Advice on buying a 1980 300SD w/110k miles

[94E420]

I have come across a 1980 300SD Turbodiesel with 110,000 actual miles. It is a one owner car. Always garaged, no rust, no accidents, original paint, always maintained at the local Benz dealership. For a car of this age what should I be looking for? Issues? Problems? How much should I be willing to pay for it. I have owned 7 Mercedes and I would rate this one a 9 out of 10. It is truely a one of kind car but I want to make a wise decision. HELP & ADVISE PLEASE!!

[arcticathlon]

how much will he sell it for, and what is his number?

no really, if he has maint. records and it is in as good a shape you say, then why worry about it. take it off his hands and preserve under your ownership.

[Lostyankee]

I'll have to assume a few things:
1. You have owned a MB diesel
2. You love the dark side
This is a non cross flow diesel that weighs as much as many pickups, has or had 120 HP and is made to cruise. You get used to having the foot down. If you owned a 240D, you'll be in heaven till your under the dash.

Being owned by a 1979 300 SD, I have found a few wonders. This is an old luxury panzer mobile, two ton, 0-60 in 14 (ya, I'm dreaming of 'turbos MB) more likely 18 seconds, with many 'little' items that can turn MB into Mercedes Budget.
TEST DRIVE. Before you start the engine, open hood and feel the valve cover to see if the engine is warm. If so owner may be hiding bad injectors & or weak battery. Tach, speedo, AC, heater, radio & antenna, all windows, sunroof (?) ... work. Crash test braking brakes straight with no major clunks. Shifting from D to R does not clunk. Shift from 1st (count the shifts, some start in 2nd gear!) to 2nd is not hard or soft just a bit more than noticable. Drive over a bumpy road to test suspension. Panic brake in sand to see how balanced the brakes ar by looking at the lenght of the skid marks. DO NOT HAVE ANYONE BUT A MB MECH. ALIGN AN MB. Does engine shut off within 1-2 seconds? Do all locks work from drivers door (all doors, trunk & maybe fuel hatch). In Park, press brake down, turn off engine, with holding the peddel down, atart engine. Did the pedel fall?
UNDER THE HOOD, ENGINE OFF:Take several photos & post so dark siders can look for iffy modifications. Look at the hood hinge wells. They should have no rust & drain into the wheel well. Check by pouring 1 qt H2O into each hinge well. Mine allowed water into the rear floor! Look at the ALDA screw to tell if someone has had their fingers in there & if so can they justify the work? Look at the prefilter for signs of algae.
UNDER THE HOOD, ENGINE RUNNIG: Take a pic of the blow by (remove the oil cap) at idel & 3/4 rev. Look for the engine # drivers side 'tween the main filter & IP pump. (I have seen some that could not be read without scraping off years of crud).
BODY: Look at the jacking points and rear bumper rubber to trunk bolts for rust. Remove the rear seat and rear floor mats. Any water damage should show up there. Verify the rubber door hinge area boots. Are all keys MB? Do the seats have the dreaded horse hair sag? If near NW coast, look for volcanic grit. Is trunk gasket still good?
EXHAUST: Some sound fine but on inspection bairly have an exhaust!
INTERIOR: Look for any signs of pot smoke on the windows. This is a sure sign of neglect & or kids abusing/using Dad's MB.

Now for the hard question: Do you love this car enough to maintain the beast past sex, $, respect, vacations ... you know, addiction? Do you want to keep this lady in OEM or daily driver condition? Even if this car was perfect, all the rubber should be replaced, belts, brake hoses, fuel hoses, brake seals, ... and if done by a steelership, you'll go broke.

I've seen wonderful 300 SDs for $3k-5k and ones like mine that should have been bought just for the engine. There is nothing as expensive as a cheap MB, well the current administration but that is another story.

If possible, search the members file & fine an old darksider near you to survey the beast.

Good luck. Driving one of these old ladies keeps a subdued grin on my mug.

[94E420]

Yes I have owed and do own Mercedes-Benz.
1970 280
1985 300TD Wagon
1988 300E
1989 260E

Yes the owner has all service records in two binders. He bought the car while in Germany. Drove it over there and had it shipped home. The orignal spare, jack and tool kit are still in the car. I have started the car stone cold and it fires right up with minimal smoke. There are two issues with the car. All seats are perfect EXCEPT the drivers seat that has the tradional horse hair sagging and the seat has a few tears. Also, there is no right side rearview mirror. The owner said europen delivered cars were delivered without them. When looking at the passenger side front door where the mirror should be all looks perfect. (my thought was it was damaged and they never replaced it)

He is asking $3000.00 for the car.

Thoughts?

[kerry]

Get down there today with the $$ before someone else grabs it. Our 77 300d was a Euro delivery and it also does not have a right hand mirror.

[stcbenz83]

that sounds like a really sweet deal. i would hurry down there.

[barry123400]

You will probably land up kicking yourself if you let it go by at 3 grand. Try 2,500.00 Really you can get your money back without much if any trouble if you land up not liking it. Have a good look at those service records. The oil change booklet in fact should still be being used I believe. The front seat tore up at 110 k is strange but it may be leather. There would have to be something really wrong if it was vinyl tex and tore up. Look for gaps in the service records or odometer replacement. As always be careful but at least you have quite a bit of experience with mercedes diesels. Thats worth something when evaluating.

[Wodnek]

It sounds like an excellent buy. I do wonder on the european delivery story though, as the 116 was never sold as a diesel in europe. Or, is this an early 126?

[sixto]

That's interesting. I've never heard of a European delivery car purchased in Germany but I guess that's just paperwork.

Did he say he bought it new in Germany?

Sixto
93 300SD

[JimSmith]

Guys, the European Delivery Plan originated to address the desire of US Army and Air Force officers and enlisted men to buy cars overseas while on duty in Germany and then stick Uncle Sam with the shipping charges, skip duty and other import fees. And, back in the day this vehicle was built, it wouldn't surprise me if the right side mirror was an option you had to specify when you ordered the car. The right side mirror used to be a manually operated item as well, and they could be ordered and installed later for about $90.

Sounds like a really great car - almost anyone here would buy it for $3K. Good luck and keep us posted. Jim

[Tymbrymi]

Originally Posted by 94E420

He is asking $3000.00 for the car.

If you don't want it post his contact info on here.... we'll take care of it

Seriously though... thats a good deal.

[94E420]

ok i took the car out for an extended drive and found a problem. The heater to warm the inside of the car does not work. Yes, the car was at the proper running tempature. The a/c works perfect and is ice cold but no heat. What sort of problems is this and how much to fix?

[sixto]

We're still debating if it's a W116 or W126 body style. If it's a W116, it could mean a rather pricey but not deal breaking heater control valve (~$700). If it's a W126, it's likely a torn seal in the easily replaced monovalve cartridge (~$70).

Sixto
93 300SD

[94E420]

it looks exactly like the pic below if that helps

[94E420]

try this link....ugg

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/viewimage.x/00000000/kid23/DSC01383.JPG

it looks just like the car in the pic