To all,

I posted a question about the value of an '83 300 CD a couple of days ago- seller offering 3650.

Now after running a Carfax, it comes back with a salvage title.

What are your thoughts about such a car given the following facts:

126,000 mi
engine and tranny strong
front end tight
original paint, no evdience of repaint
no rust
a/c works
vacuum system works
only 2,031 built in '83
windows / sunroof ok
reason for salvage title unknown

I need a daily driver (130 miles/day) that will give me the dependability and economy that a turbodiesel will give, and having a '79 300d non turbo already, I relly appreciate these cars- I just need more power.

Would you buy it ?
What would you counteroffer with?
Anyone have a car for sale in the Silicon Valley area?


TIA for your thoughts,
Nate Stanley
'96 Clown Vic
'85 f-250 6.9
'79 300d

IMHO way too much for a salvage title. Show him what you found out and get the price way down.

Hmm, salvaged title. Could be for lots of reasons not relating to an "accident". Might be the car had been stolen and stripped - that'll get you a salvage. My 560 will have a salvaged title, all because it threw the driveshaft, and the PO's insurance Co. wrote the car off. Yea,price should reflect a bit lower for the title but doesn't always mean the car has been halved and welded. Some research will be required to learn what happened.

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Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

a lot of the salvage titles are issued on cars which happened to be parked in the wrong place when the spring floods hit. Sometimes all they need to be good as new is a long and painstaking drying-out, but in many cases all they get is a quick oil and transmission fluid change and some deodorizing. Scrutinize with extreme care for rust in unusual places, like under the floormats and trunk liner.

Nate,
If you are not planning a full restoration of this car, I would say it will have negligable resale value, especially with a salvage title.

It may still have significant trasnportation value and you will notice I have both an MB coupe and a W123 turbo--I understand the attraction! Just my insight, Andrew Seidel.

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86 560SEC
85 500SEC Lorinser
83 300D Turbo
75 240D

I would be curious as to why the seller didn't disclose this (apparently it was YOUR sleuthing that discovered the salvage issue) and use this lack of disclosure to perhaps "embarass" out of him the reason for the salvage title. Your bid to his $3650 offer should reflect these facts. Salvage titles aren't popular (think lowball). Sounds like a nice car, though; but don't fall in love yet.

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)

I guess the biggest concern I have is resale value. When we
find "the car", we seldom think of that, and I'd like to keep it for many years to come--
but we all know that something else may come along and we may want to sell it.

What would you offer to by this car today- perhaps the street value of a used motor and tranny-- 1500-1800 or so?

and who out there would be willing to make this transaction today, and how much would you offer?

Finally, given the rarity of this car compared to the sedans, is the salvage title really an issue, since only 2,031 were made?

It may not currently have a salvage title - they sometimes get "washed" when moving state to state. I had this happen on a cheap ride I bought when living in San Diego. Moved to Texas, registered the thing, and it came back with a clean title. I was surprised.

Sounds like a fair value at the asking price, given that you can determine it was not significantly damaged or flooded. The coupes sell at a good premium relative to the sedans, about $2K in my observation. Seems this car should be fetching $5K, perhaps a bit more. It may already be priced to reflect the salvage title.

JBAJ007--
Yes, it was my carfax that caught it. I still need to call this guy and see if he knew about the salvage title--if he did, I'll keep you all posted.
Andrew.
My sentiments exactly-- but I need to convince myself that we are safe with this one. Problem is, I just LOVE those coupes!


Sounds like I need to call the seller and get to the bottom of this.


Any one else out been down this road before?
thanks for all your thoughts--
Nate

My 82 has a salvage title. It was the cleanest and best 123 I found at any price. I paid 2,400 for it and it has cost me next to nothing since. Poeple were asking 2,900 for junky old 78 models that rattled and choked. I was told by the seller about the title situation because the car has been in an accident. The body work was done beautifully and one look and you can see that this car has never been pulled out of a lake and deodorized. So, salvage title doesn't have to mean bad news, it just will affect the resale value. Try to get it for under 3,000. It has pretty low mileage so it is still worth something. I certainly wouldn't part with mine for under 5,000. I couldn't replace the car with anything comparable for less.

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1982 300D Turbo "Helga"
380,000 miles

Yeah, I can't understand the attraction of the coupes. They look pretty useless for a family car or for anything for that matter. Maybe I am just getting old. I certainly wouldn't buy one if I had to pay a big premium for it.

r90skirk & johngray,

My wife has the Clown Vic, whose brakes (pre-98) cannot take the commute, my son already has the 300D sedan, so I can grab either of those two cars to haul people in the back seat.

sooo

the Big Plan is to get a mechanically sound commuter(Benz), dump the Clown Vic , and get her a really nice 300SD. That way, we'll have a driveway full of 3-pointed stars.

I wasn't really looking for a coupe, but it just sort of fell my way- but if I can get it for a great price, why not?

If your looking for a good daily driver, why not just buy a sedan? Personally unless you're a collector I'm not convinced spending the extra money for a coupe is worth it, especially to just drive everyday. You can pick up a nice sedan for $1500 less. Leave the coupes to the collectors who don't put very many miles on them. Buy'em cheap and drive the snot out of them!

My coupe is not uncommon with over 200k--I know many people who use them as daily drivers. Crossing fingers that it will be a good deal for Nate.

Andrew Seidel

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86 560SEC
85 500SEC Lorinser
83 300D Turbo
75 240D

Check with your insurance agent. You might not be able to get comp and collision coverage on a car with a salvage title, past or present. Ask if the current owner has comp and collision coverage on the car now. It will be an indication of whether or not you can get the same coverage.

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD