1980 Mercedes Benz 300 SD

My brother found this on craigslist and likes it because it is in overall good shape. What are some common failure points on these vehicles that we need to look out for if we go and look at it?

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

HVAC.

Is that the correct mileage? Inspect the seats, pedal wear, etc.

Odd paint.

Fog light missing a lens? Those are Euros.

Over priced.

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83 SD

84 CD

The paint is odd....but the body looks straight, interior looks clean and in amazing shape, despite the failing horse hair padding, body looks straight, with no server rust/rot showing. Evil Climate control is the biggest issue, but not a deal breaker in my book. Clean wood, no sunroof, un cracked dash, euro headlights....all pluses...the color is also a nice color, not very often seen in the w116 model....I believe the price is good, plus it has new tires! Check the axle boots for cracks, see what sort of maintenance and papers there is...

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I don't think I've ever seen Jason approve of a car's price before.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Total first isn't it and can you believe the full moon was last night

Its a really nice car and I think the w116's should be more valued then what they are....to many are hitting the junk yards and soon there will only be a hand full of them left, mostly the high end gassers...

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Price is not unreasonable. I would be offering less since it does have some issues to be addressed. Looks like a clean car, though. It should be a good deal at $1500 or less.

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1991 F250 super-cab 7.3 IDI. (rebuilt by me) Banks Sidewinder turbo, hydroboost brakes, new IP and injectors.
2003 S430 - 107K
1983 300SD - Tanoshii - mostly restored ~400K+.
1983 300SD - Good interior. Engine finally tamed ~250K.
Monark Nozzle Install Video - http://tinyurl.com/ptd2tge

Was tempted to go look at that one myself but really have to many cars already. (Or do I?....)

It looks pretty clean from the photos provided and if the mileage is accurate should be in decent condition. With the disclosed windshield leak I would be sure to check under the carpet for rust in the floor pan. I know all too well the damage that can be hiding there.

Take a look at the servo and see if it has the plastic body or the aluminum. If it is plastic, figure on it failing at some point and replacing it with an aluminum bodied rebuild or the UnwiredTools upgrade kit. ($500 - $700).

The window could be as simple as a bad switch in the center console (cheap) or a bad regulator (not so cheap). The fuel gauge is most likely a gummed up sending unit and can be cleaned if done carefully.

Rear seat bottom cushions can be purchased from GAHH for $250, add another $300 if the back is needed too.

Obviously, take a good close look at the suspension bits and see if there's anything there waiting to get into your wallet.

The W116 is notorious for rust issues but if this has been a southern car all its life that may not be as big a concern other than the potential for rust from the inside out if water has been leaking for a long time.

I'm a big fan of the W116 so my opinion may be skewed, but even if there are a few costly surprises, at the asking price (I would try to get it for less) you will still end up with a decent value.

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Joe

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1980 300SD - 495k miles - 'The Ambassador'
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Former Family Members
95 C280
73 280SEL
90 300D
87 300SDL (X2)
86 560SEL
84 300D
80 300SD

This made me lol.

Also, just to add, A/C failure is a relatively common thing on these older cars. I'm not sure if the W116 uses the American made unit, but those dont seem to be as reliable.

Looks like the oil pressure is sticking around the right value.

These cars look really good in full Euro guise.

EDIT: I would also look at the rear end to make sure there are no cracks in the axle boots.

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http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/...ps988ecb84.jpg

1980 240D "Haley" - 266k mi | OM617.952 | 4-speed | Euro Propshaft | 2.88 Rear | Motor Out of Car
1994 E320 "Lauren" - 115k | As stock as they come
2010 Mazda Axela "Grace" - 32k | H&R Lowering Springs | K&N Air Filter

1981 RX7 - Sold and not really missed

Looking for a paint color suggestion for my 240D with Palimono MB-Tex interior!

