Gettin' ready to pull the trigger - has been pulled!
 

Getting ready to buy a 1982 300TD-T.

But before I buy, I have a few questions, and need some re-affirmations!

- Given that the car has "only" 185k miles, does $2800 sound like a good deal? Considering that I've been looking for a wagon for almost a year now, and that I've seen lesser specimens for TWICE the price, I'm inclined to jump all over this one. However...

- ...what kind of defects/imperfections/disorders should I put up with for that price? The owner has not said anything about rear suspension problems, but did admit to an intermittent a/c. What about turbo problems - what should i look for and ask about?

- Cosmetic imperfections are there (faded paint on the hood and roof), but it will be a daily driver, so I'm not too concerned about that.

This will be my first "used car" purchase, but I did my research and absolutely knew that I wanted a 1981-1985 diesel wagon, so this falls right in there.

Any thoughts, warnings, advice, etc? Thanks everyone.

Sounds like a good price. I paid pretty much the same for my former 1982 300D with 169K miles on it. The AC intermittent problem can be faulty switches on the receiver dryer. Cheap fix. It could also be the control panel. Make sure the compressor isn't making any funny noises.

Just noticed something funny in this forum - is it actually polite/cool to post messages requesting free CarFax reports?

If it's not cool, please dismiss my dorky request...

Thanks,

joeblowe @ hotmail.com

Check rear ride height and rear tires -- a drooping rear self-leveling suspension can be expensive to fix. If it rides really hard and the rear end bounces around, it needs new accumlators, not too bad.

Check for oil consumption, a history of good maintenance, and for the usual used car stuff -- brakes need to work properly, no locking, grabbing, or pulling. There should be no evidence of oil drips (diesels usually leak some one, especially at this milage, but drips on the drive can mean trouble. This is variable, report on what you see!).

Reject car if it makes funny noises from the rear end -- grinds, whines, or roars. A bad exhaust wouldn't shock me, expect to pay about $300 for it, plus installation, it will last another 15 years and 150,000 miles. Don't put a cheap one on, it will die in a couple years.

Car should steer straight, not pull to either side, shouldn't have excessive play in the steering and shouldn't wander on the highway. Check tires for uneven wear -- cupping means new shocks, not a surprise at 185,000 miles, but serious feathering can mean suspension work.

Groan or creaks going over bumps in front means new track rod bushing, not a huge expense. Bump steer and wander on the road can mean new track rod bearings, this is more expensive.

You should only see a small amount of black smoke out the back under heavy acceleration, but you should see some. Heavy black smoke usually means trouble. Blue smoke means turbo seals are gone or the engine is shot (in which case it will be very hard to start).

Car should start easily and run fairly smoothly. This is a 5-cylinder diesel, so expect some "knock" and a lot more vibration than a gas car. Shouldn't rattle the sunroof or your teeth. Long cranking time and white smoke when it does start usually means glowplugs -- blue smoke means engine wear. Heavy knock and thumping can mean serious engine problems, but could also mean a bad injector.

Harsh transmission shifts can be a vacuum leak or modulator valve, not to expensive. Slipping shifts usually mean tranny trouble, figure $1500.

You will feel the turbo come on at about 2000 rpm -- should be a fairly noticable increase in power. If not, could mean new turbo, could mean plugged boost control lines.

Just a short list! Tell us more about it when to test drive it.

Peter

Talking to you as if you were me..It's an old car, plan on thousands in repairs/maintenance no matter how well the owner took care of it or what records he has. Once you get it there, it will last a long time, those are great cars. Just don't kid yourself like me.
I bought mine for $5000and expected to put little in it. $9000 later, I almost have the car I want. Of course, that's at the point where interior is almost pfect and I can trust driving it about anywhere and no vibrations,..etc. I like to keep the car nice and want it reliable. Many others on this forum have spent the same money too. Diesels are worth the money in my o, because the engine and drivetrain tend to last 100k's longer than gas. I don't know about your year but my Mercedes has a very solid body and frame with no rust as well.

