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#1
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Bummed/Pissed about high expectations
I found a posting on CL for a 84 300sd. Looked really good in the post and in the pictures the seller sent me later. He was only asking $600 for it. He even went so far as to tell me that everything in the car was working and the car had been well maintained. So i left work early and drove the 40 miles (one way) to see this car.
What a waste of my time. The car looked worse than some of the junked cars Ive seen at the Pick and Pull. I guess its a testament to these cars and how much abuse they can take but this thing was definitely an eye sore. Rust everywhere, the interior was all torn up, the climate control was busted and he had rigged it with a switch. Everything was either cracked/broken or missing. The engine was barely running and nothing worked in the car except for the fact that it could move on its own power. I guess for $600 the engine/trans was worth it but based on the neglect on the chassis who knows what that 617 was put through.... Oh, Im out some gas money and time but hopefully Ill find my next MB soon. Seems really tough here in Chicago to find a half way decent example or something worth restoring. and the search continues.....
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1984 300SD aka "Sweat and Tears" 2002 Honda CBR F4i "Rising Sun" 2005 Yamaha V-Star Custom "Badass Cruiser"
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#2
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And you believed him? I always assume that a seller is a liar, an idiot, or both. I'm seldom wrong.
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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar. 83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles 08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles 88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress. |
#3
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I sold a car I wrecked back in the summer, and the guy who bought it said he was stunned that the car was exactly as I described in my CL listing. I was like, "yeah, of course it's the same." He said he had gone to look at tons of cars, but half the time, that car didn't even exist. That's crazy - when did people stop being honest and acting with integrity? Insane... You should buy that mysteriously clean 240D in the "pristine 240d" thread...it's just around the corner from you, in GR!
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1984 300D: 275,000 miles (soon to be for sale) In search of my 1987 300D in anything but white. |
#4
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There's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes.
Hopefully, your experience will teach you something and you'll pay more for a proper example. If not, and you continue to seek sub $1K vehicles, you get far less than what you pay. |
#5
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Skippy is correct about trusting sellers over the phone. I have driven untold thousands of miles to look at cars that were said to be nice only to find a pile of junk when I got there. Worse yet, I've had people even tell me things that were DEAD wrong such as finding an automatic transmission upon arrival after being told over the phone that it was a manual.
Beware. |
#6
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Quote:
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82 300SD 202K 82 300SD 233K 83 300TD 340K 82 300TD 98k euro (parts on the hoof) 85 300TD 282K 83 300TD 197K Last edited by Johnt49; 10-16-2008 at 03:48 PM. |
#7
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For $600, I would have expected what you saw. Sellers are generally full of crap, so you have to ask specific questions and listen hard to how he answers. It'll save you time in the long run.
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- Brian 1989 500SEL Euro 1966 250SE Cabriolet 1958 BMW Isetta 600 |
#8
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So the saying goes, but I've not had to to any more work on my $4-500 Mercedes, than I have on my $3000+ Mercedes.
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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver 1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver 1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine |
#9
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The two are vastly different. Driving a vehicle based upon what you must do to keep it moving forward is minimal...........and that's fine if the reliability and functionality of that vehicle is OK with you. I can find $3K of work needed on any sub $1K Mercedes. |
#10
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Seats and a paint job alone will do it.
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#11
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I can find that same $3k of work on nearly every $3K Mercedes too.
Just because you pay more that $1000 does not mean that it doesn’t need any work. All 7 Mercedes that I have owned, from my $400 300D to my first $3000 240D have needed similar work when I bought them. Fluid flush, tune up, front end rebuild, ac repair (never bothered), cruise control, seat springs, tires, etc... Of course the cheap cars I buy are not horribly neglected, they just have simple problems that the owners that don’t know diesels think are major problems.
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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver 1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver 1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine |
#12
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I'll even discount those items due to the price. All of them need $3K in mechanical work............and the owners don't want to admit it (or don't realize it).
The SD is a case of a very good vehicle..........a $4K vehicle. I still needed about $3K in various items over three years...........and it's at a standard way above the sub $1K vehicles. I'm fixing to spend another $500. on the front end just to renew some of the old bushings. |
#13
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This scenario is perfectly acceptable and realistic. But, it doesn't have any bearing on the typical fully neglected sub $1K M/B. They probably need $5K worth of mechanical work, typically. |
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