This is the system the previous owner installed apparently.

https://www.carpartsdiscount.com/blend-doors-heater-control-servo-upgrade-kit.html?3593=53370

Those are sweet. I've had one installed for 6-7 years now and it's been great.
It's only shortcoming is that it eliminates the air recirculating function wich definitely is nice on hot summer days with the AC on. Easily modified to keep this function.

__________________
Current fleet
2006 E320 CDI
1992 300D - 5speed manual swapped

former members
1984 300D "Blues Mobile"

1978 300CD "El Toro"

I'd say for the most part, parts for these cars are very reasonable. Only big problem areas are HVAC and window regulators, which can be fixed but can cost a good amount of cash. Cosmetic parts can be expensive but that's really not an issue with this car.

Looking at the car, it looks nice. The exterior is in excellent shape. It may have been repainted but the chrome and more importantly the plastics of the lights are good too. If it was repainted, it was done well as evidenced by the door jams. Interior is not as great but it's not bad. It will clean up nicely and a few blemishes can be either left or you can replace the parts if you want to, such as the cracked wood. You could send that in somewhere to have it restored or buy a restored or good set off of ebay, will cost around $400. I personally would put the speaker covers back on if you can, it looks sorta bad to have those aftermarket speakers uncovered in the front

I do have the same concerns on rust and repairs as rob300SD. You should have a closer look, especially in the driver's door jam and the rear passenger side wheel well.

This car would qualify as condition 3 or 4 because of its miles but it's close to being a 3 just because the cosmetic shape very good. I'd say $5000-$5500 would be a good price but you should have them put the interior of the car back together, as well as get an estimate on the repair of the window regulator. If it is less than $150 or so, they should do that before selling the car to you. You can do the brakes and drive shaft work yourself if you have the tools needed. You can also regrease the sunroof yourself but you need to be careful to not get it on the headliner. That headliner could use some cleaning as well.

There are no pictures of the engine bay but also look in there as well. If it is not extremely clean besides the stated valve cover gasket leak, I'd knock the price down further.


As for diesel smoke, these do not smoke at all if they are properly tuned and the engine internals are good. How do I know that? My brother's 300SD with 150K on it does not smoke any, even on start up.

Also, I would not buy a 2006 Accord with $8k. I've driven my friend's 06 Accord and was not impressed. Sure it handles well, gets good fuel efficiency and is reliable but it was a terrible car to drive. The seats were terrible, though this was the base trim V6, I don't know if the other trims are any better. The interior is very bland and plastic. The terrible seats are made worse by the ride, which is very firm and not smooth. My other complaint would be throttle and brake response. Honda apparently couldn't make an electronically controlled car have good throttle or brake response because it feels like the throttle or brakes are either on or off, not much in between. They are incredibly touchy. You could probably get used to it but I didn't after driving it for 3 hours on a road trip, much of which was through city traffic. It does not respond like any other car I have driven, including other FWD cars.

__________________
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.

That fixes the most unreliable part, unfortunately the AC compressor is the 2nd most unreliable part on the car.

__________________
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.

Check out a few of these video's too, so you can have a better idea of what to look for when you see them in person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvRlRj06A0s

For $6000 the car should have no issues like this car does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuepVGnU3UM

Every hose and rubber bit should be new, soft, and supple. The rear drive shaft boots should be very soft and no signs of cracks, the rear fuel hoses should all be new, etc. Otherwise it's a $4000 car in my opinion.

I also would not pay $6000 for one of these unless I had a compression test and coolant leakdown test done by a third party mercedes mechanic (or Diesel mechanic at a Bosch centre). For two hours labour it could save you a real headache.

__________________
1987 300E

The seats in my 300SD hurt my back after a few hours. The rear bench horsehair had to be completely removed because it's rubberized and thus completely shot after 35 years and was crunching and falling out the bottom of the seat all over the floor. So I had to aquire and redo with foam.

The throttle in an Accord is like any other new car. It's instant, and the brakes work fast too. You would get used to it after a week or so. The 300SD you have to floor it, wait a minute for the rpm to rise and the turbo to react, and then take your foot off the gas to keep it steady. It's a totally different experience to a naturally aspirated vehicle. Suspension is firm in all Hondas. It's not an old man's ride for sure. The 300SD leans terribly in corners and is awful to try to control if you break the back end loose in a turn. It's a 4000 pound beast after all, but it's not as terrible as a 4000 pound american car of the same vintage.

