I am considering going to look at this vehicle:

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/car/529929279.html

I have been reading thru this great forum, doubling my knowledge about these old cars with every post I read. Thanks to all for the amazing depth of experience you all share here.

What I know about the car is what is stated in the CL posting. Seller says he is the 3d owner, most miles having been ticked off by the original purchaser, dealer maintained (?), exhaust bad, and thats about it.

Sooo, I'm sure this question has been asked before, but what should I look for? I'm not after a pristine vehicle and I am used to driving older cars so I'm not intimidated by worn parts or other quirks. However, I don't want to miss something that will be overly expensive to fix. For the price, I can afford to replace the exhaust system or make other modest repairs, but I don't have the time or resources to do a restoration. Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated (hints on where to look in the archives as well). Thanks!!

PS (an edit): Don't be afraid to tell me that you think I'm the wrong guy for this car either!

It has the old style glow plugs, can be updated. Also has the old style climate control, can be a head ache. But the 123's are solid cars.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

They are solid OLD cars. I have two '80 300 TDs. The blue one was given to me at 390,000 miles with a dying transmission that was a remanufactured one. I put in another reman ($1050 plus $125 shipping) from Sun Valley. It's now at 403k miles. No heater, no AC, parking brake needs work. I've repaired window mechanisms, vacuum leaks of course, and a few other little things. The yellow one I bought in '03. Odometer was stuck at 227k miles. I repaired it with info from this forum (Thank you !) and it's now close to 248k; no heat, no AC. I've rebuilt the vacuum pump (same source of info, and DieselGiant) replaced the radiator and starter, and a few other minor things.
Don't forget what I've read here: "The most expensive car you can get is a cheap old Mercedes." That is, if you don't do your own work. I do; otherwise I wouldn't be willing to spend the money to keep them running. Steve

Look close for rust. I assume you are in the NW part of the country, and I don't really know how much salt your vehicles put up with. But you do get a lot of rain so check under the carpets and see what you find. If it is a low cost old car, I'd check definetely check the front wheel set from say 50 feet in front and make sure they look pretty straight and that front tire wear looks normal. Then of course, does it run with a minimum of smoke and does it shift and stop.

__________________
Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

After reflecting on how many potential purchasers of their first mercedes diesel car post asking for advice. My suggestion is to try to round up a person who owns a couple or more 123 examples.
Try to induce him to go along with you. Hopefully someone that does all their own work on them or the majority of it.
You tend to develop a feel for them that only comes from both experience and maintaining them. Most of the fellows in this catagory can spot a good or bad example quite fast with very little checking. Or at least describe to you both the upside or downside of what they are looking at. Even how the engine should start and sound is an aquired type of thing beyond my ability to describe adaquatly.

Check underneath for rusty floors . The undercoating on the 123 will hold a rusted out floor together , so push on the floor from underneath and you'll notice any soft spot. Pull out the rear floor carpeting and check for rust or water. Check out the jack holes , you should see any rust holes here. Flaking paint can be sand blasted and repainted. Any leaks should be looked at. They all leak a little so what are you comfortable with?

__________________
'83 240D 264k on 100% biodiesel/ 31mpg
83 300D 217K the $800 gem
'82 300D 267K the new WVO project car finished and driving for free
International tractor B275 on B100
Ford 555 backhoe on B100
Sargent 25 ton Rough Terrain crane on B50

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I have list of things to look at and will be seeing it this afternoon. One of my past clients has a 1980 300TD that he has been resurrecting for the last year so he had a list of things to look for as well. Apparently, there are quite a few diesel MB enthusiasts here in Bellingham, WA. Wish me luck, and sound judgement!

Bought and paid for. 10% under asking price. What have I done????

You inhaled the diesel Mercedes crack pipe....
Nice purchase. I liked the looks of that one.
We will of course need more pics ASAP!

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I may be in the other corner of the USA but here is a good guy to reach out to in your neighborhood for any advice or help...........

http://www.**************.com/about

Austin

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

Their shop shop is just around the corner from our office, I'm sure I'll be getting to know them soon, thanks for the tip!!! Pictures will be coming.

What I've learned in the last 24hrs:

Trunk leaking
Sunroof leaking and taped shut with duct tape (hope it is clogged drains)
Clearcoat peeling on roof
Interior in great shape except worn out stuffing in drivers seat, otherwise, no tears or dash cracks
Two windows work, two don't
Climate control is of the "automatic" variety and only works on defrost
Started on second attempt this morning at 35F
Needs tires (front are slightly worse on the inner edge and worn down the middle, were they run over-inflated?)
Needs brake pads in front and maybe rear
Rattle in front drivers side (suspension ?)
Front dome light switch broken
Locks operate with key
Shocks?
No apparent rust in floor boards
Obvious rust at edge of rear wheel well and quarter sized patch above trunk trim
Wife drove it and likes it!

And that is just in 24 hours.

__________________
1979 300D 275K

You'll find more things to occupy your time with this car.
Kent is a knowledgeable guy, albeit expensive.
First pic is of a CCU showing cold solders, an electrical problem.
Second pic is of the fuse layout.

Attached Thumbnails

   

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

Thanks for the itemized response!

Right now, my biggest concern is the clunk in the drivers side front. I hear it when driving over most small bumps. I have grabbed that wheel and given it a good shake and can feel slight play, not enough to cause me much concern. I don't notice anything when I lean into the hood and give it a push either. I haven't had the chance to pull the wheel off and have a closer look, will do that first thing Saturday morn. The other worrysome symptom is a distinct shimmy while driving, you can feel a slight side to side wobble in th whole chassis (is that what a wallow is?). I suspect that until I work out the clunk, make sure all the steering linkage and suspension are good and replace the tires, that worrying about the shimmy is a waste of time.

Thanks for the tip about the climate control. I probably won't delve into that issue for a while (if ever) since hot defrost will atleast keep me warm and seeing out the front. It works well sitting still, which I am thankful for. A friend has a '80 300d that only works on defrost and only when going over 30mph.

I was just about to pay online for a used interior light assembly from Kent Bergsma for 19.95 when I decided to check mercedesshop, which sells them new for about 14.95. So, yes Kent may be a bit expensive. However, they will allow me to order online and pickup from their shipping center (saving shipping, but paying state sales tax).

I can't wait for the weekend so I can actually start getting to know the car. I just noticed today that the license plate # is xxx MRZ. Is this car destined to be called Mr. Z??? And I was sure it was a girl.

Oh yeah, yesterdays two-attempt start was a fluke (I hadn't figured out that you need to push the key in to engage starter). This morning it started first time with no throttle. Slight smoking, but hardly enough to mention. Sure do like the smell of the biodiesel exhaust.

__________________
1979 300D 275K

Inspect ball joints and tie rods. R&R and DEALER alignment after. DIY with the right tools.

__________________
http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42