Prices for used MB diesels in Canada are high and seem to be going up, not down. And standard shift cars are virtually unknown....

I have a hankering for a manual as possible standard shift MB.

I've noticed that a lot of MB diesels come up for sale in the San Fran Bay area. I'm in the San Fran Bay area on business approx 4 weeks a year.... and am thinking of buying a car down there and then driving it home. The paperwork to import into Canada is reasonably easy. Some questions for those in the know:-

1. I assume Craig's List is as risky as eBay and that all cars should be test driven and inspected before buying?
2. Can anyone recommend an indie mechanic in the Bay area (anywhere from SF Airport around to Fremont) who knows older MB's and who could be trusted to fix what needs to fixed before I drive the car for 3000 miles home?
3. Ditto for someone who can do a vehicle inspection?
4. What does a salvage title mean in terms of ownership transfer? We don't have this term in Canada.

Any help - thank you!

Looking for those things is a good plan of action...
main other suggestion .... WAIT till warmer weather before starting the trip !!! LOL

1 Comm 12hp
1 5665 12 hp steering sulkey 40 inch mower
couple of " L " , " Li " " Ls gears" and gear reduction wheels,
all sorts of implements...

greasybenz is a great member in that area, pm him...
he is sure to know!
I think he runs or works in a shop too!
John
oh, and certainly test drive and inspect, if not pay for qualified inspection of ANY car bought online...
salvage title means that the car was not sold, it was collected, either as damaged vehicle and repaired or just picked up from a salvage yard. No idea of the implications of importing one of those.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Yes, spring or fall is the ideal time for the drive as any vehicle is inevitably going to have either AC problems, cabin heater problems, poor glow plugs, engine cooling issues or worse.....

The way I see it, could be an adventure and no worse than flying Air Canada or United!

And rest assured the old girl will be rust proofed and carefully looked after.

Ok,,, that just occurred to me... buying one up there and it rusting is one thing... moving one from SF to there and it rusting is very different... that WOULD be ILLEGAL...

For those of you who like rust.. a new use has been found for nano sized rust... putting it into water in areas of the world where arsenic is naturally in the ground water ( like many places in India ) has been found to be an economic way to capture and remove the poison. Google it if you think I am kidding.... LOL

yes craigslist can be just as risky as ebay now a days. If youve missed my thread from last week, i had sold my 300SD to a scammer who put it back up on craigslist and just dolled up the car with cheap paint, fixed all the misselaineous electrical things. And then claimed a rebuilt engine and transmission!

My uncle has a shop in SF and will be more then happy to give the car an inspection for a very low price. I live in south city near the airport and i myself will be more then willing to look over the car. And i got the handle on all the parts at really low discounts so i can help you out on your next purchase if youd like.

__________________
Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

Why buy a car in California??? It most likely will have Californian emissions

__________________
green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

i think only the 84-85's had cali emissions and he was looking at manual 240d's that thankfully dont have the emission garbage. My SD thankfully wasnt cali emission's

__________________
Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

Thank you, Sir. I'll ping you if this idea gets real. I'm not sure my wife agrees I need another Benz right now but I think this could be fun!

That's a strange sentiment. I do my MB Diesel shopping out of state. I see the widest variety of cars in Texas.

The typical cause of a salvage title is insurance write-off. Increasingly salvage titles cars never see a wrecking yard. With repair costs rising, fixing a fender bender can exceed the blue book value of an older car so insurance carriers cut a check for market value and mark the title as salvaged. The owner takes the check and buys back the car for a couple hundred dollars. A simple brake and light test at the DMV clears the car for road use. New plates are issued in such cases. Then the owner has a free car after quick repairs or sells the car through craigslist, hopefully with full disclosure, to net a few more hundred in profit.

Whenever I ask, insurance carriers say they won't provide anything but third party liability coverage for salvage title cars but others say it's possible to get full coverage. It makes no sense to me that carriers will stick out their necks a second time. You'll have to check the implications of importing a salvage title car from the standpoints of registering and insuring. Or just skip salvage title cars altogether.

You'll need a statement from MBUSA clearing the car of all recall claims. You have to have that letter and all other paperwork IN HAND when the car crosses the border so allow time. MB Canada closed the door on private imports in the late 90s so most MBs since are not on the MOT approved list. Seems to be unique to MBs. You go crying to MB Canada and they'll tell you the car needs $2500-5000 in upgrades to meet Canadian safety standards. A 240D should have no such problems.

There's a number of Diesel heads throughout the Bay Area who'll be happy to screen a car for you.

Sixto
93 300SD 3.0

This is THE car to get if you're shopping in the SF area -

For Sale: 1981 300d European 4 Speed

Sixto
93 300SD 3.0

Just to clarify, Sixto is off on a few of points about importing a car into canada. Edit *What he said applies to MB 1992-2006* not prior see below


1st fax the copy of the title to the border crossing 72 hours in advance.

Be prepared to pay 6.1% duty, and 6 % GST, +100$ AC charge fee.

Dont need to bother with recall paperwork from MBUSA,

All cars older than 15 years are acceptable into canada. ALL CARS,

Fill in the necessary paperwork at the border, get the car Safety inspected and then take the safety and import paperwork to the MTO, and your golden.

its quite easy.

__________________
1984 Euro 300SDC, (4spd standard)
1986 Toyota Landcruiser Diesel HJ60 5spd X2

Gone but not forgotten (some sold, some stripped)
1983 300 SD, 1985 300 SD, 1983 240D, 1986 300 SDL, 1985 300 SDL, 1983 300 D, 1984 300 D, 1985 300SD, 1987 300 SDL, 1983 300 SD, 1985 300 TD Euro, 1983 380SEC, 1990 300 D, 1987 300D, 1982 300D, 1982 300D, 1994 E420, 1987 300 TD, 1987 300 D, 1984 300 D

I imported my 84 500 SEC from Texas. about 2 months ago, thats how I know all this.

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1984 Euro 300SDC, (4spd standard)
1986 Toyota Landcruiser Diesel HJ60 5spd X2

Gone but not forgotten (some sold, some stripped)
1983 300 SD, 1985 300 SD, 1983 240D, 1986 300 SDL, 1985 300 SDL, 1983 300 D, 1984 300 D, 1985 300SD, 1987 300 SDL, 1983 300 SD, 1985 300 TD Euro, 1983 380SEC, 1990 300 D, 1987 300D, 1982 300D, 1982 300D, 1994 E420, 1987 300 TD, 1987 300 D, 1984 300 D

Could be. What I know was from getting an 88 Celica into BC in 2004... and the frustration of others at the border who didn't have all their ducks in a row.

I seem to recall a window of time after sending the paperwork. Do you still have X days to get the car to the border?

I read that. Must be why there's a flood of 91 Skylines in Vancouver.

Sixto
93 300SD 3.0