I am looking at a 1987 300D with 186000 miles on it. It has leather seats, and an aftermarket CD player installed in it. Supposedly the only items broken on it are the driver side rear window switch (the owner swapped in the switch from the front), antenna mast is bent, glow plug lamp is not working, and the rear dome light is not working. The current owner is the second owner. The vehicle is garaged, and there are no cracks in the dash or on the seats. The radiator and A/C compressor have been replaced. The vehicle's A/C supposedly blows cold. There is supposedly a minor door ding on one side. The asking price is $5500. I am wondering if this is a little high considering the mileage. Are there any specifc things I need to look out for while inspecting the vehicle? I was thinking of taking a look at the vehicle in person, but it is a 4 hour drive from where I live so I want to make sure it is worth looking at.

Thanks in advance.

-Steve

For that money, he should fix all the little quirks!

All the problems you mention are minor and the price seems fair, though it's always a good idea to try to negotiate. But you really need to test drive it and inspect it to have a clear idea. Test drive it without playing the radio and listen for abnormal sounds and feel for vibrations. Look for leaks, hard cold radiator hose, and oil in the coolant. Definitely test the AC too.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Thanks for all the responses so far. I talked to the owners again and apparently the vehicle is still for sale. I tried to get an idea of how flexible the owner is on the price and it seems that the owners might be willing to go down a few hundred dollars or more but it would depend on the problems I found.

The Kelley Blue book value is about $2875 for a 300D with that mileage from a private party and the NADA retail starts at a low of $2900 all the way up to a high of $4975. I have also been looking on EBAY for 1987 300D prices, and vehicles with roughly that mileage seem to run around $3000 to $4000. The most expensive one so far that I have seen was one for $13000 with only 69K miles on it. There was another one with 133K miles that sold for $6000.

If there were no major problems with the A/C, or a cracked head, or suspension issues then am I correct in assuming that the price is about right?



-Steve

Book values for old diesels are foolish.

Everything is determined by condition.

Condition, condition, condition.

But citing the book values might be a good idea to gain a negotiating advantage.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

I have gotten 2 1987 300 diesels in the past year with similar nagging problems and paid $2300 for our 300 TDT wagon with 187K milesand 2 weekends ago paid $2200 for my 300D Turbo with 240K. I feel their asking price is high but not completely out to lunch.

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Dean

WAY to high.... mine was $2,900 last winter. Got it on Ebay, a Georgia car. It had been in the south all it's life, 145,000 mi. needed about $600 of repair parts to put it back in tiptop shape. No rust anyware, Runs great, really moves on the road. Only running it in the summer with 100% homemade BIO at about $.60/ gal.

I have an 1987 300d for sale also. 139k miles, non-metallic red, cold a/c, very nice condition, $6,100. Performs better than any one you'll look at! I'm located in Ventura, Ca. E-mail me if interested. threebules@yahoo.com I have a brand new Sprinter van on the way.

a nice guy, who backed out on a deal of $3800 when the guy left a deposit but didnt return on time. He "wanted" me to have the car, I guess and its all I had. Granted the turbo wasnt working, but GSXR helped me fix that, and the AC was dead, and the control arms were shot, but thats stuff he didnt even really know about, he just honestly though the car was slow. Thats why he wanted to get rid of it, ironically his wife said it was too slow!! It only has 174K on it

The market for these cars has been growing fast for the last year, it is now pretty much what someone asks for their car at present. I paid $2600 for a very nice '83 240D back in Feb, and I bet if I went to Ebay and sold the car it would top $4000 before the dust cleared. However there are still cars out there that show up for sale in local papers of small towns to large cities for $2k or less, it just requires you being lucky enoungh to stumble across one. Personally I don't think anyone buying a 240/300D in excellent condition for $5k to $7k has paid too much for the car. A 240/300D car in excellent shape will still out live most modern cars in my opinion. I figure my 240D has at least enough time left in it to out live me, if I take care of the car.

I would rather pay $12 for an excellent 240D then $12k for a new Toyota Corolla, and the same goes for 300SD Vs Avolon.

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'10 Chrysler T&C Stow-N-Go White. Grandpa's ride.

'13 Chrysler 200 Touring Candy Red. Grandma's ride.

Age and cunning will always over come youth and vigor.

I bought my '87 300D a year ago and felt secure with the knowledge that the previous owner had all service and repair receipts and had only used Amsoil lubricants. This forum gave me the background to ask all the right questions, so the test drive only confirmed that it was a good one. Initial investment and parts (no labor) probably total $5500, but the car is everything hoped for and the journey getting there has been fun. Thanks forum members and Fastlane.

Within the past year or so, I've noticed a trend towards higher asking prices for the 1987 300D. They seem to averaging around $5500, and a few I've seen have as much as 250K! All claim to be in very good condition, and well cared for.

If true, are they worth what maybe the highest priced used cars on the market for their age and mileage?

BB

Do not buy an old MB without looking at it first!!!! I wouldn't trust a seller as far as I could throw them! Perfect example I just looked at a 300SD for a forum member on Sunday. He was very interested in what the owner said was a nice clean 300SD. Body 9 out of 10 no major rust. Well I took a look at it for him and the thing was a rust bucket. It was pretty much a parts car if the engine ran well. If not it was ready to be junked! I would never, unless I could back out buy an old car without being able to go through it.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200