New member - 1990 300D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

nrl073 · #1 06-26-2007, 08:25 PM

I thought I would introduce myself and my first Mercedes.

I recently bought this 1990 300D. It has 161,000 miles and was a one owner (my boss). His wife drove it for the most part. He bought her a 2006 E320 CDI last year and kept the 300D instead of trading it, as it was worth very little.

It has seen very little use for the past few months, and so he decided to sell it. He had all the services performed on time and all the records validate it. It drives nicer than my Honda Accord and has replaced it as my daily driver for the 70 mile commute.

The bad news is that the paint is pretty faded on the roof and hood, there are two minor dents in the back, the AC is cool, but not cold, and it leaks diesel around the braided lines between injectors. I plan on fixing the latter two.

I have only had it for about a month, and cannot express how much I love this car. This is a great forum too which I am happy to be a new member of.

Nigel

byrdandcompany · #2 06-26-2007, 08:59 PM

Welcome Aboard. The braided lines are easy to fix. The paint, well, that is another story. Enjoy your new car. What type of MPG are you getting?

nrl073 · #3 06-27-2007, 01:59 PM

Even with the leak, I am managing 32mpg. The leak is not major (a drop or two on the driveway) but needless to say the mpg should improve when I fix it.

My 70 mile round trip commute is all interstate highway and I sit on 75 mph. I am running 32 psi in my tires. I have ordered a new air filter too as the existing one is fairly dirty.

If I end up getting 33-34 mpg I will be very happy, as that is more than I was getting with the Honda, plus the 300D is bigger and safer.

I am thinking about having it repainted, but I did not pay very much for the car and have a hard time justifying the cost.

When I bought it, I told my wife it was going to be a beater that we could take to walmart etc. to save door dings in the Honda, so I will lose credibility if I resurrect it from "beater" status!

vstech · #4 06-27-2007, 02:05 PM

"not worth much" how much did you pay your boss?
looks to be a nice one. I want a boss like yours!

Dana B. · #5 06-27-2007, 02:30 PM

"I did not pay very much for the car and have a hard time justifying the cost."

So you're $$$ ahead. More reason you can afford to care for it and paint it.

nrl073 · #6 06-27-2007, 06:33 PM

Yeah my reasoning is a little skewed - I paid a fair price for it and assured my wife it would not be a money pit like some of the other toys I have, so if I tell her I want to have my "junker" (as she calls it) painted, she will hit the roof.

What do you guys figure it is worth? Not that I am thinking of getting rid of it. We came up on that price using the Kelly Blue Book.

It has brand new Michelin tires and new brakes. The interior was dirty but it cleaned up real nice.

vstech · #7 06-27-2007, 06:45 PM

um, I will give you 3000.00

nrl073 · #8 06-27-2007, 07:04 PM

For 3,000 its yours.

3000 british pounds that is!!!!!! (that is about US$6,000)

Just kidding of course.

jobadiah · #9 06-27-2007, 08:14 PM

Hey Nigel couldn't help but welcome you to the forum-yes everyone it is a nice car but buddy why don't you just upgrade to a newer one with less issues and I'll be a nice guy and take it off you hands...hehe.

Jobadiah

nrl073 · #10 06-27-2007, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jobadiah

Hey Nigel couldn't help but welcome you to the forum-yes everyone it is a nice car but buddy why don't you just upgrade to a newer one with less issues and I'll be a nice guy and take it off you hands...hehe.

Jobadiah

Hey Slacker,

I will trade you for your pristine 1992 and I will even throw in a few hundred rubels???

babymog · #11 06-27-2007, 08:35 PM

Wait a couple of months. If the car gives you no problems, you can tell your wife that you'd like to paint it as you've found out that it is worth quite a bit more than you paid in good condiiton, and a decent paint job is less than two car payments on a new one.

jobadiah · #12 06-27-2007, 09:02 PM

You mean rubies?
And I don't think the wifey would part with her.

vstech · #13 06-27-2007, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babymog

Wait a couple of months. If the car gives you no problems, you can tell your wife that you'd like to paint it as you've found out that it is worth quite a bit more than you paid in good condiiton, and a decent paint job is less than two car payments on a new one.

this of course would cause your wife to insist you sell it to recoup the money invested in the upgrade of paint...
if it bothers you, sand/polish the rough paint, and have maaco or whatever give it a quick shot of color.
and don't be so quick to claim 6K is a great price. a car maintained like that with known history should be worth 12K to you. paint is worth it, if only to preserve the car and protect it from rust!

Dreamsinger · #14 06-28-2007, 02:43 AM

I just picked up a '92 300D with 220K on the odo. It needed a new driveshaft assembly and the IP resealed but it runs incredibly well. The clear coat on mine is crazed fairly severely but a weekend with 3 grades of Griot's Garage polishing compounds shined it up so well that it actually looks pretty good from 6 feet away. Still, I'd like to paint it someday. I don't think it'll be as cheap as a couple of new car payments though. Shops that use the BASF Glasurit paint are usually a bit spendy and I'm not about to put an Earl Schieb job on my baby.