Joe Blowe,

Get a compression test done at a dealer or independent that knows what a Diesel compression test requires for tools. I know some people think this is dangerous but my dealership does it safely - get a wet and dry compression test followed by a leak down test to assess the health of the engine. These tests check the overall effectiveness of the valve and piston to cylinder seals, and then provide insight into where any problems lie (either the valves are leaking, the piston ring to cylinder walls are leaking, or both if there is a low compression issue).

A quick check to see if the engine is worth investing in a compression test is to take the oil fill cap off with the engine running at idle. It will puff a little smoke out in any case, but if it is enough to make putting the cap back on a challenge, the engine is probably shot. This test checks the volume of blow by at idle, which is an indication of the health of the cylinder bore/piston ring fit. Lots of blowby means bigger clearances, which are not good.

Also look for obvious things like oil leaks, water leaks, water in the oil, oil in the water (coolant), and listen for unusual noises. This is a Diesel and it will make noise, but if you listen to one running correctly, all the noise is very orderly and repeatable. The machine has a beat to it, and anything not in the beat is an error. Surging and odd noises for a Diesel are not good signs.

If the engine is good, and the body is rust free, you have a reasonable car for the money (asking $2800 should get you the car for around $2200 or so, maybe less if there are fewer Diesel fans in the area.) and pouncing would be good. Remember it will take a little care and a new part now and then to keep it really running well. But with that care you get a machine that will last another few hundred thousand miles. Good luck, Jim

thanks for the input everyone. it's gonna be real helpful to have all these tips by my side during inspection.

i'm just itching to snap this baby up, but i'm going to stay focused and hopefully not do anything too rash...

wish me luck, and i'll report back.

Go Biodiesel!!
 

The price is fair for the car depending on all the checks from everyone else. Have you ever considered (heard of )Biodiesel? It is a way of making your own fuel(also available commercially) which is non toxic!

Biodiesel is a Methylester made from vegetable oil.(used or new) Basically you make diesel from veggie oil by adding a couple of readily available products, agitating and then letting it settle overnight. You get pure clean burning non toxic diesel and glycerine(soap)!

No black smoke!
75% less particulate!
90% less toxicity!
More(minimum 10%) power due to a higher Cetane level!
Chicago Fire Dept. after a 100,000 mile engine breakdown noticed that the engine was spotless and that the injectors only had a light coating of oil on them!! and the old engine oil was difficult to descern from the new by appearence.
Hence the engine will last TWICE as long (we are talking over a million here!)

Anyone who knows diesel knows that the above are unheard of for diesels!

BioD is required in much of Europe so the cars are made for it

You can make it for around $.60/gallon US

You become the solution instead of continuing to be the problem

Any Questions? http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html#3choices


El Jefe de Biosmell
1984 300T(B)D-T 285,000 and running like a top!
1967 280 Black Queen Beauty

I'm in Louisville, KY. A master Mercedes technician has a wagon for sale for 2400. Its in real good shape. It was his personal car for several years. Lots of new or rebuilt parts. If interested, let me know and I'll get his phone number. Ernie

Joe Blowe,

By the way, it is cool to ask for someone to run a CarFax report for you. If you post a specific message with that in the title/subject, you will do better than leaving it buried in the thread you have going here. Good luck, Jim

buy a diesel
 

call me lucky! i bought my first diesel ,a '84 300d on ebay auction august 2001 out of jacksonville fla. car had 147k . i have driven the car 27k miles to date.i just love it! gets 27 mph running the air.igot it to n.c. and did full service on car ,all belts, hoses,fluids and had valves adjusted.my mechanic said come back in 80k miles and i believe it to be true.meantime i change oil every 4k miles ,does not use a drop but it does drop a little on garagr floor over night--i can live with that. diesel fuel 1.23 a gal.love it!!!

well everyone, there's a new Wagon owner in the forum!

the checklist i put together from all the suggestions worked well. everything seems to be in order, except for a few small quirks. one of the windows was working this morning, but eight hours later it's kaput.

i'll post more later in another thread - i have a lot of questions (but first i'll search the board...).

Joe Blowe,

Congratulations and welcome to the brotherhood of Diesel owners. I hope you enjoy the car as much as the rest of us enjoy ours. Good luck, Jim