I looked at this car today. It has a few dents but the paint is good. i didn't see any serious rust but I could not look under it very well.

AC compressor is bad

door locks don't work. interior looks like all of 245,000 miles, a few rips. no radio. plastic around the light is junk.

Little or no documentation.

Starts and runs great. This is the first one of these I've ever driven.- I see what all the fuss is about.

No smoke, no signs of oil leak. I believe the seller - he says it doesn't use a drop of oil and he admits to not being great with oil changes (10,000 miles)

Feedback? How expensive are the AC parts? I spun the compressor and it clicked and clunked. I assume total contamination.

He named the MB dealership that serviced it for the previous owner. Will they typically share maintenance history with a subsequent owner ?


Thanks

The compressor isnt too bad. I cant recall if that is a 10P15 or 10P17, 300SDL's used one, and 350SDL's used the other. But you WILL NOT have fun replacing the expansion valve. It located a bit above the accelerator pedal. It's bear to get to. I hate working on my back, but this is crazy. I may take the seat out of the car next time. On a good note, the compressor is a better unit than the old radial style they used.

Any forum members that want to make some extra money, I'd gladly pay you to install expansion valves in 2 W126 sedans, hehe. I've done 2, and have been putting off doing these other 2 because I hate it so much.

John (VSTECH), what do you say?!?!?!

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1987 300SDL #1, 1987 300SDL #2, 1980 240D, 1982 300SD, 1994 S350, 1990 350SDL, 1991 350SD, 1985 300D, 2005 E320CDI

Gone, but not forgotten: 1981 300SD, 1982 300SD, 1987 300SDL, 1983 300TD, 1980 300CD, 1981 300SD #2, 1987 300D, 1987 300TDT, 1980 300D

Thanks. ******** seems to have everything i would need to redo the AC for about $300.

What about the price as described? If i went back and did a more thorough inspection what would be the critical things to look for ?

I'm thinking he'll come down, maybe a lot as he is way off the beaten path and he is not advertising very well.

At around $12-1500 I would not bother having it looked at by an MB pro as there are none for 70 miles.

There are not enough SDL's around to get a sense of their value in this condition.

thanks

If it isn't exhibiting any rod-bender, or head gasket issues (which are the Achilles heel for this car) the price is fair for a good running SDL.

But you mentioned it had some rust, so get underneath VERY well and check around the jackpoints, floorpans, trunk, under rear quarter panels, and around all wheelwells

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1987 300SDL #1, 1987 300SDL #2, 1980 240D, 1982 300SD, 1994 S350, 1990 350SDL, 1991 350SD, 1985 300D, 2005 E320CDI

Gone, but not forgotten: 1981 300SD, 1982 300SD, 1987 300SDL, 1983 300TD, 1980 300CD, 1981 300SD #2, 1987 300D, 1987 300TDT, 1980 300D

No way I would pay $2000 for that nightmare. This is a sub $1000 car, easy. You are better off paying for a $5000 car with stacks of records than shelling out for this.

Front end is probably dead, I am sure the odo is not functional, trans at end of service life, interior garbage, etc You make no mention of the paint... how is that? How old are the tyres? What about brakes?

$300 to fix the climate system? Sure and I have ocean front property to sell cheap in Arizona. I can assure you many vac pods will be dead. There is a few hundred there alone. A good reman Denso is not that expensive, but you need all the other bits... LOTS of flush, orings, TXV, drier, switches, R12, etc. $500-600 easy, provided the PBU works correctly and the monovalve diaphragm is not torn.

I am still floored that people try to dump cars without a radio. Sure they are cheap, but why not install one for under $100 to give the car more value. No radio is just bizarre.

TXVs are not that bad in the W126. You need stubby metric wrenches, some line wrench crow's feet, and some patience. I can do an R&R in under an hour now... including removing the carpeting. The late cars with the extra crash support add a bit of time.

2¢

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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.[/IMG]

I think the truth is somhere in the middle. this is just a hunch basd on looking at a lot of old cars- i tthink this car was fairly well cared for most of its life.

the engine was pretty clean but it not been recently cleaned. currnt owner only had it for a year. he has two other Mercs, (gas) selling all to get something newer.

tres are fresh. I'd take a chance at $1200 or so.