This morning, I saw a 1983 300D TurboDiesel for sale on the side of the road. I had to stop. Overall, the car appears to be in good condition. A few dents and scratches on the exterior surface and no visible signs of body rust. Paint still has some shine, but could be better.

I called the owner. Here is what he told me. The car has 110,000 miles. He purchased from a doctor 6 years ago when it had 86,000 miles. He has records for the first 86,000 miles. He has done no major work since he has owned it other than change the oil every 3,000 miles with Shell Rotella. The car has a sunroof and has never been in an accident. He told me the air conditioner does not work.

I am going to drive this car sometime this week. I will write does the VIN and spend the money to generate a carfax report if I want to proceed. What other things should I be looking for with this older vehicle?

I currently own a 1998 E300 TD and have been using this site for months and reading about the older versions of the TD. Makes me want to get one. I have a 130 miles per day commute and would rather put those miles on an older TD and save my 1998.

Any thoughts or ideas will be much appreciated.

SpannMan

If its as you have described I would say $1000-$1500. Likely the front-end need some bits, maybe $200-$300. The ACC will likely set you back $500-$1000 if you can't do it yourself. If the car is really tight and everything is right except for the ACC it may be worth as much as $3500. Depends what the owner wants for it. Maybe a steal at $500. Make sure you start it from dead-cold and pay attention to how fast the starter cranks, how quickly the engine starts and smooths out, etc. Having 2nd person watch the exhaust on startup will tell you much about engine condition. Check it out and report back. RT

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When all else fails, vote from the rooftops!
84' Mercedes Benz 300D Anthracite/black, 171K
03' Volkswagen Jetta TDI blue/black, 93K
93' Chevrolet C2500HD ExCab 6.5TD, Two-tone blue, 252K

I appreciate the feedback. I was not able to find any information at Edmunds back to 1983. The seller is asking $4200. He is considers the automobile to be in excellent shape. I would call it average to good shape.

If my schedule permits, I may drive it this week and I will certainly report back my findings.

SpannMan,

Usually the way is to take the book value and subtract the cost of any repairs that need to be made or have the owner get it fixed and pay him what he is asking.

Of course this depends on you finding all the things that need to be fixed. You might take to a competent mechanic for evaluation.

It might be in above average condition because of the low milage (about 1/2 the average) for the year of the car. It will probably give you 100,000+ miles of survice with no major repairs.

P E H

Two things appeal to me here.

1) The apparent mileage (if you can verify). This is important for the compression of the engine and the shape of the tranny.

2) No rust. The key is to get miles on these puppies (300k +) before they fall apart.

If those are truly in place, the car is worth quite a bit when compared to what it will pay (years and years of dependable service). Perhaps the market would only say 2000-2500 but I'd pay more if I was confident in the above two issues.

Don

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DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed