suspension gremlins
 

i am looking at purchasing a 300d turbo...
the car is nice with little rust but there are some suspension related issues:

there is a bit of play in the steering... current owner says there is no more adjstment left..
the rear clunks when going over a bump.. seems like it needs new shocks in the back as well
the tires are new so i can't look at the wear pattern...

what's the worst problem these symptoms could be indicative of??
is there a common problem that might cause these problems?
could it just be a simple manner of swapping in a spare steering box and new shocks in back?

i am trying to get an idea of the cost of repairing these things so i can see if the asking price is fair (a littel over $2000)

What year?

The steering play may be just tie rod ends needing replacement. Super easy and low $.

For the rear clunk, sway bar end links would be the first thing to check. Another easy, low$ repair.

A good idea, and well worth the $, taking it to an independent shop that works on a lot of MB's for a pre-purchase inspection. Most should charge 1-2 hrs. labor max.

Excellent idea to get a pre-purchase inspection done. If the owner has tried to adjust the steering box to fix the play, then he's probably trying to mask front suspension problems. If it hasn't been done, then expect to spend well over $1000 to get it completely rebuilt. And you may need a new steering box if he's already adjusted it to the max. The rear clunks are likely the sway bar links already mentioned, although it is likely that you'll need the rear end rubber replaced. Maybe shocks too. Could get very expensive if you don't know what's wrong for sure.

Len