__________________
1987 300E

People really have their rose coloured glasses on when it comes to these cars. I don't know what it is. Just old crappy cars people dump thousands of dollars into so they can live their dream of having a mercedes. I don't get it.

Well, don't worry. Like most people, you'll buy the car and then a year later you'll be trying to get rid of it when the honeymoon is over.

__________________
1987 300E

My concern when buying old cars is that the PO or shop in this case just slops through the motions to get the car out the door. I prefer unpainted to recent paint. There is no telling the quality of the prep job. The shop is only getting ready to flip the car. $5k is a significant amount to pay for an old car especially when you don't buy from the owner.

I have friends that sell aftermarket bodyparts to shops. Cheap and quick is the objective. Have you ever compared the cosmetics of cars sitting on a tote-the-note lot to those at a shopping mall? The lots do whatever is necessary to make them LOOK good. The rule is "You buy, You own."

I could fix a window or install a door panel. I can't/won't strip a crappy paint job or rebuild an engine unless the price was right. Take $3k & see if you get the car. Alternatively, see if you can drive it for a couple of days. A couple of days and you'll notice much.

__________________
85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

The degradation of the horsehair in the rear seats is down to the rear window seal leaking. Seal only costs $120 so if it's leaking it isn't expensive to replace It's about $600 for new pads, which isn't terrible but you can use foam. I wouldn't say they are the most comfortable seats but they are pretty good. I prefer the seats in a late W123 or late W201 to the W116, but the only complaint I have with the front seats in the W116 can be remedied with adding foam to the seat bottom to stiffen it up. You can buy parts from Mercedes to do that which don't cost much.

The 300SD leans in corners but it is a luxury car and shouldn't be driven like it is something else. It's a very relaxed cruiser which an Accord is not. I have driven plenty of other new cars that don't have the same throttle response issues. I misspoke, the Accord I drove was the I4, so base Accord with no frills. That being said, I have driven other modern FWD cars that I felt were smoother to drive such as diesel VWs of different flavors and a Saturn SL1. My friend says that the brakes on his Accord are probably bitey because the pads are worn (though I drove it like 14 months ago) but also hates the throttle response. I'm just saying that if he is looking for a large luxury car, he should stick to that instead of an economy car with no character.

__________________
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.

Rob - Curios why you have/keep a W116 SD? Seems you don't like the car very much.

Years ago a friend bought a 78 CD on the west coast. Washington state.

He hired the local MB dealer to do a PPI.

Went out there, drove it back here to Va.

Two issues, the voltage regulator failed, that was replaced and he went on his way.

Issue two, the primary fuel filter clogged a few times, he kept swapping it out until finally the system was cleaned out.

Good luck and keep us posted.

If you pick it up, I'd like to see it in person.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

The shop is only selling for the owner, who I believe has moved and that's probably why he's selling. I'll meet the owner there when we do the transaction. I imagine the owner is simply paying the shop some kind of commission.

Can you site a source for this idea of nanoparticles in diesel exhaust?

Why are so many school buses and city buses powered by diesel engines, if the exhaust is toxic?

I don't like to breath diesel fumes either, but I don't think that it is any more harmful than the exhaust from a gasoline engine. Diesel exhaust does not contain carbon monoxide, which is a real poison that can actually kill you or make you very sick, and CO gas IS produced by gasoline engines.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

$6k sounds reasonable IF there is NO RUST!!!

Rust is the killer. All the rest can be repaired / replaced, and and the vast majority by DIY.

The looks are classic, and I think that these are going to become collectible in 5 - 10 years time.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

I did laugh out loud to that one maybe all my senses have been dulled or maybe the ocean breeze makes the rose colored glasses that much rosier.

As to a 100 hours. Unless your a mechanic by trade I'm guessing the pros cut that number significantly. I do a lot of DIY stuff to all sorts of things and I guess my first try takes at least 60% longer than my second. I expect to spend 1000-1500 a year on repairs and that number is more often lower than it is higher.


I wouldn't call my love of the w116 300sd rose colored. I just base it on a real good ownership and driving experience. It's more about owning a cool old car than it is about owning a Mercedes for me.