I am contemplating the purchase of a complete grey market 300D (non turbo) with a manual transmission. The owner claims that the car was running fine until one day when they could not get the transmission to shift out of 4th gear. Afterwards, the owner did not attempt to fix the car and parked it in the back yard for approx. 2 years. One thing that bothers me is that the shifter has been misplaced.

I’d like to purchase the car so that I can swap the manual transmission and all related parts into my recently acquired ’83 300D turbodiesel. However, I’m skeptical about the transmission and shifter. Could a problem with the shifter have caused the trans to be stuck in 4th gear? What do you guys think? I’m going to see the car tomorrow, any tips, tricks, or advice on what to look for will be appreciated.

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2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Turbo Diesel - 4x4, auto, 3.54 gears, long bed
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'92 300D 2.5 Turbodiesel - sold
'83 300D Turbodiesel - 4 speed manual/2.88 diff - sold
'87 300D Turbodiesel - sold
'82 300D Turbodiesel - sold