BTW check the motor mounts. A leaking injector line, IP, or hand pump will drip fuel on the motor mount(driver's side). Not a big deal, but still a lot of work to change out. I don't put much faith in MB odometers. It is too easy to pull the instrument pod & take apart the odometer to perform a 'clock repair'. Add that to frequent failures of the odo gears and most odometer readings are not believable/reliable. Buy the car not the odometer reading.

The Ebay ad states that the car went through the California smog check. This is baloney as California exempts diesels of this age from an emissions check. One deception normally means there are others.

Ebay is not as good a place to find a car as perhaps it once was even. Too many curb siders and used car dealers using it now. Plus by and large they want or expect unrealistic inflated prices. Hence the high reserves.

To buy one without having it checked out first is really rolling the dice. Even worse the person checking it out has got to know what they are doing.


Say you buy something and find out the rear engine seal is leaking for example. The engine has to be removed to repair it. Or there is a pile of problems because of little mainteneace or high real milage not disclosed.

Ideally (and perhaps foolishly), I am looking for a 300D to drive full-time, without backup. My wife won't allow me to have two cars, and our driveway would be pretty tight. Am I insane?

I found (and nearly bought) an '82 that has been so well taken care of, but wasn't sure about the price. $8500 delivered to my door, 120k, new brakes, tires, no rust, leaks or any issues with vacuum or accessories at all.

Seems like the drivetrains are always pretty solid and that it's little stuff that presents problems.

I don't mean to be a killjoy, but when you buy a 30 year old car, and that is your only means of transportation, you had better think twice or three times about that idea.

These older cars require a lot of time, effort and money to keep them going, and when you buy a used one, you are buying a pig in a poke. No matter what the owner tells you he or she did, take it with a grain of salt. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

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96 E300d

It could also be a sign that the car was taken care of, not a lot of folks have an MB battery in their W123. Those who do typically are proud of it. The clean brake fluid reservoir could also be a sign it was just recently serviced but the missing booster paint says it might be the original, if not old enough, to be added to the list of replacements in the future.

The coolant reservoir is the original to the car, with the center dimple.

The air cleaner corrosion could be battery acid. Mine has the same thing in a certain spot. I am just lazy to replace the lid. In your case might as well repaint it or get a used air cleaner assembly if it bothers you that much.

The door vinyl covers for the window frames also looks intact, I'd say this is a well-kept car. It has the original Becker Europa stereo, like my '83 did. Maybe the ad just doesn't present itself due to suspicions of covering up some things. Do your due diligence and have it thoroughly inspected if you like.

Not sure if that is the original interior though

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AMEN to that!

To the OP you are kinda insane to buy one, no matter the price or mileage and use it as a primary mode of transportation....I daily drive my cars and have been every where with them....but I have two....When one is down, it is down....check out my thread below....a job you think will take a weekend....takes a month....

You also MUST! be very mechanically inclined, able to fix things from lawn mowers to computers.....

When you are looking at any of these pricey low mileage cars....ask for a list of oil changed...think its 3-5k or every 3 years...If an owner can break out a spread sheet with the services on it...then you may have something to daily drive with out any issues....but remember that just because they are 35yo doesn't mean the maintenance stops....it just gets worse...

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Oil changes are 3-5k and every 3-6 months. Severe service is 3k miles and 3 months.

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'84 190D 2.2 5MT (Red/Palomino) Current car. Love it!
'85 190D 2.2 Auto *Cali* (Blue/Blue) *sold*
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Knew it was 3- to something....I usually so in sink with the cars I can tell when its time....carbon builds up so fast in the oil, so many people don't understand that in a diesel engine the oil acts as a detergent hints the 3-6month oil change interval....Thoughts go, the less an engine is driven the more moisture that will build up in the oil thus if you don't take the car for weekly drives the 3-6mo will insure that moisture is flushed from the system...

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My guess is someone degreased the engine. The degreaser ate at the paint, no biggy

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Closing the store
Benzbonz.biz on your smart phone or tablet.

Currently $2550, which isn't bad for a CA car in Atlanta since it costs $1000 to ship one. But, surprised the reserve is still higher. It appears it was well maintained and garaged, since I see no sun damage. The headlamp "doors" are excellent, but could be after-market. The main thing would be to check the motor for excessive "blow-by" while idling (many posts), if you can see it in person before bidding.

Re daily driver, what gets most people is "dead battery" and that is as common in a new car. Indeed, new cars run down the battery just sitting 2 weeks in an airport parking lot, which has become a common problem. I put a "Battery Brain" on all my cars, and has earned its keep. I recently had 2 gold-top batteries from Autozone that failed after 6 months (in different cars), so no assurances. A portable jump starter can get you to work, but don't know if they can handle our diesels. If compression is low, winter mornings will be a pain. You may need to plug a block heater into 120 VAC each night.

Once started, these old diesels are the most dependable engine there is since it needs no electricity. If you don't have a backup car, you will be frustrated by maintenance that takes more than a weekend, but true in many cars. There are only a few things that would disable you. Most would just be a nagging problem. You can live for a while with worn ball joints, bad vacuum (lift hood to stop engine), leaking coolant, and many other common problems.

On the plus side, these cars won't present the almost intractable problems that many 2000+ cars do from their over-reliance on electronics. People have worked on them so long that they know all the tricks and common failures, which you can find by searching here.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans