about 250K miles, outside is not pretty and needs a rear passenger door, but the guy has owned it about 10 years and replaced a lot- see following. I'm going to check it out tomorrow. What do I need to know about this car?


List of whats been done

1) 95% of brake system is new, skipped front hoses and only did left
side of parking brake shoes, but master cylinder and all calipers and
rotors are done.

2) All of the cooling system (radiator, pump, all hoses under the hood).

3) Clutch with master and slave cylinders

4) Alternator

5) Battery

6) Vacuum pump

7) Heater blower motor.

8) Drivers seat pan and springs.

9) Door latches (striker plates, will send photo)

10) All fuel hoses changed to viton, filters new with spares included

11) All glow plugs

12) Right rear wheel bearing replaced, fronts repacked.

13) Front seats reupholstered

14) New radio and speakers (but the radio display is going bad,
stinking Blaupunt!)

15) Transmission and differential fluids changed

16) Most of the automatic door locks were repaired but last time it
sprung a vacuum leak I quit. I have all the parts needed to finish
it.

17) Starter was changed about 10 years back, still OK.

18) New lock tumbler for trunk.

There is a single electric plug for winter that powers the block
heater, battery charger and electric blanket for the battery. Don't
need it here much, but it comes in handy skiing up in Vermont when it
gets below -20 F. It starts well down to about zero F, assuming you
winterize your biodiesel.


Oh, I forgot a major repair, complete exhaust system less than about 3
years ago.

Some minor stuff replaced: Both rubber couplings in the drive shaft,
brake booster, two or three window mechanisms repaired, rear motor
mount (on the trans), front grille, drivers sun visor, hood ornament,
filler pipe gasket, all the belts, washer tank, added a coolant
overflow tank, one horn (I have the second, but the original still
works), valves adjusted last year.

It has a medium duty trailer hitch and connector for lights.


Both upper ball joints

New rear view inside mirror.

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1995 E300 diesel

Rust. Oh, another one: is there rust. And, ummm, does it have rust?

Seriously, that should be at the top of your list. And there seems to be no mention of AC... which is the second thing.

Look for rust in the spare tire well, and under the plastic inner fender trim, inside the trunk. Pull it back carefully and look. My car looked fine from the outside but had bad rust on one side from years of leaking trunk seal.

Pull the molded carpets for signs of rust or water infiltration. The old stiff sound deadening can hide rust under it.

Sometimes the hinge trough area and under battery area can rust through allowing water to get onto the floors.

With the engine warm, loosen the oil cap and check for blowby. A little is to be expected on car that old, but mass quantities mean an engine transplant may be due soon.

Of course, a lot of this depends on the price and your expectations for the car. If it runs and drives and costs less than $1k it might be a good buy, even with a few issues.

The trailer hitch would make me a little suspect of the remaining lifespan of the transmission.

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1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

I have a trailer hitch on my car, helps keep the bumper on.

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83 SD

84 CD

What does this mean? Is the carpet glued down, or does it just lay on the floor? Is it secured on the edges with trim?

No, it just lays there. Or it's supposed to, on old ones the bottom molding likes to separate from the carpet, so make sure you grab both or you'll peel them apart.

thank you aaa and brandon

from the photos it has a lot of surface rust

and it is well under $1K

what would a nice one be worth?

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1995 E300 diesel

With all those new parts and the low low price it might be a good one to start with.

Does it smoke? Have you seen it start after sitting over night?

In regards to the carpet, yeah, what aaa said. The floor carpet is like a very heavy floor mat. On the back there is foam rubber that contours to the floor. There are four separate pieces, just like floor mats. Don't try and remove any side pieces, because some of them could get damaged if you try.

Another problem area is the front and rear window seals. If they haven't been replaced there will be leaks.

How much is a perfect one worth? $5k plus? There was a near perfect example for sale about 1 month ago on Ebay. It was located in Los Angeles and sold for around $4k. Seemed to be a very motivated seller. IIRC he ended the auction early. I think he could have gotten close to $5k. It was barely distiguishable from a new car. But you can find really good ones, if you know what to look for for $2k or less right now. Sometimes a lot less, depending on sellers level of motivation. Prices seem to be about 40% lower this year, than last.

Here's a pretty nice one currently on Ebay. Looks like it's not going to reach reserve. It has the nicest dash and door panels I've seen lately. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-240D-ONE-OWNER-87-859-MI-TAKE-A-LOOK_W0QQitemZ250436352506QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item3a4f2b79fa&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=65%3A12|39%3A1|72%3A317|240%3A1318

Personally, I'd want to see pictures of the underneath of any car from snow country. This Ebay seller doesn't have much of a track record, so I wouldn't bid on it.

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1979 240D, 4spd manual, Power Sunroof, manual windows, 147k miles, Pastel gray/Black MB Tex.
1991 300D 2.5 - Smokes like it's on Crack!

Just to update I drove the car yesterday and it has too much rust for me. Surface rust I don't mind but I was able to poke my fingers through the floor in a few places. Drove nice though.

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1995 E300 diesel

Ah well, keep looking.

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83 SD

84 CD

^^^^ For one with a MANUAL transmission. Those 240D automatics are just too slooooooooow !!!

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Looking at a 1978 240D tomorrow- what do I need to know?

You need to get in contact with this guy

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Toblin

'79 300D, "Liesel von Diesel", 235K

I kid proofed the house....but they still get in

HA! a finger? I can probably fit my whole ARM through holes in my floor. And here in MA, we have roads that are probably worse than dirt roads that I rocket over. I would guess it's probably still structurally sound, and and rust could be fixed with a MIG welder (as I'm doing), but it won't be financially advisable, only do it for the love of the car. And for under $1k, if it's mechanically sound, with a 4-speed, definitely worth it.

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition

I know who I'm praying to know!

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1983 240D 3.0T 4-speed manual, now sold

1989 Subaru GL Wagon 5-speed Touring Edition

My dad, an IBM engineer for 37 years, patched the rusty floorboards in his 1964 Ford Falcon with ROOFING TAR.

It worked good, too.


He was German, but told me he would never buy a Mercedes, got a ride in one (must have been a W115 220D I believe) and said it sounded like a "bucket of bolts" and would rather spend the money on a smooth, quiet Cadillac if he bought an expensive car....

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)