1991 300d 2.5 turbo ,motor good ,trans ehhhe.
 

Ive known about the car for a yr,been telling the seller to chk the linkage for the trans, I dont think hes to savy on spinning a wrench so he wants to sell ,Im going to bite but want to be sure its the linkage before I even try for a purchase ,what would be to much play?

You want to be sure it's what linkage? What's wrong with the car as it sits?

Sixto
87 300D

only thing linkage would do is keep the car from engaging any gears... if the shifter moves but there is no clunking into each gear, it could be the linkage... if it goes from park to R, to N, to D, to 3 etc... but the car does not move... it's unlikely linkage.

Last yr I posted about my 300cd which gave the same symptoms ,working then nothing ,I worked out the linkage and 20 minutes latter was driving perfectly.When checking the trans with the rearend off the ground it seemed to do nothing and no noise .If this is the case Ill aggree to work out the linkage but the purchase will depend on trans functioning properly,price will be set before my time is spent,then drive away .

On the other hand the car may be very cheap with the owner figuring the transmission is bad and it probably is or the rear yoke on the transmission is loose or whatever.

I would not consider it is probably the shift linkage at first. The odds are just not that good. Cheap enough and even if a used transmission is required should not be that bad.

Also one wonders about the overall condition of a non driver. May be worth a quick look to see if the driveshaft is spinning. Sometimes a cv joint blows wide open. Also a description of what transpired with the failure may give a better clue.

Tricky situation if you get a car functional before the dollars have passed hands. I always removed the car before fixing it. Just establishing what the problem was first.

Up and running in front of an owner selling a disabled car can change the equation. All of a sudden it is no longer for sale or the price might change.