Ad for '75 240D with 46k miles? Too good to be true? *56k Warning*

[Jkrome]

http://cnj.craigslist.org/ctd/1658838428.html




Ad seemed vague but he sent me some photos and the car looks good...told me he has the hubcaps for it as well. But the mileage seems way too low. 2 Owners....45,000 miles...35 year old car... = 1,285 miles a year?

Talking to this guy about checking the car out in the next few days...Want to try and talk him lower as I have 5,000 saved and want to convert this to vegetable oil. Let me know your thoughts guys.

[johnathan1]

It's certainly possible...I would see it in person and drive it.

[dadette123]

Unless the interior has been re-done, even for the fuzzy pictures it looks pretty damn nice. Word of caution, never believe an odometer reading unless the miles are well-documented.

[dadette123]

Oops. Just read the CL ad. It says, "new interior" so there you go. Don't worry too much about it until you go check it out. Read the threads for tips unless you already know what to look for when scouting a car. Good luck.

[Biodiesel300TD]

Be warry, I believe the 115's only have a 5 digit odometer. So it could be 546k miles. Start it up cold. If it fires right up, the engine is tight. If it takes some doing to get it started the engine might be tired.

[dadette123]

Since the interior is stated "new" this may not be true but, check the condition of the steering wheel. If it is truly a low mileage car, it should not look worn where you grip the wheel.

Also, a true low mileage car usually has a different look and feel to it. In this case however, the new interior could give you a "false positive" reading on the ole' feel-o-meter.

[dadette123]

Just noticed a clue...the seat belts don't appear to be retracting. This is usually a sign of a well used (worn) car.

[TylerH860]

Very, very remote chance. Its at a dealer that stacks its junk cars in the dirt. He won't have any documentation to back it up other than a carfax. With the 5 digit odometer and 2 owners, its possible that it could have lined up to seem like the mileage is real. 145k and 245k cars can look that nice if they were cared for.

As for using this a daily driver to convert to vegetable oil. Probably not a good idea. I feel the whole veggie oil thing is a bad idea in the first place, but this car is going to feel very primitive when compared to a W123 and W124. Also, for a $5000 budget you can get a very nice example from a private individual that knows the history. Car dealers with inventories like those should be avoided.

[Shawn T. W.]

I'd ask them to prove the mileage claim, not likely they can, like Tyler said, many other cars that may work out better for a daily driver . . . certianly for $5K . . . even if it is actual miles, rubber bushings dry out, flex disc, and axle boots are rubber too . . . just for being 35 years old.
Could end up being a money pit, somethings that are too good to be true, are!

Seat cushings can be replaced, but are the springs saging . . . look under the car very good . . .

[2.5-10]

get some under-car pictures, that will tell you. my W115 looks cleaner than that and it has 76k on it so I would wager that the 5-digit ODO has made its round once before that.