I've fallen for a Diesel...actually two!!! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

acastell · #1 12-21-2003, 11:39 PM

Well, I bought, after years of wanting, a 1979 300SD. You may recall the car, $8900!

Well, I spent the past week putting 1,000 miles on the odometer (Filled up at 826 Miles with fuel still left in the Aux tank!)

Well, the driving experience is so overwhelming that I just purchased another one...a 1979 300TD (Non turbo) 3 speed auto.

So, thanks to all of you, I am now a two Merc Diesel family.

I bought the 300SD from Mr Diesel, so I knew the car was in Tip Top shape. This one however I bought on eBay.

The action just ended. Basic details:

- Looks to be a 2 owner car, From Southern Calif. No sign of any rust. (Not sure what 'looks' mean, probably not a good sign)

-Documented original miles of about 162,500 .

- Receipts for NEW Mercedes exchange engine and installation. Also some regular service and repair receipts.

This happened under the current owners watch. This was my 'buy' sign. Apparently, the man purchased the car for his wife to drive (from the original owner, a Dr in Pasedena). He wanted a reliable engine for his wife, so he dropped 6K for a new Engine from MBZ. So, with a long distance transactioon, I leaned in this fact and figured the people 'probably' took care of their 6K engine. The engine has 36K miles in 5 years, not much.

Here is the link...because the Auction ended, this may not work.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6330&item=2449193817&sspagename=rvi%3A1%3A1

If this does not work, I am sure you can do an 'Advanced Search' for completed items with 300TD in the search line.

Oh well, please provide feedback...the usual . Oh my god, what did I do" is setting in...actually, I am pretty excited as my buy price. $3,800 is much less than my 300SD

Anthony

Please excuse typos, 2 year old daughter on lap with the flu...

BoostnBenz · #2 12-22-2003, 12:08 AM

Wow over 40mpg sounds very nice!

My best tank so far in the 300DT was 34, might have been shortly after switching to summer fuel but was probably on winter. I was getting ~32 on a half dozen tanks with winter fuel before but it has been going down lately.

Anyway that looks like a very nice MB there, I prefer turboed but then again I'm BOOSTNbenz. My last three cars have had turbochargers.

acastell · #3 12-22-2003, 12:29 AM

Actually, I went 826 miles with the Aux tank. When I filled up, I put 15 gallons in the main fuel tank (full), then few gallons in the Aux tank. I do not want to overfill the Aux tank as there is no auto shut off, simply a hole for the nozzle.

I drove a 240D, 4 speed manual, on Saturday. I spent about 3 hrs behind the wheel, wow, what a great experience! It took some gettin' used to, but a real drivers car. No drifing off in la la land.

I am sure the wagon will feel like a dog compared to my SD, but that is all part of the fun.

I will report on the car when I get it to the bay area...

Thanks for the reply...

Anthony

BoostnBenz · #4 12-22-2003, 12:38 AM

How large is the auxillary tank? I figured 39.Xmpg using the fact that my 123 has a 21 gallon tank with reserve. Have you ever drove a turbo 123 to compare the 116 to? I'm almost tempted to pick one of those up next.

acastell · #5 12-22-2003, 12:43 AM

I am not sure of the size of the tank...the manufacturer sticker in the tank gives 2 phone #, both are ou of service. The company, Best Tank, has no presence on the web.

The previous owner went 950 miles this summer on a round trip to LA...still had some juice left in the Aux tank. The claim from the original owner is 1K range.

My only behind the wheel experience has been with my W116 Turbo and the 240D. The W116 is a dream...I cannot imagine a better car. Heck, I liked it so much, I just bought a car off of eBay!!!!

BoostnBenz · #6 12-22-2003, 12:59 AM

I almost forgot, the W116 is a turbo vehicle.

I bought both of my MBs off of ebay, I tried selling one there but no dice. I actually sold the other locally and still have one I bought on ebay.

acastell · #7 12-22-2003, 11:47 AM

Boostnbenz-

I hope my eBay car turns out to be a keeper as well!!!

ericnguyen · #8 12-22-2003, 06:25 PM

Dear acastell & BoostnBenz:

I believe that the auxiliary tank in acastell's 1979 300SD (W116) must be quite as big as the main tank (about 22 gallons per factory spec). I've never heard of any W116 300SD owner who could get more than 31mpg. It's usually in the range of 25 - 30 mpg.

Eric

acastell · #9 12-25-2003, 12:53 AM

Well, the eBay car arrived...unreal! The car is in better condition than I expected. I already had the car gone through.

No Rust
Engine is STRONG
Interior is immaculate
Paint is great

There are no faults except that the clock does not work...no worries.

I am amazed at the car! My first TD. I have found a new type of car to swoon over.

More to follow in the next few weeks....I have only put about 150 miles on the car, all today!

Merry Christmas All!!!!

Anthony

BoostnBenz · #10 12-25-2003, 01:00 AM

That is great acastell, congratulations. On my site there is a link to a page on how to fix the clock.

Merry christmas.

P.E.Haiges · #11 12-25-2003, 11:53 AM

acastell,

I have found that my '80 300SD holds 25 gallons even though the manual states about 23 gallons.

One way to find out how much yours holds is to run empty and fill.

I got a maximum of 31 MPH driving a steady 55 MPH. That was years and many miles ago, won't do that good anymore at 250,000 miles.

Aren't me lucky that some people are willing to sell their MBs at such low prices.

P E H

BoostnBenz · #12 12-25-2003, 12:14 PM

Have you tried this at several stations? Years ago that was a way for gas stations to make a little extra money, just have the meter spinning just a little bit to fast....

sfloriII · #13 12-25-2003, 02:34 PM

Looks great! Congratulations. I hope to have one like that someday.

whunter · #14 12-25-2003, 07:41 PM

Hello acastell
It is an illness. RE: I've fallen for a Diesel...actually two!!!
Rarely cured by lemons.
Have a great day.

unkl300d · #15 12-26-2003, 01:15 AM

Hey neighbor, good deal. You didn't even snipe it!

Anyway, try changing out the climate control amp which sits behind the glove comapartment(more or less).
This may bring your AC/heat back to life. It may not be the switch at all.
Once you pull it out, crack it open to observe whether it is kind of burnt on the inside. That is one clue indicating that it is bad.
Try to find a used one that works cuz a new one is $114.

www.silverstarrecyling.com (sacramento)

The 1979 is a nice car. Mine is peppy enough and I personally don't suffer the lack of turbo.

Happy New Year.

Den