Opinions on rough 300td
 

I've been looking at an '83 300td... description as below (sorry if I'm long-winded):
- drivers door lock tumbler has been removed
- needs new struts for the tailgate
- small crack in the valve cover (near fill cap)... I'll have to replace the valve cover with a used one (leaks quite a bit of oil thought the crack).
- some body damage... hood is a bit crooked
- there is a large crack in front of the front driver shock absorber... I compared this to my '85 300d and the crack is near where the weld on the '85 is (entire distance)... metal is damaged (rusted) near this and it probably can't be re-welded(?)... is this structural and un-safe? Sorry I wasn't able to get a picture.
- driver's door rubs a bit when opened,shut.
- not much rust to speak of otherwise.
- needs the usuals... new motor mounts, work on one window, center vents don't blow, leaks h20, etc. a/c unknown condition (not important to me).
- rear self-leveling system seemed ok though I'm not very familiar with this... I'll do some searching to learn a bit more.
- the car drove very well & shifted hard though 2-3 comes a bit earlier than in my '85 300D. Oh yeah, 245k on the clock.

I'll be using this as a secondary car and more of a work vehicle (hailing some smaller building materials in the wagon). Appearance isn't important and I should be able to take care of the motor mounts, valve cover, & minor stuff with no problems. I'm most concerned about the body (unless anyone has some concerns about why the valve cover was cracked). Any opinions on whether the crack along the inside weld in front of the driver side shock / coil is structural and/or dangerous? Otherwise, the car is worth the $800 asking price to me... I'm just a bit paranoid about the severity of the structural damage.

-John

more info
 

I almost forgot... the front drivers fender is not screwed to the front wall pillar. The holes seemed to line up ok so I'm not sure why this wasn't done.

Also - the oil dipstick tube was loose. Is this hard to fix? I'll do some searching on this one.

They should be paying you $800 to drive this heap off their lot.

To me, she sounds like a nice parts car...and that's about it.

That valve cover crack could be due ot a massive amount of blow-by that overwhelmed the crankcase ventilation system; did you pull the oil cap while the engine was running to see how much came out?

The structural thing may have to do with the steering. I've heard of others talking about the subframe cracking at that point due to unexpected pressure put on the steering gearbox, which is mounted in the vicinity.

The hood may be adjustable, depending on why it's crooked. However, the question I gotta ask here is why is there body damage? If the car was in an accident and wasn't properly repaired, there could be other issues that aren't visible or haven't manifested themselves yet. Actually, that crack could be another symptom, as could that rub in the driver's door.

Obviously, it's your decision :) but I'd be concerned about the front end...

Good luck! :)

a bit more info
 

The car was definitely in an accident... I've attached a picture to try & show where the crack was. I didn't notice any obvious pulls left or right or looseness in the steering. The PO says he's been driving it this was for two years & I believe him considering the rust & road grime around the crack.

Parts car. IMHO.

In my personal opinion, don't buy this car for anything other than an absolute beater or a parts car. And I'd give no more than $300 for it then. There not all that rare.. Keep looking.

Thanks for the input... I've decided to forgo the wagon. Guess I'm getting pretty anxious to consider this one. After thinking about it I'd rather spend more $ for one in nicer shape.

-John

Just noticed you have a Rocco! Great car..


Good man on passing on that TD, with as many of these cars as there are around, with the possible exception of the CD's, I see no reason right now to start off with anything less than an un-wrecked and un-rusty example.

Keep hunting..