1985 300td - Decent car? Problems?

[maxtrax89]

I was looking into getting one of these cars and haven't had much luck finding any main issues with them. From what little I have found they can have head gasket issues if they overheat.

Other than that the guy told me the car has 250K miles and the engine has 150K. Here is what he said about it "Runs like a champ, 3 liter diesel, with a 4-speed manual trans" and he is asking $1200. He did tell me over the phone that cosmetically it isn't the greatest but is mechanically good. Looking for a few things to look for before I check it out in person though (or if its worth looking at).

[Aquaticedge]

Well, the 85 will have a 617, a VERY robust engine and hard to kill, if I recall, there's no major head issues on a 617.. granted Gaskets can fail but, the overheating and failing thing is more on the 603 which is late late 86-7 era. Cosmetics can be fixed budget willing, manual trans can be nice but make sure it works as it should if they are asking 1200 you may be able to get it for less. It would Qualify for the cheap wagon Club (CWC) for any wagon bought under a grand. 250,000 on the body and 150 on the motor isnt bad. 150K on the engine is really still being broken in. it all comes down to, if you can live with the looks you can potentially have a nice wagon on your hands. there's some things to look at, the SLS system, if it drags is rear end after starting up then you may have bad accumulators but those are a simple DIY Valve Adjustments, There's a Great write up on Diesel Giant's website on that and plenty of helpful members here who can walk you through that. Filter changes also very simple to do.... I'd say look at it and see where it goes from there. never hurts to look.

[vollpreuss]

The 4 speed manual transmission wasn't a standard offering on the US version of the 300TD. The car was probably was converted or is a Euro version. That will take you down two different paths of considerations.

[maxtrax89]

Ok. So I should check and see if it is the Euro version or not. Is there any major way to tell? Is one better than the other? I thought it would be nice to get back to a manual transmission. I think cosmetically it will probably be nicer than the car I have now that is really starting to rust/fall apart (runs and drives though so I figured I could sell that for $600-800)

[leathermang]

I do not believe that a manual trans was offered anywhere in the world on that car WITH TURBO ENGINE...
It is is non turbo 5 cylinder with manual trans you better not tell anyone else on the forum where it is located.... LOL
If you decide not to get it... be sure to tell someone on the forum where it is ....

[MattBelliveau]

By "TD", you would be refering to a wagon. Otherwise it would be "DT". You might want to specify that, cause wagons generally go for much more. Rusty?

[layback40]

welcome to the forum !!
By now you will have seen we are a friendly & helpful group.
It sounds like you need to find out a little more about the car before we can be much help. If the car is a 5 cylinder, its a W123 , if its a 6 then its probably a W124. they are quite different. Both are great cars. There is plenty you can read on here about them. When you know a little more please post some more details so we can all comment further.
Good luck with your decisions !!

[Zacharias]

Originally Posted by maxtrax89

Here is what he said about it "Runs like a champ, 3 liter diesel, with a 4-speed manual trans" and he is asking $1200. He did tell me over the phone that cosmetically it isn't the greatest but is mechanically good. Looking for a few things to look for before I check it out in person though (or if its worth looking at).

A few points.

A 300td is a five-door wagon. An '85 North American spec car would be a turbodiesel, but could/would not have a manual transmission. A euro-spec car could have a manual trans, but it will be a straight diesel, not a turbodiesel.

If you mean you are looking at a four-door, then it's a 300d. Same observations apply for an '85 model year car.

"Runs like a champ" doesn't tell you anything. Frankly I find it weasely for my taste, but I know some old timers use it as a generalization.

I use the following questions, when I am evaluating a car from a distance over the phone, or by email (I try to phrase things so as to not put the vendor on the defensive):

- How often do you change the oil?***
- How much oil does the car burn between changes?***
- What work has been done to it over the last 2 years?***
- What does the exhaust look like at idle? On acceleration?
- Does the car start easily on a cold morning ('cold' being relative to vehicle location, of course)
- On the road, does it keep up easily with traffic?
- Does it shake at idle?

*** Weasely answers or hesitation or "as often as it needs it", "not sure" (etc.) tend to indicate a curbsider who picked up the car at an auction or from a trade-in and it just moving it on.

I don't think you said where you are, and where the car is at. Rust is a big enemy on these cars. If it's in a rust belt state, don't accept that it looks great topside.

On older cars like this, the likelihood of problems is HUGELY dependent on the care the car has had over the last two to five years. A $4,500 car with a sheaf of receipts for regular care is a much, much much better buy than a $1,500 car from a low-flyer with no evidence of any care or upkeep.

Don't ask me how I learned that lesson....

Good luck with it.

Mac

[maxtrax89]

I checked the car out. It is a sedan not a station wagon. I looked over the car without the owner there and it looks pretty rough. I pulled the carpet back and the back floorboards are just that... plywood. The car has some rust, some spots being worse than others. The transmission is definitely a 4 speed and the engine was definitely a 5 cylinder with a turbo.

One thing that I did notice is that the for sale sign was held in the windshield with a can of starter fluid (not a good thing IMO). Sure the glow plugs could be bad but is the starter and other stuff not far behind now. The front right of the engine compartment looked like something had been removed as well (maybe a windshield washer reservoir?)

Cosmetically:
Seats were starting to crack
Windshield was cracked
Needed a good cleaning

Edit: located in Michigan

[buffa98]

Depending on how bad you want the car $700 tops. If the rear floorboards are boards the rest of the car is not far behind. Being it is in Michigan the paint is most likely hiding a lot of rust. Just my opinion.

Belive what these guy have said about a cheap car. I got mine for a song $1000, two years and about $3500 later I still have a $2000 car.

Proceed with caution.

[kerry]

Walk away. Too much rust. Buy one in the Southwest, fly down to buy it and drive it home.

[toomany MBZ]

^ Agreed, it's a basket case.

[Zacharias]

That is a $100 junkyard car.

The vendor sounds like a real riot.

[maxtrax89]

That is what I was thinking. I was glad the guy wasn't standing there because I would have told him that the thing wasn't worth anything. The only reason that I would want it is to pull the engine/tranny out and swap into something else. I don't have any time to do that though.

Thanks for all the input. I'll come back if I find anything else.

[Zacharias]

You would do well to watch the Cars for Sale section here. There are some nice cars, especially if you don't mind flying down to NC or further and driving home.

Want to see Texas, for example? 77 mercedes 300d non turbo $2300 tx

You aren't going to find much in the Northeast that's worth saving.

If you want a project, and want some adventure, PM me as I have a 1978 w123 Coupe 300cd project sitting in my driveway that I need to move on.

I'm in Canada but the car came from Califoronia originally so re-import to the US won't be a problem.

Whatever you decide, good luck.