Found One!
 

'85 300D Turbo Sedan. 134k miles. Interior is perfect!!! Looks untouched. The paint and body are in "good" condition. It is a silver/taupe color. The clearcoat is hazy on the trunk and there are a few small dings on the hood. Runs really well. Transmission has a slight bump going into 2nd. Has new lower control arm bushings and brakes were just recently serviced. Zero rust! New Michellins. I have seen the car but was not able to drive it. Owner disclosed the part about the tranny. Soooooo.... What do I look for? About what do you think its worth? I've been looking for a few years and I think this is the one. (I feel like I just found the girl I'm going to marry!)

i paid 2500 for a 85 300D-T with 260k on the clock rebuilt tranny clear coat on the roof pretty bad one small spot of rust.. so i overpaid.. but i couldnt see no less than 1700 no mroe than 2100 for the one you described


the bump into second is common i belive it can be softened by a bowden cable adjustment and some vac adjustments on the tranny i belive

Odd
 

Kinda odd that you mention lower control arm bushings being replaced, but was there any mention of other items - tie rod ends, upper control arms or bushings, ball joints, etc. - being replaced? Or was the owner on the minimal repair philosophy mindset?

If the lower bushings were shot in 134k, it's a pretty good bet that you'll be into the above mentioned items in the not too distant future... plan & price your offer accordingly - At a minimum, if you are Jonesing to buy this ride, find a Benz repair shop in the area that would do a pre-purchase inspection for you & they can list the areas that would need attention - might cost you an hours labor charge or so for the PPI, but definitely worth the money to have a better opinion (non-biased, I might add) of any pending purchase -

Re-reading the post - "Runs really well. Transmission has a slight bump going into 2nd.", then "I have seen the car but was not able to drive it." - NOW I'm really confused - Ask for a testdrive & pre-purchase inspection!

bnc

If the 134K is legit, it's worth considerably more than $2100.

Such a vehicle will sell for $3K on e-bay if the photos look good and the paint fade is not noticeable.

With excellent paint, the vehicle will fetch in the range of $3.5-$4K...........maybe more on a good day.

Do the A/C and climate control work properly? Do all vacuum doors work properly? Does the heat work properly? Does the sunroof work properly? All these items can get a bit costly to fix and can be used as bargaining chips.

for the price i paid i should have gotten a cherry example with 190k then.. o well the world goes around

I agree with Brian that a good one at the miles you said can fetch around $5K. This one with just over 200K miles went for $4500.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-300-Series-300D-MERCEDES-300D-TURBO-DIESEL-W123-300TD-CD-SD-CLN-CA-CAR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6330QQitemZ4605954447QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

I'd reevaluate the zero rust observation. That's what many people think then they find some rust somewhere they never expected. Sometimes it's real bad. Just something to think about, but buy the car anyhow. It will be the best 2100 you ever spent.
Pull out the trunk liners and have a looksey, have a serious looksey at the frame rails behind the front fenderwells, rockers, jack points, underneath the battery tray. Really look at these places, for rust will try to hide from you until it has done most of its damage, and it's pretty good at hiding.

Buy mine:D

$3.5-$4K

Sold.
















:D ;)

:D lol:D

As mentioned in the post. The tranny "Bump" was disclosed by the owner. This car is owned by a friend so I can get as good a look as I think I may need, just didn't have time yesterday. He just decided to sell and is giving me first right of refusal. He only did the lowers... the uppers and ball joints will need it soon.

Bad cars -
 

- will separate your friends from your acquaintenances real fast! :D

If it's a car from a friend, the situation changes... when you find the inevitable problem area after purchase, you get to remind your friend of it everytime you see them! Cool!

If it looks good, buy it... if you feel confident in it, buy it...

bnc

That's for sure.

I don't buy or sell vehicles to any friends. I helped some women purchase used vehicles in my past............how f#%&%$g stupid can a person be??:behead:

LOL. Your right,, it could. This isn't my first rodeo though. I'll make it even better. It is actually my Mother-in-law's boyfriend. :D

Good thing she likes me.

There is supposed to be a slight jolt from 1st to 2nd gear, thats how these transmissions are designed to operate, harder shifts mean less wear/longer life. If its "sliding" from gear to gear then its actually not performing how it should be, the 1-2 is a jolt, and the the 2-3 and 3-4 shifts should be a firm "shove" feeling. I actually adjusted mine to shift even harder, so I get less wear..... :D