Well, in all honesty I'm a big fan of old-school classic Saab 900 cars, and I am a very proud owner of my 1987 Saab 900 Turbo SPG 5-sp. They are well-built - I've been taking care of mine, and it taught me things about wrench-turning and about taking care of an aging car.

Anyhow, back to the Benz... I met with the owner of the 300SD today and gave the car a *very* thorough inspection. I looked at body condition, suspension, interior, engine sound at idle, engine operation while driving, transmission function, braking, handling, etc. I have to say the car was well looked after and definitely represents a "good example." The rust is minimal, as the owner was attentive to any developing leaks and fixed the seals/weatherstripping promptly. The engine truly doesn't seem to have any oil leaks - I checked from both top and bottom. The tranny has good-condition fluid in it. The engine oil-cap test was fine - the cap didn't dance and there wasn't any excess smoke from under it. The fuel and vacuum lines were in good condition. No suspicious sounds from the engine during operation. Tranny shifts briskly, and the engine doesn't rev up during shifting - smooth operation. Braking is good and controlled. No pulling to any side during full throttle or braking. No clunking. Car has brand new Bilstein shocks. Wheels and tires were put on the car brand new in February and look great. They are brand new Benz wheels. The owner told me he could sell me the car with the original Benz wheels that came with the car and reduce the price, but the wheels on the car now look too good to part with

The problem with vacuum locks, as the owner explained, is the vacuum pump that serves the self-consistent lock system, which has gone bad. He showed me the unit and where it connects in the trunk and that it needs to be replaced to regain the auto lock function. The only minor complaint is that the steering wheel seems to have a bit of a dead spot in the middle that could use some tightening up. I'm from the rack-and-pinion school, and I know the mechanism on this Benz is different... But I guess maybe the equivalent of tie rod ends might need replacing or something... How difficult is the steering system to work on? Anyhow, it's not a problem - doesn't bother me much.

All the electricals in the interior work like they should - windows, climate control, lights, speedo, tach, fuel gauge, and all the other gauges. The power seat mechanism works ok. The sunroof operates like it should.

Remembering the point one person brought up here, I asked about the AC system, and I was glad to hear that this car has the original freon system that was NOT converted to the new format. It works fine, although as the owner says, could use a little more freon to be a little colder. The owner checked the valves recently and said they required no adjustment. Also, compression was tested recently and was found to be even and around 340-350 on each of the 5 cylinders.

The drive belts seemed to function ok. I didn't notice any leaks around the drive belt components either.

The owner is a very nice guy, and knows a heck of a lot about the car! We probably talked for 2 hours, and he never got tired of educating me on what everything was in the engine bay and how the diesel is different from the gas engines. He loves the car, and it was clear he was uneasy about letting it go. I tried to haggle a bit on the price but was only able to go from 2,800 to 2,700.

It looked to me that the car is worth it, so I'll probably decide on getting it...

P.S. Carfax is clean for this car.

hello, i have a saab 900 conv 1989 and i could use some help with it..
i have a shift problem.... i also have a 1983 300sd same car as your talking about..

these mercedes diesels are all about vacuum.... everything on this car is vacuum controled even the on and off switch.... and when the vacuum fails the engine will not shut off.... and when the vacuum fails the transmission will not shift....

I think a good 1984 300sd in good shape looking good should be about 1700 bucks....and the most crucial thing with them is the transmission... drive it around and ensure it shifts smooth with no flares or slippage... then talk the guy down to about 2 grand... i would probably go for it at 2k... if it was in good shape.... 2800 is about 800 to much for me...

Yep, the owner told me about vacuum and the off-switch and things like that. All vacuum lines seemed to be in good shape, and coming from a car where good vacuum matters a good deal, I'm in the habit of paying close attention to vacuum lines.

As far as the Saab goes, you might want to check out Saabcentral - it's a community with extensive Saab knowledge, and they'll be glad to help.

