Been lurking on these forums on a little while and learning all I can about the world of diesel Benzes. Coming from a long stint with 80s BMWs and 70s VWs, I'm pumped to add another German marque to the stable.

Got a deposit down on this W124, located in South Jersey:

1991 300D 2.5
White
300,000k
Transmission rebuilt 2,000 miles ago
Engine rebuilt 50,000 miles ago
Clean title
Very clean body, no rust, and very clean interior:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

BUT no records from any previous owners...

I know nothing else about the car than what my friend who checked the car said: that it feels very good driving (good power), has a smooth idle, and that all of the vacuum systems seem to be functional.

So does this seem like a reasonable deal for a mostly DIY guy such as myself? Will I get stuck with a complete basketcase?

Get the AAA $139.95 inspection. At that mileage you are going to run into some worn suspension bits. Does the AC blow cold this is a very good tell , diligent owners will maintain this. Do the oil cap blowoff test. Does it leak oil, fuel, or trans fluid. Is the engine compartment clean, is it clean in between the injection pump and the block. Are the factory hose clamps all there or is there evidence of some micky mousing of fasteners. Do all the door and trunk locks work, do all the locks actuate the central locking correctly. Do all the windows go up and down smoothly and quickly not slowing down. Does it have more than one key, have any locks been changed to a different one not the original. Even a stack of bills and records won't tell the whole story. I give them maybe 25-30% weighting when evaluating a car, the rest is my own eyes , ears and experience. Sometimes even honest owners are misinformed or ignorant of the condition of their vehicle. Cheers Dan

__________________
It's always something simple
91 300D 603.960 (from japan) 194K
92 Toyota Diesel Landcruiser HDJ81-t 116K
02 Golf TDI new head courtesy of PO
87 300D
97 BMW 525 TDS Wagon 5spd
bunch of Onan and other diesel generators

Appreciate the advice! Had my man on the ground check that stuff in addition to what he'd done, and things are looking pretty solid.

When I get back to the States to actually drive the car, I'll post an update and pictures

I'd be curious about the engine rebuild: why it was required, quality level, etc.... But if engine and tranny rebuilds are of good quality and there's no rust then go for it. Just assume there will be a bunch of odds and ends you will need to do over the first couple of years. These are fabulous cars.

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

This is a single post from a thread, but is a W124 Buyers Guide.

1992 300D Turbo Diesel Recommendation


Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

"Engine rebuilt" in the context of a used Mercedes diesel for sale is a meaningless throwaway term that says nothing without specifics on who did it and what exactly was done.

If the car is REALLY that nice it ought to have records. People don't casually toss receipts for major work like motor and tranny overhauls.

You have uploaded one pic, of the interior. Mercedes interiors are very durable and are not generally as solid an indicator of overall condition as with many other makes, including other German cars.

Is it just me or are those not the right seats? I don't know a lot about w124s but is it normal they are so badly faded in comparison with the rest of the interior?

__________________


Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

That is odd. I have two of these cars and no seat fading whatsoever.

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 158k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 177k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 144k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 72k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Could be the lighting when the pic was taken.

__________________
1983 300D, the "Avocado"
1976 240D, 4-spd the "Pumpkin", SOLD to Pierre
1984 190D, 2.2L, 5-spd, my intro to MBZ diesels, crashed into in 2002

Yeah, the rebuild is fishy. I really have nothing to go on, and I was able to get the price down a bit because of that, as the current owner bought it from the man who had the rebuild done, who provided no receipts.

According to the CarFax however, MB of Princeton did a major service 50k ago. It's inconclusive as to whether this was the "rebuild" in question, but at least that, coupled with the engine's good health (good compression, good power, no immediately detectable blow-by) are positive evidence. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and see if they have any records for the VIN.

Caught my eye as well, but since the picture was taken with a flash the foreground is just blown out. Upon physical inspection they seem completely normal. They're just garden variety MB-Tex as far as I can tell: MB or leather ?