Thinking about getting this car:

1986 Mercedes 300SDL turbo diesel

I hope no one here sees it and buys it ahead of me. The car calls out to me. Somebody convince me I am wrong.

(not sure if this is the ideal forum for the thread, please asvise)

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Reasonable price for a nice rust free specimen. I'd see what you can find out about the maintenance history. An SDL where maintenance has been deferred can turn into a lot of money in a hurry.

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14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 154k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 172k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver, 142k mi, wastegate conversion

19 Honda CR-V EX 61k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife

Excellent call. I'll go have a look see and see what sort of paper trail he has.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Run the engine for a few minutes, then shut it off. While standing back a reasonable distance, open the coolant tank cap. If the pressure is waaay excessive, it probably has a cracked cylinder head. Not uncommon on that engine.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Good advice. Is that something you might not notice in a test drive?

Brian Carlton used to rave about the engine in the SDL, a six.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

probably not

It is worth checking to see if it still has the original #14 head though. It may have been replaced by now and its easy to check. Do a quick google search on it and you'll see pictures of where to look for the casting number.

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2004 F150 4.6L -My Daily
2007 Volvo XC70 -Wife's Daily
1998 Ford F150 -Rear ended
1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
1982 BMW 733i -fixed and traded for the 420SEL
2003 Volvo V70 5 Speed -scrapped
1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

If when you arrive there and the engine is cold. If the upper rad hose is hard you may have head problems. The head problems these engines are noted for may be a bargaining point. Look at the condition of the engine coolant as well. Actually I probably would take along a cheap kit to test for products of combustion in the coolant on any of the early 603 engined cars. Now with a much newer head perhaps not so critical.

When I buy a used car I size up the seller first. To me it is odd but if I am not fairly comforatable with them I usually do not buy their car.

We have an '87 SDL, wonderful car but manage your expectations. Depending on where it spent most of its life, rust free is a relative term.

I like it on the highway better than my 123, much smoother ride. Unfortunately, it's currently a project car since we need to replace the entire engine wiring harness (dunno how common this is on similar cars)

I'll echo the other sentiments here. Check if the #14 cast head has been replaced, look at the condition of the coolant in the reservoir, get under the car and open all the doors/trunk to thoroughly look for rust, since I'm usually skeptical of someone who advertises rust free. Chances are you'll probably have to attend to some at some point in the near future.

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Never be ashamed to ask for help.

1985 300D
1987 300SDL
1970 Jaguar E-Type OTS
2002 Dodge Intrepid (Traded In)
2011 Ford Crown Victoria