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  #16  
Old 08-20-2015, 11:53 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Alaska
Posts: 537
My 2 cents for what it's worth: odometer readings to me are meaningless. When shopping for a second hand vehicle (never owned a new car) I pay little to no attention to it. I've once bought a car with 60k miles on it (it was 20 years old when I bought it) and it was terribly worn out. I junked it after 10 months. I've had a 160K Mazda Protege (different from my current one) that was fine. Betsie has 280 on her almost, but I never checked if the odometer works reliable. Never paid attention to it, don't really care.
I'd much rather have a higher mileage car that has seen a lot of highway than a city commuter that sat in stop&go traffic for 2 hours every day.

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"The MB W123 is so bulletproof, you can drive them forever. Which is a good thing as it takes that long to get anywhere."
Betsie: 1984 W123 300D (hobby, 280k miles)
Myrla: 2001 Mazda Protege 2.0 ES 5spd (daily driver, 130k miles)
The Turd: 2007 Toyota Camry (wife's car, 118k miles)

Last edited by vstech; 08-26-2015 at 12:35 AM.
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  #17  
Old 08-21-2015, 01:09 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 25
Hey guys, I wanted to give you a little update.

After I got off work, I immediately took the car for a spin. I got it nice and hot and then did the blow by test. I don't know how definitive it is, some people say it's great, some say it means nothing. When I removed the oil cap, a little smoke came out, but far less than what billows out of my 1980 Eldorado with 140K on it. I set the oil cap on the valve cover and it barely moved. It didn't vibrate, wobble, or anything. It just spun a little as the engine vibrated.

In comparison, the 240D I looked at blew the cap all over the place (never left the hole, though) and it billowed smoke.

Yes, I did mean that it gives just a little puff when starting from a stop. A small amount of smoke at idle that clears up quite a bit after it warms up. No noticeable smoke once it's moving, whether on the freeway or climbing a hill at wot.

Isn't this a compression test in itself? If the blow by test is enough to show that the car still has good compression, I'd like to save the guy the money on the inspection he offered. If it's still a good move, then so be it. I just don't want to be an a-hole.


Thanks,
Dan
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Current Vehicles:
1983 300D Turbo-DD
2006 Lincoln Town Car-rolling sofa
1950 Chrysler Windsor- Good original barn find, running and driving project. 96,500 miles.
1980 Cadillac Eldorado. Tripple Yellow-needs work, going up for sale

Previous:
1986 Chevrolet Camaro Iroc-Z - sold
1985 Yamaha VMX1200C "V-MAX"- wrecked 10-19-11. Please watch for motorcyclists.
2003 Cadillac Seville STS- sold
1992 Ford F-250 7.3L IDI- sold
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  #18  
Old 08-21-2015, 10:05 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: central Texas
Posts: 17,281
I posted a link already to the garbage bag blow up....while mostly a funny thread... read it at least till you see WHunter's post....

a puff of smoke at start up but no smoke after that... indicates the need for new VALVE STEM SEALS... some tedious labor.. but parts are cheap... and gives on the chance to throw on new valve springs , valve rotators , and valve adjusting nut and cap... a relatively cheap and great Preventative Maintenance procedure since you have already done all the labor by getting down to the valve stem SEALS replacement.

I do think the valve adjustment should be done by someone good..

but I think that independent testing companies...' lemon buster types'.... because THEY DO NOT DO ANY REPAIR.... and thus do not care what they find... are good to use...
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  #19  
Old 08-21-2015, 11:08 AM
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 2,544
I'd keep it. Throw $200 at new injector nozzles and check the timing chain stretch, then you're set for another 100k
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  #20  
Old 08-21-2015, 03:09 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Middle TN
Posts: 4,154
Two things. Post pics. Bring the car to my house & I'll buy it. You bought a 30 yr old car that looks and drives nice with little blow-by and are worried about the odometer?
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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.
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  #21  
Old 08-25-2015, 03:12 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 25
I picked the car up today, the mechanic said it's in fine working order. He said it was a good car, that I should just run it, and fix whatever fails as soon as it does (so the car doesn't accumulate problems). He was currently restoring a neat 60s Benz. I paid the seller back for the bill in cash. He was the first person to actually stand behind something that I purchased, which shocked me. I admired what he did and his character.



Conflicting requirements? No, no. I wanted to be sure that I was getting what I paid for. An old car with a solid engine and transmission. The money paid was well worth that. Nothing makes it a "better" car, but at least I know that I got what I expected (what was advertised, numbers disregarded). I did not expect anything to get "better", nor did I want it.



I'm not very familiar with these vehicles, but give me 6 months and I will be. Most vehicles don't last like these do. 200K miles on a Cadillac is hell. I've had two with fewer than 150K. If they had 250K on them with 150K on the odometer, oh boy. On a diesel Benz, I guess it isn't as big of a deal.

Honest question- Would you guys honestly purchase a car that had a stated amount of miles and not be upset when you found that the seller left out a key detail? Would you not bring it up? If he/her offered to have it checked out or take it back, would you not take their offer up on it? "Naw, don't worry about it man, $#!t happens!" Foolish. I don't really see where I took advantage of him. I kept in touch, I paid him back. I didn't ask for a price reduction, and I knew from the start that I wasn't going to try and beat him down more than what we agreed on in the first place.

Maybe I just have a different upbringing from you. If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same thing.

I'm happy with the car. It's quirky. It reminds me of my old cars. I miss the rattles and the hiccups that my old cars had. It has character and it's stately, something that modern vehicles lack. I just wanted a good drivetrain, and I have that. I'm satisfied.

I'm too busy driving my "new" Benz

__________________
Current Vehicles:
1983 300D Turbo-DD
2006 Lincoln Town Car-rolling sofa
1950 Chrysler Windsor- Good original barn find, running and driving project. 96,500 miles.
1980 Cadillac Eldorado. Tripple Yellow-needs work, going up for sale

Previous:
1986 Chevrolet Camaro Iroc-Z - sold
1985 Yamaha VMX1200C "V-MAX"- wrecked 10-19-11. Please watch for motorcyclists.
2003 Cadillac Seville STS- sold
1992 Ford F-250 7.3L IDI- sold

Last edited by vstech; 08-26-2015 at 12:40 AM.
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