loosers on a budget
 

Another very intelligent thread here.

Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I'll let your post speak for itself. Why are you taking this so personally?

I don't take kindly to being called an unintelligent LOOSER!:D Spelling aside, why are you so much smarter than us? Are you going to give us real conclusions or continue to make retaliatory insults? I'm curious. I could go on, but I like this "intelligent" thread and would like to see it continue.

With the exception of the top 1% of this country, all of us are on some form of realistic budget.

Eh, I can't help it. I'm going on, but carefully.

I think this listing, (your second car for sale in the short time you've been here, btw:rolleyes:) sums you up pretty well.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-cars-sale/192865-1980-300sd-w116.html

1980 300sd w116
119k miles
Paint is not so great but body is rust free and straight.
Avocado interior,leather,interior is flawless,absolutely brand new like.
27.5 gallon fuel tank,Car runs very fast.From fastidious collectors garage.
$12k Obo,brought to US via Europen delivery program.California car always.
Tranny =perfect,redline synthetic ATF and new filter 1000k miles ago.
Engine=sweet,Amsoil 15w40 fully synthetic 800 miles ago.
Drive belst=all new contis,500 miles ago.
seats,dash,wood,liner,carpets=perfect
Tires=60% Contis
All new brakes, Ate rotors and pads 200 miles ago.
Perfect driving machine,not for those on a budget,serious buyers only.
Pm with contact info for more details,digital camera is lost.

You're looking for a buyer without a budget, when you yourself can't cough up enough money to get a camera and take some decent pictures? Did you wonder why you never got any responses to the ad?

It seems to me you're trying to profit off the Veggie fad and getting snarly towards us who know better than to pay 12k for a W116 that probably needs a paint job. I found most of the people on this forum to be very smart individuals, hence their natural cynicism towards any car dealer such as JGS Mercedes.

So, my question to you is, why risk not getting a good response for the next problem you have because of a personal attack you made on this thread...calling us "loosers on a budget"?

I agree, but I was thinking $5k-$7k for a 300D sedan. Plus maybe another G note to get it shipped from a rust free part of the country for us in New England.

I just can't imagin their are enough cash buyers for those numbers, if their were than why are pretty nice drivers only worth $3k? Also all the cars they are selling have a lot of mileage, for that kind of money the odo should be in the low 5 digit range.

Winners don't pay more that $1000 for a 'Benz. :D

Buying mine was the cheap part!:D

has anyone ever thought that these "curb stoners" as they are being called might go through the car and fix all little nit picky things on it and bring it up to new road running gear standards, all new rubber bushings and what not?

but even if they did anything more than 10,000 is a burn, but like the saying goes; how mush is it worth? as much as someone is willing to pay for it. if you look at alot of the modern over priced crap that is on the market today it is no wonder that people are willing to pay over 15,000 for these cars in near new condition, most likely just for the sake of not having to do the work themselves, lets face it a lot of people are lazy and just don't care about getting it done themselves.

But then there is this fine group of people willing to take the time and do it themselves and take the extra money and put it in their fuel tanks :)

I doubt that because it cost me about $10k in parts to fix all that little stuff on my SDL. I am also still fixing little crap, heck I need a new window regulator.

Really going through a Mercedes isn't cheap, not in the least. Heck it cost me almost $60 to do one wheel bearing myself, on my dads F150 it would be like $20.

I still need to do big ticket items like paint, and a transmission eventualy.

makes me feel good about mine, my drivetrain is pristene and the paing is in great shape. . .

that evil servo is my only remaining big ticket item, but one is bound to turn up in the yard one of these days. . .

maybe 5K in parts and 5K for labor?

In hindsight cars of this caliber are the best deals, for picky people like me:
http://s520.photobucket.com/albums/w323/JPJP22/Nashville%20300SDL/

When I do it again, I'll gladly pay a lot for a car like this.

According to the site, the brown one sold for 16k. What a coincidence. :confused:3 days after the car fails to sell on ebay, a Chicago buyer snatches it up for within 1k of their BIN price. They never even listed it on their site until it was sold.

http://jgsmercedes.com/For_Sale.html

These "loosers" are the people that actually know what these cars are worth.

Just because there are a bunch of uninformed fad followers willing to pay 6x what a car is worth does not mean their real world value is that insanely high.

Kill off a few hundred thousand more of the 1.4million W123 diesels produced and maybe they will be worth as much then from inflation alone.

