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  #1  
Old 06-10-2012, 11:25 PM
funola's Avatar
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What's a 85 300D turbo in exc condition worth?

I went to look at it today. 157K original owner, always garaged,

The good:
Almost no rust- only spot is golf ball size rust on drivers rear wheel well where tire slings debris onto. under carriage clean with no rust, jack points no rust, floors dry, blue interior with perfect dash, wood trims with no cracks, seats in exc condition no rips or tears, clean trunk- no water intrusion, battery tray no rust, also no rust under battery tray, tires look new, windows all work (forgot to check sunroof). Car drives and runs well, handles good and tracks straight on the hwy, transmission shifts fine through all gears.

The bad:
Car is not driven regularly in the last few years. Owner lives in Florida and car is garaged in CT and driven only when they visit CT. Fuel system had a case of algae which was cleaned out last week- tank drained new filters.

AC does not cool (converted to R134A)

There is an oil leak down the front of the engine block which looks like it is from the valve cover.

Engine oil is over filled by 1/2" on the dip stick, not sure if this contributed to the leak.

How much is the car worth?

Some pics:


















































__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Last edited by funola; 06-10-2012 at 11:41 PM.
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  #2  
Old 06-10-2012, 11:40 PM
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...


wow.

name your price.

are you wanting to sell it, or buy it?

4K? 6? 10? what ever they are asking, it's worth it.

IT"S GOT A CRACK FREE BLUE DASH!!!!!!!!!

look at the door panels, wow. perfection.

I HATE the exterior color though... and it needs a bath badly.
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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  #3  
Old 06-11-2012, 12:42 AM
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I've been thinking about it more...

the rust is minor, but it's a flaw.
it's something you can use to get the price down. what are they asking?
over 150K, and the value is low, but not bad. I've payed 350 for decent condition SD"s in similar condition.
it's unlikely you will find one in better condition anywhere near you, so I'd jump on it.
garaged obviously, never winter driven it appears. I'd need a LOT more pictures to give it a realistic value, but seriously, it's worth over 2K.
I don't see it getting 10, but I could understand 4K. I don't think I'd pay that much, but if I was looking for a D, I'd be willing to go 2500 for that one.
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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  #4  
Old 06-11-2012, 12:55 AM
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Location: Blue Point, NY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funola View Post
I went to look at it today. 157K original owner, always garaged,


How much is the car worth?

Got a maintenance history with any proof of the stated mileage?

Without same, it's worth what every other 123 is worth..........about 2K max.

The reason is that YOU need to dump another 2K into it after you buy it. And, if you sought out a 4K vehicle, it would be in much better condition and you wouldn't have to do all that work.

With a complete maintenance history (doubtful with non-functional a/c) and everything working, it could be worth 4K. But, I seriously doubt this one is in that category.
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  #5  
Old 06-11-2012, 01:45 AM
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No maintenance history. But looking at the condition of the seats/ body 157k is credible IMO. Owner is not a car guy and says he has a local garage change the oil once a year but kept no receipts. He says the AC was working last year. The oil leak concerns me if it is not from the valve cover. I may go back, clean the oil and see if I can find the source of the leak. Also the high oil level on the dipstick is another concern. I want to make sure it is not fuel dilution. The oil was not runny on the dipstick so it looks like it was just over filled. I will smell it and see if there's diesel smell in the oil. Any other test I can do to rule out fuel dilution in oil?

It started and idled perfectly from cold, no smoke. When I floored it (after it warmed up) got a little bit of black smoke. The plastic oil fill cap was rock steady indicating no blow by. Should I do a compression test?

What's the book value? I'd love to be able to get it for $2k. What are other things I should check when I go back?
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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked
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  #6  
Old 06-11-2012, 03:22 AM
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I agree. Nice Interior. Car looks to be in pretty good shape. Like vstech, the exterior color to me is blah.

I think the car is a good candidate for preservation though. Current value would be determined by value after restoration minus cost of restoration. I'm thinking in the $2K range too with the visible rust.
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1981 240D ChinaBlue (Got her running with a donor engine.)
1983 300DTurbo w/sunroof.
1984 300TD manual sunroof. (Electrical Gremlins)
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  #7  
Old 06-11-2012, 09:54 AM
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I'd be all over that for $2K. I paid more than that for my '83 (7 years ago), and it wasn't even driveable. The paint on that looks pretty good also. Put some TLC into that and convert it back to R12, and you'll have a real nice car.
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  #8  
Old 06-11-2012, 10:58 AM
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada.
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You know enough and have enough experience to determine your comfort zone. In my world it would be a pretty decent example especially that far north.

I think the object would be to pay no more than you felt you could resell it for. It would bring a fair dollar on ebay unless the market has gone sour I would think.

The milage if true is lower that is common and that is worth something at least. You really cannot put the original milage back into a car once it hasd been used up. Sure you can spend a lot of money making it almost as good but usually fall short.

This one may be worth taking care of as eventually they will become scarce. The colors are not ideal to many but may be to you. One way to look at that is if the colors had of been some of the most sought after ones you may not have gotten a shot at it.

Too bad the air is not up and running but as you know by now that is far from unusual. If you are at the top end of your comfort zone pricewise I would check everything on a car hoist at least before parting with the money. There are not usually a lot of buyers looking for these today is another factor in local markets. National advertising exposure is another thing.

