i just recently aquired this 90 350 sdl. 228k miles. it was donated to our local public radio station. i was able to check it out before the auction. it started with a boost, ran good, fuel return lines were leaking. could not drive but went into gear forward and reverse. a/c was cold. interior was very nice. original paint. good michelins.
that night i read the posts about these cars and decided that they were all prone to 'rod bending'. i bought the car for what i thought was a great price. ive driven it about 250 miles, no oil usage yet, no heat problems and its been in the mid 80's here. ive replaced one tire, and of course the fuel return lines. ( they were the cloth ones). charged the battery. ( 2 yr old interstate).
car was sold by the mercedes dealer in 2004 to the previous owner. i will try to find out the history of the car, since i have no records.
what am i in for? ive had lots of 80's sd's and d's but this is my first sdl. looking forward to driving it for a while if it holds up. thanks[IMG][/IMG]

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85 300 sd 168k current driver
85 300 sd parts
81 380 sl 125k
84 190 d 160k just bought!

If you're afraid of it, lots of us (including me) would like to have it.

Sounds like the engine is fine.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

ordered my 12 tooth gear from odometer gears. just quit yesterday but may have been intermitent for some time.
so far has not used oil or water in about 400miles. a/c is working great in our 85' weather. michelin tires have a build date of 1800 ( 18th week of 2000) and ive had to replace one and one is bumping . im looking for a cheap complete set.

what is this car worth? will it be reliable?? thanks, mark

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85 300 sd 168k current driver
85 300 sd parts
81 380 sl 125k
84 190 d 160k just bought!

congrats!
if it were going to bent a rod, it probably would have done it already! gee, its probably worth like $6000. just a WAG. looks like you need to get it registered too.

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

i am running a temp tag, it passed texas safety inspection with no problem. thanks

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85 300 sd 168k current driver
85 300 sd parts
81 380 sl 125k
84 190 d 160k just bought!

sweet find!

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83 300SD Dark Silver Dark brown inside

Just drive it. Even the rod problem will take many thousands of miles before it becomes necessary to take the car off the road.

Oh, btw...Get those headlight wiper-arms painted the proper color. Other than that it looks pretty good.

Never EVER assume that because it has seen some time that nothing will happen to the engine. Expect it. Prepare for it. If you save up for it, it won't seem so daunting when/if it happens.

Hope things go well for you in the future.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

A man with experience in such matters.

That's a good looking vehicle, Mark. I'd definitely keep it...........but realize that it can burn you in the end.

Those really are nice cars, I'd probably pull the triggar on one if a nice 350SD came along. I'm not afraid of any MB! Only British cars...

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

'Rides better than the earlier W126 (SDL's) for some reason.

If it were mine and worse came to worst...I'd look into sneaking a
4.0 liter,V-8,twin turbo,quad cam,CDI out of Europe...and shoehorn
IT under the hood.(that would be the Ultimate Mercedes SDL)


[Can you say "Fantasy"]

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

Probably the improved seats. The seats in my 91 SE were generally better shaped than the seats in my 87 SDL, 130K mile difference aside.

Sixto
87 300D

[QUOTE=DslBnz;1827786]
Oh, btw...Get those headlight wiper-arms painted the proper color. Other than that it looks pretty good.
QUOTE]

dont they all come in black? or are they supposed to be white or something?

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

The wiper arms should have a gray finish. From what I can see in the picture, the plastic holding the blade is the right color. The arm should be same color, not black.

If you drive at night, chuck those headlights and get some Euros. DOT headlights barely pass as DRLs.

Sixto
87 300D

thanks for all the reply's. for what i own it for if and when it quits i will walk off and leave it or part it out. thanks, mark

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85 300 sd 168k current driver
85 300 sd parts
81 380 sl 125k
84 190 d 160k just bought!

looks like a very nice car... hope all works out with it