I can't really haggle the price down. The owner won't sell the car for less - it is obvious. Hell, he hasn't even tried to sell me on this car at all. Trouble is, the car sort of sold itself to me, and I kinda like it too much to pass it up now! Story of my life...

Sounds like a winner. You'd better scoop it up.

The central locking pump in the trunk can be replaced with a new one for ~$350, a used one from eBay for whatever you get lucky for, or you can attempt to repair it.

Mine was intermittent, so I bought a vaccum actuator for the driver's door, ran a vaccum line to, and Tee-d into the passenger door system. I took the pump apart and determined the circuit board was bad. I cut the two wires going to the pump and connected them (through relays) to a Keyless Entry unit. The beauty of the system is that the pump runs one to create a vaccum which locks the doors, and then turns the other way to pressurize the system to unlock.

There is an adjustment on the steering box to eliminate play. There may be an issue with the tie-rod ends or the steering coupler, but that is easy enough to determine.

Coming from 10 years of SAAB experience before I bought my SD, I think you'll be happy. SAAB's are well made and rewarding to work on, but my SD has been even more so.

__________________
'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

I have to say, when I saw the car in person, I pretty much fell in love with it at first sight... (even though I must say, the spring-loaded seats were something to get used to!)

What's the word on the cost of ownership of this baby? I'm in grad school right now, so naturally it's somewhat of an issue - i do need it to run every day. But then again, I did buy that Saab, and it held up pretty well, so I guess I'm hoping that this one will be lucky too. Perhaps I'm having some pre-purchase jitters.

You folks who have owned these for a while - are they generally pretty reliable and predictable as far as stuff going bad (if well-maintained, of course), or would some big repair sort of tend to pop up out of the blue?

I've had the SD for three years now......about 40K miles. It's sucked up about $4K in parts so far. The largest expense was the replacement of the cracked head.........a rare occurence.......but not impossible. I've also replaced the water pump and starter as preventative maintenance........I need very high reliability from this vehicle.

They generally have all kinds of little issues that won't prevent them from getting you from point A to point B. If you want everything perfect, you're going to pay a fair amount of change for that privlege.

Check the CV boots - expensive to replace if torn or cracked badly - otherwise $2800 seems like a fair price to me if AC is working. Good luck and enjoy!

John

__________________
John Hughes, was in Landstuhl, Germany but currently in San Antonio, TX


1978 280CE Astral Silver now 59,xxx miles and counting "Silber-Kugel"
1986 300E Black Pearl Metallic 143,xxx miles 5-spd daily driver w/ blk leather "Schwarz-Schönheit"
1989 190E 2.6 (euro) 5-spd Desert Taupe 112,xxx kms Had to leave behind in Germany!!! "Helga"
1983 300D Pastel Beige now 312,xxx + miles SOLD

OBK#24

Like Brian said.

If you want everything perfect, you will pay for the privilege. Has my 300SD ever left me stranded? Only when the ignition lock started to stick. That was on the driveway at the shop I work at though, so no towing. My car has 244,000 miles and I've owned it for the past 19k. I have probably invested $300 in parts to get it through those miles.

It's an incredibly well made car. It inspires pride of ownership like nothing else I've owned before. If you are accustomed to a Saab 900 you will have no great shock moving to a 300SD, apart from the relative lack of power. I wouldn't consider it a money pit at all. Is my car perfect? No. Would I trust it on a long trip? Certainly. The cruise control is inop, ans is the sunroof, and the tach jumps around, but it fires right up and cruises at 75 all day, getting 25+ mpg. I intend to fix the small items as time permits, but all in all it's a solid classic I'm proud to own. Judging by what you've said about the car, I say go for it.

Though I ought to let P.E. Haiges defend himself, this post just violates my sense of fair play.

P.E. Haiges did not say that there is no vacuum system, he said that vacuum will not have affect on a diesel's running in response to the questioner's statement of knowing how a vacuum leak can effect an engine idle. And he is correct. I do not see that P.E. Haiges addressed the Mercedes vacuum system at all but was instead speaking his knowledge of diesel operation as it applies to the statement by Deniss.