Three thousand would not shake my tree at all since it is local and you can evaluate it before purchase at little expense plus no recovery costs of going and getting it so to speak of. I put that as worth perhaps a thousand dollars. This car only starts to get tricky at above 3500 dollars in my mind. Less is better of course.

The high engine oil leak hopefully should not be of too much concern. Nor the base oil level 1/2 inch higher. No blowby after warmed up is very nice. I absolutly never believe the odometers on these but there must be the occassional exception.

No driver seat bolster wear indicates below 250k on average usually to me unless the seat has been changed. Windshield milage wear is another item I pay close attention to.

The lower the milage usually the better the condition. This too could have been replaced but usually not. You have a tremendious advantage in having owned them before and presently. Just superficially seems like a decent example of the model and since it is the later version has some other advantages like the lower rear end ratio and the transmission was improved I believe. Last of the series examples may have been better built as well.

If you grab it let us know the price or if not what the owner wanted. Lets hope he does not feel he has the only one in existance anywhere and reflects it in his expected price.

Another thing to always consider is the reducing purchasing value of money. In my world it is a real factor to take into consideration as it is continious. Three thousand today is much less than even three thousand was say even just three years ago. Or at least up here in Canada.

Last edited by barry123400; 06-11-2012 at 11:13 AM.
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  #9  
Old 06-11-2012, 11:08 AM
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Hi Steve,

Boy, that looks really clean. Personally, I'd be willing to pay $3-4K for that vehicle. I realize that it might have a leaky AC or need a new compressor - that may take around $1200 to fix, especially if you want to convert to R12 and replace a bad compressor.

My Dad always used to say "You're paying for what's left of the life of the car."

If you are planning to keep it for a long time, then I think that if you spent say $3500, and then another $2K to get it to excellent condition (fix the rust, flush all fluids, fix various do-dads), then for around $5500 you will have a really decent car you could easily drive for the next 10-12 years.

That would work out to under $500/year, and that's not bad.

Good luck!

PE
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83 240D - 4 speed manual - Manilla Beige
189K miles, Tachometer mod, cool wooden shift knob from PeachParts, CocoMats, Original factory paint, manual windows, manual sunroof. Starting to add AudioWrap to this car too!
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  #10  
Old 06-11-2012, 04:15 PM
vstech's Avatar
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look at the red dot on the spare...
it's never been changed.
My 85 SD had the same dot on the original wheel, with the original tire on it. I can't tell from the pic, but it does NOT look like an original tire. still, the wheel is in GREAT shape.

so... are you getting the car?
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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!
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  #11  
Old 06-11-2012, 04:21 PM
funola's Avatar
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I went back to look at the car again. It was a worthwhile trip since we made a deal. Transaction has not taken place yet but we shook hands and agreed on a schedule when I have to pick the car up by, seller insists no deposit or receipt is necessary till the transaction takes place. He gave me the keys to road test the car myself. He is friends of someone I know so he trusts me after our brief encounter.

I found the source of the oil leak. Some idiot who had the valve cover off last crimped the wire from the thermostat temp sender under the VC gasket!

Other bad things I found was green coolant, unknown date of last valve adjustment. The service booklet does have dealer service up to 134k miles but no receipts detailing exactly what was done. They were mostly oil changes.

I've heard that 85 has a different air filter than 84 prior? Can anyone tell me from this pic if it is an 85? I can't tell the difference from my 83 not having mine side by side.

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked
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  #12  
Old 06-11-2012, 04:36 PM
funola's Avatar
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Location: NYC
Posts: 8,245
Forgot to mention no fuel smell in oil and viscosity seems normal for engine oil (not a fast drip down dipstick which I would expect if it was diluted). So it was just over filled.

Sunroof works, cruise works. Brake fluid looks clean, pwr steering fluid not a light red but a bit dark but not low. First aid kit box in good shape. Have not checked if the original tool kit is there. Hope so.
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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked
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  #13  
Old 06-11-2012, 05:48 PM
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If it is in fact an '85, it is a Federal, not Cali. It has the Federal manifolds and air cleaner just like the earlier models. Oil overfill is possible if it was checked/filled soon after the engine was shut down. If that car was available around here (CA) for anything near $2,000, it would not last long. Just the crack free blue dash would sell for $500 or more! Glad to hear you made a deal.
EDIT: I believe the spare is original. The wheel weight is original, and the white powder on the tire is similar to others I have had/seen. Look on the back side (hub mounting surface), and see if there is any indication of it being mounted on the car. It also may be a 6.5" wide wheel (worth over $100 alone!).
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  #14  
Old 06-11-2012, 10:35 PM
funola's Avatar
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You have to see this!

See the black wire under the valve cover? That's where the leak is. Sloppy work!

__________________
85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked

Last edited by funola; 06-12-2012 at 10:20 AM.
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  #15  
Old 06-11-2012, 10:42 PM
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ROLLGUY, the registration says it's 85. Can someone post the link for the Russian VIN site? Is it still in operation?

I'll check the back of the spare when I pick up the car (by this weekend).

What's the difference between the Cali and Federal 85? Is the Cali the one with the expensive air filter element?

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85 300D turbo pristine w 157k when purchased 161K now
83 300 D turbo 297K runs great. SOLD!
83 240D 4 spd manual- parted out then junked
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