300td photo analysis - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

spit · #1 08-29-2014, 04:31 PM

looking for advise on an '83 300td i'm looking at.
if you guys see anything in the photos i should be aware of let me know.
owner claims it was meticulously maintained. has most records.
says last owner claimed it was sluggish and he oiled throttle linkage and has no problems. asking 7k. advice?

vstech · #2 08-29-2014, 06:17 PM

Nothing bad jumps out at me on my phone. ..

vstech · #3 08-29-2014, 06:19 PM

I take it back... nothing like rust to kill the value of a wagon... what I see on the phone is just the tip of the iceberg

tjts1 · #4 08-29-2014, 06:28 PM

Heres whats in your future. Same spot.

spit · #5 08-29-2014, 08:26 PM

so what's the worst scenario with the rust there?
I have a little experience with por-15 products and rust removal.
is it most likely just a matter of cleaning it out? is the frame going to fail?

greazzer · #6 08-29-2014, 08:35 PM

Rust Free, ding free fenders are pretty cheap, e.g., $50 a pop. Just a lot of labor and luck finding them and finding them in your color. That car probably had a rear end fender bender. Pull the board which hides the spare tire and look on the left and right side for wrinkles. I got a GREAT car which had rust some issues. Most of these cars will since they are over 30 years. Fenders can be swapped. Hoods and trunk lids can be swapped. Doors too. However, check the floors like crazy. The floors are the zinger. Pull the cap and see if you have any blow by at idle. Let the car sit and idle to see if it overheats or the needle climbs. Check the glass for clouding. Check the door straps, see if they stop in two stages. The list goes on and one. There could be a zillion tiny issues. If you're willing to tinker and tinker and you can get a rust free underbelly, you're overall in good shape. Look at this and other forums and see what the issues are for this car. How's the CV axles' boots, cracked ? That's $275 bucks if you do it yourself. How's the boots on the front suspension items. The more you can do yourself, the more you will save, but keep in mind all your tinkering will add up over the years. Not to scare you away, but a 30+ year old car is a labor of love. Yes, you can hack this or that and get away cheap until the old girl just "dies", but what's the point in buying a classic. Also, does the odometer work? One can swap out the odometer / cluster in around 30 minutes. When I used to hit the yards, you could always tell which clusters had low miles ... those were the ones yanked on day 1.

ytmtnman · #7 08-29-2014, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spit

....... asking 7k. advice?

Too much, by a lot. Others may have a better idea of what it is worth. You can also check Ebay's completed sales for some "real world" prices.
Here are a few currently up....

Mercedes Benz 300 Series 300TD | eBay

Mercedes Benz 300 Series Wagon | eBay

bricktron · #8 08-29-2014, 11:35 PM

ebay advice is a good one, and do more diligence on the extent of the rust. agreed that suspension work is probably needed at this mileage. all that said, $7k seems high to me.

MBeige · #9 08-30-2014, 01:54 AM

The power steering pump seems to have a different cover, not an '83. The '83 has a "MB" logo shape for the cover like mine.

What happened to the passenger side wiper arm?

Seat belt buckle seems to be from a later model, probably '84 or '85.

Missing the black box atop the valve cover for 3/2 valves. The valves seem to be there but vacuum routing is gone.

Missing rear bumper impact strip. Rear bumper seems to have been hit, because it seems to sit at an angle, not straight on.

Seats appear to be correct for an '83 if they are MB-Tex.

AC port seems to indicate it's been converted to R134a.

It has the original primer pump. Check for leaks.

It has the original reservoir for coolant. Check for hairline cracks.

vstech · #10 08-30-2014, 02:34 AM

Yup, that interior is not original to the car. Likely was installed when the odometer was put in with the "meticulous" records...
No third row...poorly installed rear bumper, oil stains around fill cap, and vent hose...

Ps cover appears original. Same as all turbos below 84.
I'd pull all carpets and look for water signs... Take a mallet to the floor pan from under the car... Undercoating covers a LOT of potential issues...

Car looks like about an 800.00 nightmare to me...

MBeige · #11 08-30-2014, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

Yup, that interior is not original to the car. Likely was installed when the odometer was put in with the "meticulous" records...
No third row...poorly installed rear bumper, oil stains around fill cap, and vent hose...

Ps cover appears original. Same as all turbos below 84.
I'd pull all carpets and look for water signs... Take a mallet to the floor pan from under the car... Undercoating covers a LOT of potential issues...

Car looks like about an 800.00 nightmare to me...

Not all turbos had the same type. The 84 and 85 had the flat cap with large round knob. 83 had the MB logo type design, like mine.

cooljjay · #12 08-30-2014, 03:28 AM

I like the wagon, manly because of the color combo...

Does he have any of these records handy, to tell you what the car has had done to it?

Two strange pluses...I see there isn't green coolant and I see the front windshield seal appears new...

The rust is the biggest concern....If I got the car, I would pull the fenders....clean the gunk out from behind them, see what the frame looks like....patch the fender and reinstall to keep the original paint..

vollpreuss · #13 08-30-2014, 08:24 AM

Too pricey given the start of rust. In my opinion I shouldn't see any tin worm at 7K.

Is the antenna stuck in the up position?

At that price there should be a nice set of cross bars with the black buffers as part of the deal.

greazzer · #14 08-30-2014, 08:42 AM

$7K ....

I "nice" running W123 which is complete and minimal rust issues is worth $2K all day long. It will add dollars once you look at all the issue noted here and elsewhere. Assuming I won the powerball yesterday and I had more money than I could ever spend in a lifetime, I would not spend more than $3,000 and that assumes the rust is managable.

Assuming our guesses are correct and assume you have to do all the work yourself, you have over $3,000 worth of work to make that car nice.

1. Check out the folks who sell parts, and you have around $1,000 worth of suspension parts to buy
2. Rear axles and other stuff $300
3. Sheet metal, rust free and same color is $500

and the list goes on ...

Again, none of this is done to scare you away, but it helps and "pays" to know what you're getting involved in.