The vacuum system in these cars derives it's suction from an engine driven pump. It is not manifold or ported vacuum as would have affect on a gasoline engine in the manner described in Deniss' statement.

Deniss,

I didn't see where you are, and I don't know where these people find the wonderful examples they say they pay from $1400. to $2000. for, but I'm a dual residence California/Washington fan of the cars and out here such prices ain't happening.
Buy the car. It sounds like you've lucked onto a gem with an enthusiastic previous owner. Beats the heck out of "Joe's Used Cars" selling shiny examples bought at dealer auctions for peanuts because no reputable dealer would have them on their lot.

2800 is large price for some of us, (I paid nothing for mine ) but the overall average price for theese cars is around 4K, so finding a good one with doorlock issues for 2700 is great. keep looking if you want to find that rare owner that is tired of his MB and wants something new, and nothing for the oldie. but if you can afford 2700, this sounds like you will be happy for a long time.
get it and enjoy.
although be prepared to enter into PERPETUAL RESTORING syndrome. you will love this car and things that most will never worry about, will start to get to you and you will want to constantly upgrade and preene the baby.
enjoy!
John

I agree, I always take these cheap car stories with a large grain of salt. When someone tells me about their "mint" $500 car, I usually suspect their definition of "mint" is considerably different than mine (i.e., the major body panels haven't actually fallen off yet). Just remember that the purchase price is only part of the investment. You can easily spend a couple of $1000 per year on maintenance/repairs due to past neglect, or just normal wear. I apply the same large grain of salt to folks who tell me that they only spend $200 per year on maintenance. If this car was indeed well maintained, that is a huge advantage. I would still recommend a pre-purchase inspection by a MB mechanic if you are not very familiar with these cars.

Just my 2¢ on the price, if the body and interior are nice it could be well worth the price. I think I've had my fair share of purchasing vehicles with poor paint or interior while the driveline is great. Mechanical work is easier than paint/body work ANY day of the week. I've scored complete interiors for $150 that are in nice shape, maybe 7.5-8 out of 10 but still it's difficult installing them just so.

Granted the least expensive SD I've seen sell was $375, and even looked decent. Just worn seats and a paint job that needs a good buffing. One went for $425 that looked nice but has SERIOUS rod knock. So you go pull a good used motor here for ~$150 and off you go. There's lots of nice rust free iron down here in Texas.

Anyway, the door lock issue could be a fuse or the pump in the trunk is bad. Inexpensive to replace or repair. Could have a leak too. The back up light problem is the Neutral Saftey Switch, it's around a $30 part.

It will almost certainly need bits such as:

Shocks
Oil cooler lines
Vac tubing
Fuel lines
Motor+Trans mount
HVAC work
etc.

Since you're fairly handy, don't be scared of one. I learned a decent amount from the Haynes book when I had a W123. Hands on is the best way to get to know the vehicle. The systems are fairly easy to work with and most everything can be replaced.

__________________
I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I got the car!! Just parked her in front of my window

This car kicks a$$!!! Actually, it's more than it seemed from the first test-drive before I decided to buy it. And I was surprised that it's pretty fast and has excellent pick-up.

Of course it's not a perfect car. The steering is a bit loose on center and needs tightening... No complaints about the engine sound. I've never owned an automatic tranny car before, and I'm not really sure what sort of noises the tranny with this mileage is ok to make (it doesn't clunk or anything), but the shifts seem pretty good to me both on the highway and around town. Actually, coming from manual-only cars, I must say this engine with an automatic is fun to drive - it's pretty well controlled, responds quickly, and gives good feedback.

I'm *definitely* going to be in restoration mode... It needs some new weatherstripping on the doors because the fabric is torn. The owner actually supplied me with one for the driver's door, but I should also get one for the passenger door.

For sure though - what a car!! So far very happy with my purchase! (knock on wood...)