I can honestly say, 7 months after buying my 1984 300TD, that I should have waited for a car in the sort of shape that this operation is selling. I thought I'd save money and go the cheaper route, but after all the "minor" repairs and hours upon hours of personal time spent, it would have been completely worth it to suck it up and spend 15K for a low mileage one that was in excellent original, rust-free condition. I definitely wouldn't consider myself lazy. It's just that at this point in my life, even though I CAN do all these repairs myself, I'd prefer to be spending my spare time hiking with my girlfriend as opposed to breathing in fiberglass resin and diesel fuel in the 95 degree sun every weekend for an entire summer. I don't think there's any problem with somebody appreciating a car like this that doesn't want it to become their life/hobby.

It's funny, when I first bought mine, I thought I'd just use it as an old "beater" car, but after owning it for a while, it really is the nicest automobile I've ever owned (including a 1999 Mercedes SLK). I really can't imagine owning anything else at this point. Nothing out now comes close to the character or quality of these old 123's. If you WERE to find a modern car with similar quality and character, you'd be lucky to find it for under 40K, so suddenly 15K starts to sound like a pretty damn good deal...

Another one pulled out of the time machine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=320291157311

You wouldn't happen have a trailer for the Delorean, Don?

His photos are REALLY good



Just in case there are any camera buffs out there the cameraman uses a
Canon 5d (this is for sure)
shot probably using a 50mm 1.8/1.4/1.2 (most of his shots are shot @ 50mm)
and he also probably uses a wide angle 10-22mm @ 17mm.

WOW ... another beauty. Sold to the FIRST bidder.:cool:

Notice they didn't stripe this one.:)

Chrome air filter cover??
 

In picture 29 is that a chrome air filter cover and a matching chrome power steering fluid cover?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=320291157311

Nope, we can all do that to our NAs with vigorous cleaning and mag polish.

I just love those all aluminum air cleaners. Mine have the top cover only in aluminum. :(
Love that Sienna interior. In a little better shape than the Squash from a fading standpoint.

Are you saying that they stripped the paint and shined the bare metal?

there was no paint on that particular air cleaner. It came from the factory all aluminum, and they polish up very well.....

Hmmm. On my 84 300D and 85 300D the air cleaner housing is what I believe to be steel painted gloss black. So this was standard on an 81 300D?

I can't really give you a hard fast rule on years and stuff, but they were only on NA 300D's and some 240D's. I had an '80 wagon that had the all aluminum air cleaner. I've had an 81 240 and to 60 240's and both of the have the steel lower portion and the aluminum cover.
And I can't remember what came on my '77 300D parts car.......:confused:
I purchased one from somebody here on the site {aluminum upper and lower} but it didn't fit on either of my 240's. Intake hole was on the wrong side of center. And it didn't fit on Dan's 80 300TD either......
It is polished up and sitting in a cabinet {of course I didn't learn it didn't fit until I polished it for over an hour} :o:o

Another one! Only this time they posted it on CL

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/841827548.html

The aluminum air cleaner tops don't fit on a turbo engine. :( I think they came on post '79 240Ds

Seems pretty cheap, for JGS Mercedes anyway. Perhaps they'll post it as a sold unit for $10,000. That would explain alot. :D

I see the "period correct" pinstriping is now "Era correct" too. This one must be below his ebay car standards...:rolleyes:

Both the Manilla Beige and this Light Ivory (or white?) W123 had "Maurice" on the license plate frame. Have you practiced your shots yet? :D

A little video on the owner, and his personal ride. You have to watch a lot of skateboarding and stereotypical cool breeze hippie stuff before you finally see the car.

http://jgsmercedes.com/Blog/Entries/2008/5/2_Elwood_Earthday.html

http://jgsmercedes.com/Blog/Media/t_Huck_Kenny.jpg

Somebody just posted this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1981-MERCEDES-BENZ-240D-Diesel-Low-Miles-1-OWNER-RARE_W0QQitemZ320322061971QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash= item320322061971&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308#ht_33258wt_0

They have more on the sale block, but seem to have changed their name.

$14,900 reserve.

If this is a one-owner, why the brand-new license plate? Maybe the seller bought it from an original owner, out of state, and brought it into California?

That's what they say in the ad. From Pennsylvania originally.

Their website has changed as well.

http://www.mercedesmotoring.com/cars-for-sale/

2 georgous W123s listed for sale...

http://www.mercedesmotoring.com/2008/12/06/1983-mercedes-benz-300td-turbo-diesel-station-wagon-athracite-grey-metallic-with-palomino-mb-tex/

They're amazing aren't they!!!

