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  #16  
Old 11-21-2014, 10:36 AM
uberwasser's Avatar
1979 & 1985 300D's
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 1,097
I'd say this car saw some pretty heavy corrosion at some point in its life. The engine bay seems to indicate this. Pretty heavy corrosion of the aluminum parts, and the rusty booster. The air cleaner lid usually suffers from this with peeling paint and rust, the one on this car was probably replaced with a good part when going up for sale. Notice how rusty the clips for the lid are. There's also surface rust on the injectors, EGR, IP deliver valve holders from the look of it, etc.

It has also seen some rust repair. The change in color and texture around the jack point indicates this.



With any luck it was done properly (rust cut out, new metal welded in, sealed and painted) but it's hard to say since you didn't own it at the time. You can certainly try the magnet test - if the magnet sticks you at least know it was repaired with metal rather than fiberglass or body filler. I'd check around the other jack points for similar repairs.

I would also suggest you get down under the doors and 1) feel underneath the door where the blue arrow is pointing to look for holes in the metal and 2) pull back the door seal to see if it's rusted out behind the seal. Both are very common rust issues.



I also noticed the plastic covers are missing from the rear wheel wells in the trunk. I generally think this is an indication that the trunk has been leaking and the covers were removed so it could dry out more easily.

I'm not sure if this is normal, but I noticed the difference in paint patina/color around the bottom of that picture well. I know that replacement panels were available from Mercedes, so this might have been cut out and replaced due to rust.



So take that for what you will. If this car hadn't had body rust that needed repair like this I'd say it would be worth every penny of the asking price. With these rust repairs, well, price is harder to nail down. But it certainly doesn't help the value. If you love the car, and can verify the mechanical condition of it, use the rust repair issues to help negotiate the price to a point where you're comfortable.

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1979 300D 040 Black on Black - 1985 300D Maaco job (sadly sprayed over 199 Black Pearl Metallic) on Palamino

http://i.imgur.com/LslW733.jpg

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  #17  
Old 11-21-2014, 10:38 AM
uberwasser's Avatar
1979 & 1985 300D's
 
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Oh, side note - inspect the dash carefully. If it is actually crack free, as it appears in the pictures, and you can verify it's not a dash cap, that alone is worth quite a bit!
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1979 300D 040 Black on Black - 1985 300D Maaco job (sadly sprayed over 199 Black Pearl Metallic) on Palamino

http://i.imgur.com/LslW733.jpg

The Baja Arizona Oil Burners Send a message if you'd like to join the fun
Left to Right - UberWasser, Iridium, Stuttgart-->Seattle,, mannys9130

Visit the W123 page on iFixit for over 70 helpful DIY guides!
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  #18  
Old 11-21-2014, 10:40 AM
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Where do you guys see it's $500? It's $5500! I often wonder how people can tell condition of the car's paint from these lousy photos? Even with excellent photos, it's not possible to tell. You must see it in person before committing to buy.
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  #19  
Old 11-21-2014, 10:42 AM
Fueled by coffee
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Walter K View Post
I'm not sure we are all on the same page. The price I see in the first post is $5500, not $500. Whether the $5500 is a good deal depends on where you are located at. Being of a thrifty nature, and considering what I have seen in my area if I am willing to wait, I think the price is high. FWIW.

That being said, I do agree that well maintained MB's of this vintage will see an increase in value.

W.
Coffee had not kicked in yet...

Now I'm reading that as $5500, too, which also seems high to me. Then again, I usually buy the bottom-of-the-market Craigslist rats for as little as I can and fix them up.

It's nice, but if it were my money, I wouldn't want to pay more than $3500-$4000 for it, which I consider to be a lot for a W123. Once again, it is nice, but it's not a coupe or a wagon.
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  #20  
Old 11-21-2014, 12:21 PM
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The car does look good. Like others, I am puzzled by the brake booster. If brake fluid spills, it does take paint off. But hard to see that happening over whole surface. If it is a replacement, then why put it in without painting it?

Is there some bubbling at rear window? If so, it would need fixing and top repainted. $500?

Maybe offer him $4500 if he can answer questions already raised. They are great cars but at it's age, be prepared to spend more money on maintenance going forward.
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  #21  
Old 11-21-2014, 01:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funola View Post
... I often wonder how people can tell condition of the car's paint from these lousy photos? Even with excellent photos, it's not possible to tell. You must see it in person before committing to buy.
X2

The paint looks much like any other factory paint I've seen - but that's just the impression I get from the pictures. As far as I can tell the car looks great. Great / good enough to go and see it. I'd hope not to be disappointed.
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  #22  
Old 11-21-2014, 02:01 PM
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Not so amused
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: West Quebec
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Quote:
Originally Posted by funola View Post
Even with excellent photos, it's not possible to tell. You must see it in person before committing to buy.
x2. The particular issue is when the photos were done. I have this feeling I have seen those photos before.... Now maybe it's the same car and it has been for sale for a while. Or?

That is how I got ripped off on my CD. The vendor used what I presume were the pics he was sent when he purchased it. At first I thought it was another car, but when I examined them carefully there were some tell-tales that confirmed it was the one I purchased, many years previous.

$5500 is a lot of cash to shell out for a w123 sight unseen. Caveat emptor.

I bought my current 300d on the basis of iffy pics but it was $1600 and I had confirmation of the low mileage (~88k) from documents the vendor provided. But I was holding my breath until the flatbed rolled up outside....
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2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

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  #23  
Old 11-21-2014, 03:47 PM
TheDon's Avatar
Ghost of Diesels Past
 
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totally repainted
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  #24  
Old 11-21-2014, 03:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zacharias View Post
x2. The particular issue is when the photos were done. I have this feeling I have seen those photos before.... Now maybe it's the same car and it has been for sale for a while. Or?
It seems it was on eBay before, but did not get sold:

Mercedes Benz 300 Series Diesle | eBay

I would get Carfax or equivalent and see how long he has owned it and what other work is recorded.
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  #25  
Old 11-21-2014, 04:27 PM
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Not so amused
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: West Quebec
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham View Post
It seems it was on eBay before, but did not get sold:

Mercedes Benz 300 Series Diesle | eBay

I would get Carfax or equivalent and see how long he has owned it and what other work is recorded.
Not impossible that I saw it on eBay but not likely either (unless someone here had asked for opinions on it then?).

I have bought a lot of cars off eBay but I only visit to look at the crazy ones from Cali now (when I hear about a $30k wagon, etc.).

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2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22
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