Going to go look at it Thursday. He has service records up until about the 90s, the AC compressor has not been hooked up (no belt to it) while he has had it (for 8 years, during which he has done most of the work himself), when he got it a fender was damaged but it was only cosmetic and was replaced.

He said if he would slam on the brakes with his hands off the steering wheel, it would go straight (indicating the front end is tight) and on the old tires there was no uneven wear when he replaced them. We will get to test drive it and I shall certainly bring ramps and jack stands to look at the underside and suspension components. He said no rust but that is something I have learned that I need to look for anyway.

For the Climate Control, how hard is it to convert to the manual climate control unit? I see those are about $250 on ebay, probably less elsewhere.
I am also considering converting to manual windows because that would be cheaper than a regulator, about $300 on ebay for all 4 windows with cranks and the center console shifter trim without the cutouts for the windows (although I could add heated seat switches there).

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

I would convert to the manual climate if you can find the setup for a W116.

You might keep the rear windows powered but make the fronts manual -- that way you can lower the rears from the front. I'm actually a fan of power windows because of how much easier it makes it for me to control the airflow in the car. Is there any reason that the manual regulators would last longer?

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

I suggest fixing what is broken. A 30+ year old window regulator is bound to need some work; same with the ACC system. Fix it all properly and it should last you quite a while. What's the point of buying a Mercedes Benz if you have to crank the windows and jiggle 1/2 dozen knobs just to be comfortable? If that is what you want, buy a Volkswagen.

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1991 F250 super-cab 7.3 IDI. (rebuilt by me) Banks Sidewinder turbo, hydroboost brakes, new IP and injectors.
2003 S430 - 107K
1983 300SD - Tanoshii - mostly restored ~400K+.
1983 300SD - Good interior. Engine finally tamed ~250K.
Monark Nozzle Install Video - http://tinyurl.com/ptd2tge

you can also get bypass kits for the servo. it will only allow full heat, and full A/C if its working. no in between apparently.

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1981 NA 300D 310k miles

That is a good point that both you and Jooseppi bring up

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Current: 1975 450SEL, 83 300D, 88 Yugo GVX, 90 300D OM603 swap, 91 F150 4.6 4v swap, 93 190E Sportline LE 3.0L M104 swap, 93 190E Sportline LE Megasquirt, 03 Sprinter, 06 E500 4Matic wagon.

I'm in the eatont9999 camp on this. I think it's neat to be able to still enjoy the luxury and innovation that was the benchmark for the automotive world 35 years ago. While not comparable to modern vehicles, the amenities and technology employed by those crafty Germans is pretty trick stuff and keeping it functioning several decades on is an accomplishment.

Now, it's easy for me to tell other folks how to spend their money and time on these old cars but I understand there is often limits to both the money and the time required to properly sort them out and have no issue when creative solutions need to be employed. For a real how to on some of those creative solutions, including manual window & climate control conversions, I highly recommend Squiggle Dog's epic thread on his Custom 300SD project. He's done some really clever and nice work to his car.

My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project

One last thing about the automatic climate control. When it is properly sorted it can and will work quite well and provide many years of flawless service. It's a real Rube Goldbergian contraption that was initially designed for the Chrysler Imperial and is worth studying up on if you plan on keeping it running.

Best of luck if you decide to purchase the car. Of course you will have plenty of resources to draw from on this forum and since you and I are both in Atlanta I would be happy to make myself available to lend a hand should you need it.

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Joe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1980 300SD - 495k miles - 'The Ambassador'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Former Family Members
95 C280
73 280SEL
90 300D
87 300SDL (X2)
86 560SEL
84 300D
80 300SD

I agree! The Climate control, once sorted out is very dependable and works quite well. I have no plans to covert my evil servo to manual, to much work and right now its working flawlessly besides the brushes being worn down on the motor...

Here is a w123 conversion to manual....to get an idea of what is involved...

PeachPartsWiki: Auto to Manual Climate Control Conversion

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