3 more nice ones sold.

http://www.mercedesmotoring.com/cars-for-sale/

http://www.sitedesigncentral.com/eba...20%2836%29.jpg



http://www.sitedesigncentral.com/eba...20%2847%29.jpg

I don't know how they do it, but just the cleanest nicest MB's you will find. These cars just aren't worth that kind of coin in any condition, though.
But very cool to see these cars in that condition!!

Damn!... Beautiful cars!


For us Cali Snobs... It is a shame that these cars will loose their authentic Cali Blue license plates when it goes out of state. :(

http://www.sitedesigncentral.com/eba...td-3%20(4).jpg
http://www.mercedesmotoring.com/wp-c...e-black/18.jpg

Now that is a tragedy!:mad:

How in the heck do they make them so clean?!?!

[QUOTE=DeliveryValve;2133690]Damn!... Beautiful cars!


For us Cali Snobs... It is a shame that these cars will loose their authentic Cali Blue license plates when it goes out of state. :(

Oh, I dono, they wouldn't look bad with Wa plates:D

That TD amazes me. Cleaner than new!

BTW, who is buying these cars anyway, and paying those prices?? I guess MBCA-type snobs that have that type of coin to lay down??? [not indicting all MBCA types since I'm also one of the lower level variety. You know the type I'm referring to.....]

you mean someone that works on their own car? lol


Those cars are very clean, though the brake fluid resevoir in the anthracite grey car does look dirty, incorrect battery, and the coolant expansion tank needs to be replaced with a new non yellowed tank to make it perfect.

You would be amazed what a few hours of detailing work can do to the underside of a car. If the weather is nice today I'm going to start on the SDL

Ain't my generation of Hippies, these are Capitalist.

I don't know, but I have to admit that if I was in the market for a car and IF I had $15-20K to spend I might be tempted to "pay too much" for a mint, needs nothing TD (in CT no emissions & lower taxes, simple, computer-free tank) rather than a newer $15-20K car. And I'm not the MBCA type that you're referring to.

That's a big IF. :D

It's nice to see that a few of these cars are still selling for a high asking price.

I don't know what it is- the decrease in WVO interest, the higher price of diesel, or the sinking economy, but the market on these has really shifted badly in the last year or two.

I have been hoping these cars will attain the status of "classic" sooner or later, and operations like these will help speed that along.
It's the owners whose responsibility it is to see that the W123 is respected, and not trashed out AMC Ramblers, to the general population.

Can't say anything for sure, but I sure don't believe this is on the level.
These cars just don't sell for that much. The only people who would consider spending that kind of money on them are the very people most informed about their value. 3 to 4 times the cars worth?
If I were to venture a theory, I would be leaning toward a money laundering operation. If these people are in fact hippies, they might very well know how to sell more than just cars. What was in the trunk of the car that just sold for $15k? As for the TD, no way do I believe that is original paint. The 139000 miles on it had to happen outdoors, and on a road, and you can't get that many miles without the paint fading and getting some stone chips.
The fact that the door jamb is exactly the same color as the exterior body, just can't be real. UNLESS, it was only driven at night on roads that were closed and never when the wind was blowing etc etc etc. How did they they fuel the car without getting some paint damage in or around the filler?
AND, did MB really paint the inside of the fenders and wheel house the way they are showing? Mine is not like that.
If it seems to good to be true, it usually is.

All that aside, they are very nice looking cars, and even if they have been straightened, filled, blasted, painted and so forth, it seems like they do a very professional job. Good on 'em for picking these great old cars.

Money laundering? Really?? I can think of a few easier ways to scrub money...

Ad states that the car has stone chips, etc. but paint is original. Stating original paint doesnt exclude the possibility that touch-ups have been done (not to me anyway). A properly maintained (washed/waxed) car, garage kept, in CA will look like this after 20+years. Yes, inside fenders were painted body color. Door jambs look fine. My non-garage kept, desert car, doesn't have mismatched door jambs and exterior paint either...


I can see the value in paying these collector prices/premiums. I don't suspect that these cars are placed into DD duty. Probably parked in a temp controlled garage and driven rarely. Give 'em another 10, 15, 20 years and see what they're worth. $30,000-$50,000, or more? Most of our DD's will be off the road by then, certainly be considered very high-mileage cars, and showroom condition examples will be more rare than ever.