Just jumped to $15k while I was typing this post, making it the highest priced '87 300TD I have seen on eBay this year.

Someone kindly took a look at this car for me since it's in his home town and said he wouldn't touch it at it's (then) $8k price. In fact, he said he wouldn't buy it at all.

Since then, it's climbed to $14.1k from bidding of two new eBay members with almost no history. One, prmahony (0), has zero purchases and just registered 3 weeks ago. And the other, allisonalex2 (private) , has 4 positive and one negative in the 14 months they've been registered and their history is closed private.

Oddly, I went and looked at another '87 300TD wagon(167k miles) today in my hometown. The guy is absolutely firm at $9k and believes that he should be getting the $11k+ that recent eBay auctions have been fetching. Real, real, nice guy, by the way.

In reality, from the six or seven 87's I've looked at in the last 6 months, his car should would be in the $4.5k-7k range. Paint and clear coat had oxidized on the hood and driver's side passenger door. New paint job was probably a must, but hard to tell because the car needed a wash, badly. There was a chance it could shine with a good rub, but color matching would be hard.

A/C compressor was dead. Driver's side passenger window didn't work. Cracked MB-Tex, new carpet needed all throughout, driver's seat wouldn't adjust unless the door was open. Bald tires in the back with serious outer edge wear Obviously switched from the front recently indicating an aligment and camber problem. Headlight cells cracked from age.

On the good side, low mileage for age and engine was sound real quiet/steady. Has the 22-01 head and trap oxidizer/turbo was replaced at some point. Rear stabilizer/shocks seemed fairly good on the drive. Car really got after it around 2,200-2,400 rpms. Transmission was smooth. As far as engine and drivetrain, the car was sound. Rear hatch and its auto close mechanism were real good. All door serial numbers matched the VIN.

But, people see these insane(and mostly fraudulent) eBay auctions and believe that is the true value of their car.

That is why Ebay tells you to look at the sellers feedback before you ever fall in love with the car. Something is certainly wrong with the price of that car. Over 15 grand? I bought my 95 300D last year on ebay. It was in Tampa and I was in Orlando. I drove over and checked it out and went for a test ride and then sent a mechanic over for more testing. I wound up paying $8500 for a clean car with 150K miles.

Just beware of certain sellers and know that feedback means everything. Try to find cars close to you and always check them out. I wouldn't have bought a car on ebay outside of the state. Hope that helps.

The noise around buying/selling used diesels has grown deafening in past months as fuel prices have shot up. People are paying silly prices for cars that need a boatload of work. It's too bad, it's going to lead to a terrible experience for a lot of folks attempting to resurrect these tired, 20+ year old cars.

You can see plenty of late-model VW TDis trading higher than their original MSRP.

$15,000 car my butt. They have not even done the FREE recall to replace the TrapOx.

Yep, I agree after hearing about the out of stater, there is no way i'd ever buy "sight unseen".

After looking at so many cars the last 6 months, sellers seem to fall into three categories - realists, fastbuck artists, and dreamers.

Realists know the car's average value and are just looking for a fair deal. They disclose everything and give a good description of the car's history and needs. they're not looking to get the last penny, just get a fair price so they can get on with their lives.

Fast buck artists talk fast and try to sell you. They sidestep direct questions and push to close the deal on the spot. They speak at length about the greatness of that particular model and car, but really know nothing except buzzwords.

And the dreamers.... They love their car or believe so strongly in investment they made that nothing is going to pop their bubble. They are passionate and talk at length about how they feel about the care, but are also surprisingly honest. They disclose everything or as much as they can, it's just that those shortomings seem to have no effect on their desired price. In fact, I secretly think they set the price so high in hopes no one will ever buy their jewel.

That auction is either a scam or it's two idiots. Buyer beware and avoid auctions like that.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Kind of reminds me of the stock market the year before the tech bubble popped in 2001. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry thought they were market makers and hedge fund traders. People didn't care the price they were paying for a stock because every pick was a winner and they'd be able to flip it for more. 3,500 times earnings? Who cares! This is a new economy, those old market metrics don't apply anymore.

These days, everyone's a Mercedes diesel expert or trader. Old values don't apply anymore, this is a new market!

Response from vdubpainter
vdubpainter( 2)
Positive feedback: 100%
Member since: Jan-24-06
Location: TX, United States
Registered on: www.ebay.com

Item: Mercedes-Benz : 300-Series (140009753964)
This message was sent while the listing was active.
vdubpainter is the seller.

In all actuallity I was not aware of the recall until it was brought to my attention yesterday. The e-mail I received went on to say that I was not very smart for posting pictures of the engine. First of all I am showing the vehicle in it's current condition. Any attempt to hide the oxidizer would of been truly irresponsible. Also, this so called MB mechanic went on to tell me that he charges his cutomers $2800.00 to remove the unit. Well, I did some reasearch and spoke to an MB Service advisor today who of course confirmed the re-call and advised me that there would be absolutly no charge. I have owned the car for over 2 years. Believe me had I known of this occurance beforehand, I would of jumped at the fact that not only is this service free but as I understand now, the replacement parts reach all the way down to the tail pipe. I can only imagine, not only would I probably had even better gas mileage but more power to boost. As I sell the vehicle here shortly the new owner can choose to have the conversion done himself (for free) and I can choose to sleep with a clear conscience. Of course if the new owner wants me to take the car down and have it serviced I have no problem with that. It all depends on how soon he wants it delivered. Thank you for your interest, ...Doug

I don't know if this guy is pulling a bidding scam or someone else is pulling one on him, but I'm betting there is no way he will ever see a dime above the $7k bid by Pombenz, who seems to bid on just about every MB auctioned.

i see it (sold) for over 15k,don't you have to be certified or something like that to bid over 15,000??

You'd certainly be classified here as certifiable if you bid over $15K.

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85' 300D No inspection, No registration fees, Cheap insurance
"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious %$&^."

Looks like bidding fraud to me. I got ripped off for 4k on ebay, never again. I learned my expensive lesson. The only way I would ever buy a car on eBay again is if it was local and I could to over there and look it over. eBay motors has opened up a whole new world for hustlers and con artists. eBay makes you feel like you are so protected by all these buyer protection policies and such...but they really don't cover jack...especially on a 20 year old car. It's been said a million times...and take it from someone like me who learned the hard way....BUYER BEWARE!

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2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD (OM642)

The other downside of this auction is that every person selling an '87 300TD is now going to believe they should get $15k for them.

Just my luck and timing.

Well, if someone is stupid enough to pay that kind of money...shame on them.

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2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD (OM642)

The price seems a little high for over 200k. But I know of several other 87 TD wagons that sold in the $10-$13k range and the buyers were quite happy with the purchase. Those of you flipping out over the price most likely don't understand how rare this car is... it is the LAST diesel wagon MB ever imported to the USA, and there were only about 1500 of them in the USA when new! Now there are very, VERY few around anywhere near this clean. Some people are willing to pay a premium for that.

But yeah, I would have expected this one to be more like $8-$12k. The buyers probably don't realize that the car is quite likely to have a #14 head and some issues related to that. Same car with a fresh #22 head and cold R-12, hmmm, now that might validate a 15k sale price, lol...

Side note: The buyer now gets a free new exhaust at the dealer as part of the trap oxidizer recall. Better yet, if the turbo impeller is at all damaged, they also get a free new turbo (not likely, but hey, it could happen.)

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Dave
Boise, ID
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