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#1
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I am such a meanie (used car buying anecdote).
I made a little trip (a little bit over an hour one way) yesterday with a cashier's check in my wallet, ready to drive an '84 300SD back home. I had looked the car over and taken a test drive earlier in the week, then negotiated a price with the seller by telephone a day later.
When arranging the deal, I specified very plainly that the purchase was contingent upon me having the chance to see how the car handled a cold start the day I picked it up - and being satisfied with what I saw. I did not want it warmed up beforehand. As weather patterns would have it, Saturday was going to be a reasonably cold morning for this time of year (low 30's Fahrenheit). Super! I showed up Saturday morning, right on time. First thing, I popped the hood... then pulled out ye olde Raytek IR thermometer and shot the engine block. It was >100 degrees Fahrenheit! I asked the seller why the engine was so warm already, when we had specifically discussed the importance of seeing a cold start. He told me that he had only brought it around to the front of the house. What a meanie I am, eh? (That's not the only thing that helped to sour the deal for me - further inspection and discussion contributed - but hey, it was a start.) |
#2
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I`m not sure I understand your point. Didn`t you check it out before you went through all this trouble for you and the seller?
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99 ML320 94 SL600 92 SL500 95 E320 Cabriolet 87 560SEC 86 300SDL Grease Car 80 380SLC Euro 13 Fiat Abarth 02 Maserati Spyder Cambiocorsa 00 BMW Z3 90 Rolls Royce Silver Spur 80 Ferrari 308 GTSI 88 Jaguar XJS12 H&E Edition 99 Land Rover Discovery |
#3
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Sooooo, I'm guessing you did not get it.
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#4
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Quote:
I looked the car over and took a short test drive. I made the guy an offer, and he made me a counter offer which I declined. After a little research (parts prices & Carfax), consideration, and discussion with my better half, I called him back the next day to tell him that I was willing to accept his counter offer, but with one condition: when I came to pick it up, I wanted to start the car up from cold, and I had to be satisfied with the result. He told me that was fine. In a later phone call to schedule the day and time for pick-up, he acknowledged my request to see a cold start. When I arrived to pick up the car, surprise! The engine was already as warm as if it had been the middle of the day in August. No cold start for me! See the problem? |
#5
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You are correct, sir!
The car might have the potential to be a solid daily driver, too. It just wasn't yummy enough for me to either (1) gamble by buying it with no further evaluation or (2) invest in a real-deal PPI - not necessarily that simple to arrange. |
#6
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An hour's drive is nothing really, for a good MB diesel.
People are forgetful and some have a lot to deal with in other areas, like family, job, etc. Maybe you should give the seller another opportunity for a cold start. But I commend you on your purchase strategy - cold start tells a lot about engine condition on these cars. Ken300D
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-------------------------- 1982 300D at 351K miles 1984 300SD at 217K miles 1987 300D at 370K miles |
#7
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Yet another use for an IR Temperature Detector....
Quote:
SB
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Diesels: '85 300D, "Max, Blue Benz", 155K, 27.0 MPG '84 190D 2.2, "Eva, Brown Benz", 142K, 40.2 MPG '77 240D (parts car) '67 Eicher ES 202 Tractor "Otto" (2cyl, Air Cooled, 30HP) Gassers: '94 Ford F-150, "Henry", 170K (300 Six) 17.5 MPG '85 190E 2.3, 148K....Parts Car '58 Dodge W300M Powerwagon (Flat Fenders) Less than 10 MPG |
#8
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Florida is not going to give you a real test. I propose a new business opportunity for owners of refrigerated warehouses. Let potential Benz diesel purchasers put the vehicle in the sub-zero section for a few hours and then try to start it.
Definitely a good reason to mistrust the seller.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08 1985 300TD 185k+ 1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03 1985 409d 65k--sold 06 1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car 1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11 1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper 1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4 1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13 |
#9
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Quote:
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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke 99 E300 Turbodiesel 91 Vette with 383 motor 05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI 06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI 03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red 03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow 04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler 11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow |
#10
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Though, if it's just nailing a little on cold start, maybe he thinks it's rod-knock and you'll get a screaming deal...
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1973 280 - Current Project Car 1979 240d - 100% Stock 1982 380sl - 100% Stock 1985 190e 2.3 - Heavily Modified |
#11
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I agree completely. I like these cars, and I consider it to be well within my "striking distance" for a car described as this one was. That's why I made the trip - cheerfully - twice.
Quote:
The lack of a cold start didn't kill the deal immediately. I had come intending to drive it home, and there was still some momentum. However, it turned out that the guy had neglected to get the title from his deposit box at the bank (had a bill of sale ready, but no title). His wife headed off to town to get the title, so I was left with more time on my hands. What was a poor eskimo to do except continue to go over the car to see if he'd missed anything? More things came to light that caused me to question just how forthcoming the seller was being with me about the condition and historical care of the car. The last straw was a little discussion about engine oil. He claimed to have been taking care of the oil changes himself, and that the car never required any top-up between changes (212k miles on the clock). What oil? 20W-50. The notion of a diesel-rated oil seemed to be completely outside his experience. Why was there a quart of house-brand 10W-40 in the trunk? Oh, yeah, that's just something he used in his lawn mower... It might be a dandy car; the deal just progressively wandered further outside of my personal comfort zone. |
#12
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Sounds like the more you talked to him, the more uglier it turned.
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#13
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It's kind of funny. I had a dodge motorhome with a 360. With a trailer it burned a quart of oil every 100 miles. Without trailer no oil. I kept the oil under the seats in front. i had like 15 empties that I forgot was under there when I put it up for sale. I accepted an offer from someone for it and was showing them the ropes when they noticed the oil empties. I never recovered from his questions and lost the sale. It took me 6 months to sell.
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1959 Gravely LI, 1963 Gravely L8, 1973 Gravely C12 1982 380SL 1978 450 SEL 6.9 euro restoration at 63% and climbing 1987 300 D 2005 CDI European Delivery 2006 CDI Handed down to daughter 2007 GL CDI. Wifes |
#14
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Thicker oil is used to hide noise in the engine. Besides, if he can't even follow a simple instruction after being told why twice, you really trust such a seller? I don't
__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke 99 E300 Turbodiesel 91 Vette with 383 motor 05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI 06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI 03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red 03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow 04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler 11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow |
#15
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My 1980 300SD sure would not start the other morning when it sat overnight at 5 degrees above zero. Plugged in the block heater for a couple of hours and it started right up.
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Rev. Dr. G. Church of the SubGenius It doesn't take a genius |
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