Yeah, I planned to have that done before purchasing anything. $8k still seems a bit cheap, but the guy claimed to have sunk $15k in the car already. I guess he's just trying to recoup some of his losses. I just don't want to pay more than the car is worth.

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"I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."-Steven Colbert

$8K may be cheap.

Or it might be way too high........depending on condition.

It's a bit of an art to determine proper price for these vehicles. The most important task is to figure out what's wrong with it and what currently needs to be done. The status of the engine, and where he procured it, would be paramount. If it's not a factory OEM engine, just forget the vehicle completely.

I doesn't matter, it's worth whatever it's worth based on the current condition and whatever additional cost will be required to make it correct. When you have it checked out, get an estimate of what the outstanding repairs are going to cost and negotiate from there. If he's recently put $15K into the car he was probably just making up for some past neglect. Half the folks here have more than that invested in cars that they couldn't sell for half their investment, that's just the nature of owning one of these. Even if this car checks out "perfectly," it is still an old car that can be expected to consume a couple/few $1000 per year in car and feeding. If you buy it, you will have $15K invested in a few years ($8K plus some maintenance). Most of us who have owned these cars for a few years have spent more on maintenance/repairs than our initial investment.

The last two posts seem very reasonable and logical. I will have a mechanic check it out and see what they think. From the description the guy gave me over the phone, it sounds like a really nice car.

Interesting. Why would you come to that conclusion?

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"I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."-Steven Colbert

This engine has no sleeves. Therefore, if any problems occurred within the block, or pistons and/or rings were replaced, the block had to be reused as is. It can't be reconditioned due to insufficient material available.

So, the risks of purchasing such an engine greatly outweigh any benefits of a low price.

He used the terminology of "new engine" instead of rebuilt engine. Take that for what it's worth. I'll get him to clarify when I take a look at the car.

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"I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."-Steven Colbert

AFAIK it does have sleeves. "New" engine can mean a lot of things, what you are looking for is a factory crate engine, or a factory long/short block. Some paperwork to prove this will be needed. Expect paperwork to the tune of $13k if its a factory crate motor.

MB engines are very hard and expensive to rebuild, so I wouldn't put much stock in a rebuild being any good unless its from a known rebuilder.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

We proved it has no sleeves. Remember the photos by Justin?

I guess not?

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Cylinder liners 603

........must really suck to get old and lose your memory.

Tell me about it, 21 is just around the corner I feel like an old fart. Everything starts to go after 17...

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I owned a '86 300 SDL, paid $7200. for it and i pumped in about $5k worth of repairs and only got $5k for trade in. To have had it in much better condition i would probably have had to pumped in another $5-7k to be sound. However, I still loved the car. It felt so much apart of me. The only problem i worried about was the fact that the heads on 300SDL's tend to crack and can cause massive engine failure. That is NOT low maintenance.

If I were you I would:

1. Keep the Honda
2. Buy a 300 SD, the 617 engine isn't as strong as the 603, but reliable
3. Find a car that you feel comfortable with. Get it checked out by and INDY before you purchase...such as Ben's Worshop here in Austin.

Good Luck!

I was about to recommend Ben's also (they've done most of the work on my daughters 87), however, depending on the age of your new project they may not be interested. Unless its an existing patient they prefer to work on 86 and newer.

I've also had good experience with German Auto Center off of 183.

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84 300D 251K
87 190DT 281K - Sold
06 Ford Escape 172K
94 Ford Ranger 250K
99 Chevy Suburban 181K

The problem with Acura is that it is going to be much more expensive for me to keep right now and I'm trying make a serious attempt to pay off some debt right now so my fiancee and I can buy a house soon. Buying this car (or one similar) will give me a 'cheaper' car and one that I'm confident will be reliable enough to get me to and from.

__________________
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"I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."-Steven Colbert