much over 300K and realize it would require tinkering all the way. Since he says "Negotiations will proceed with the "right" parties only" I wonder if I would be make the cut. I am not exactly "right" and plan to Grease it. I might have to take an arrogance test.

The tranny price is just for the equipment, and does not include shipping or installation. When I had a remanufactured tranny professionally installed in my 300D (same drive-train as the 300TD), including a torque converter and a new support bearing, the total cost was about $4000. I'm sure you could get it done somewhat cheaper, but I would get some estimates unless you are planning on doing it yourself. Plan on spending at least $500 to get the AC working correctly. You may be lucky and spend less, but I wouldn't count on it. The 500K mile claim is a running joke around here. The reality is that these cars will run a long time if properly maintained, but they can be expensive to repair, especially if you don't do the work yourself.

The potential of rust on these cars can be very serious. You want to have the rust evaluated by someone who knows what they are doing before you even consider buying. Are you located near the car, so you can inspect it in person? Do you know a reliable MB mechanic who can perform a pre-purchase inspection? Would you have to ship the car due to the bad transmission? Buying one of these long distance from a stranger can be very risky, even for someone is familiar with them.

I would encourage you to shop around locally, test drive some cars, and ask lots of questions before you consider buying anything. These cars are not that rare, especially in that condition.

I installed a new trans in my 115/300d by myself, in about 4 hrs on a gravel driveway using a floor jack. It was not fun. I could have spent those hours slamming my fingers in the door and had a better time, but it only cost me about $1,200 for the tranny and it was done before noon. Plus I didn't have to return the core. If you can about the trans. bargin with them. As I remember I got a discount price plus free shipping.

I didn't install a new convertor cause the ond one only had about 94k on it. I may have gotten the trans. from Mercedes dismantlers at 1-818-768-0704 or svmbz@aol.com but don't remember.

That's an '82
 

For what its worth, I own 2 '82 wagons #10250 and #11125. Also note on the advertized wagon it has loop pile carpet which was discontinued in early '82.

Heck, $1,500 sounds pretty good if it runs fine, red is a a rare color and looks sharp.

I think you're right, it is an 82, it has the chrome air inlet grills, the old style seat belts, and no electric mirror switch on the console.

(replacement cost for transmission is $1,200 dollars or so...www.adsitco.com. That's who "those who know" would recommend.)

I love that line! :D Last I checked adsitco has a marginal reputation at best. :D This guy needs to get his head out of his a**. Sure it is a decent car but come on it is a 20+ year old car with a shop trans. It is worth $1500 if it is in good shape without to much rust. $1k would be a better price.

Call him up and say: It sure looks like a nice car to bad you are not the original owner. I guess you couldn't quite come up with the $35k hugh? :D Had to buy one used cheaper...

That kind of line should annoy the heck out of someone like him. :D

Figure $2k for the trans + $1,500 for the car and some tax's and stuff. It will be a $4k car by the time you get it on the road. But still it will have a fresh trans and if the rest of the car is in good shape thats not a bad price.

I echo the previous comments. $1500 seems fine, considering the shot transmission, if you can have it swapped out somewhat cheaply (yourself) you might even consider a good used spare (if you can verify operative condition of the shifting).
The rust is a tremendous issue, however. The car is one that needs to be evaluated in person and with the car up on a lift and something hard to poke at it.

Good luck!

Well, it seems we all have time to waste...
 

This is funny..since you guys know so much, why don't you give me a call, be polite, and maybe you'd get a little further...

Here's the deal, there are errata not posted, but I figured someone who has a clue, and is interested, could deal with it when they're serious enough to call me. And I really don't see anyone else on Craig's List offering so much information up front on the ad. For $1,500 dollars, I figured that was enough work.

Production date on the car is in 82, and as you can see by the pictures, the sunroof is stamped 06/82...I figured that made it an 83, but if not, the VIN is on the ad to answer questions for a well-studied buyer...I'm not holding anyone's hand through this process...I respect money, but I spend much more than $1,500 in any given sundry in a 12 month period...This car does require maintenance, and we neither have the time or the desire to continue on with it...besides the transmission (and you could go through mercedes for a rebuilt and the part should cost about the same as Adsit's stand-alone price when the core charge and price reduction is factored in), my mother is an a/c addict and will not drive a car with no a/c. So, when I say the a/c worked last Fall, it worked last Fall...so in other words, it doesn't work now.

AS for the rust, that's the very sad part about the car. AS I said, work was not done when I recommended. Aside from that, I have gone through the trouble of going through my mother's "filing sytem," and trying to read my mechanic's handwriting to find that this car has many recently (within the last year) replaced parts, and I do believe the parts were new...my mechanic doesn't believe in fixing anything unless it's broken, so I'd have to double check with him on that. He also doesn't get paid to answer your questions, so I'd be happy to try to answer some of them for you while using him and others to get the information you want, but unless you're ready, willing, and able to pay him for his time, I'd suggest bringing your own mechanic and body shop guy around to aid you.

Parts alone make this car a worthwhile purchase...I know, I've looked at, say, seven wagons of this vintage in the area, and I can say, the car is competitively priced for what I've seen. Let alone for the fact that I have summer tires with, conservatively, 30K miles of tread on them, if not more...the winters should get you through one more season...and these tires were the best fit, best tires money could buy for the car when they were purchased from Direct Tire.

I'm a little tired of ranting, so I'll just finish buy saying arrogance might be one thing, believe what you will, but an un-studied buyer calling with questions they should be able to answer themselves is another...good luck with your searches...

In my opinion, it all comes down to the amount of rust. If the vehicle had spent it's life in AZ then, it would be worth it. In Boston, a close inspection is required.