For Sale, Beautiful, Original '82 300TD
 

This car was pampered by the original owner who was an older couple. He past away and she didn't drive it much for the last 5 yrs. When we bought it in 2004 we were not even looking for a car but my wife and I both fell in love with it because of it's fantastic original condition and good classic looks!! We have only put 2K miles on it since we bought it, It now has 76K miles. "We" have accumulated 6 vehicles, a bus and other goodies since we bought this and i just need to sell something so i think this beauty would be well suited for someone else that appreciates such vehicles!!
This truley is a gorgeous original car, all paint, interior etc. Underneath and engine bay are just as clean. It still has the original unused tool kit and first aid kit. Being a MB forum i probably don't need to explain that this is a 5 cylinder 3.0L turbo diesel but i guess I just did any way. From what i have read this is well known for its longevity and durabilty (you don't learn this by driving 2K miles;)). I am not exagerating by saying that the tan MB tex and remainder of the interior looks like new. The 300TD floor mats are not covering anything but beutiful orginal carpet.
This car drives fantastic and has never failed to start or run as it should!
It has the usual power goodies:
Power windows
Power locks
Power brakes, 4 wheel disc
Power steering.
Original AM/FM Cassette
Manual Moon Roof (not glass)
Included is a set of 3 MB shop manuals, Engine, Chassis and Body ($242)
Very nice heavy cotton cover ($200)
New front calipers.
New dash light rehostat.
New tach sensor.
New brake hoses.
New K&N Filter.
New Interstate battery.
New fuel lines.
New tires just before we bought it.
Other bits serviced:
Trany, fluid and filter.
Rear differential.
Brake system bled.
The AC needs serviced, does not blow cold. We always drove it in mild weather so i never felt any urgency on this. I do not know what it needs.

This car looks even more impressive in person.
Asking $12,000
Located in NE Indiana (Kendallville)

Contact me, Tom, how ever you like:
email tom@reliabletool.com
cell 260-242-0509
work 260-347-4000 #239
home 260-347-1669

I am on vacation, away from work and home phone until Sunday 03/29/09.

Thanks for looking!!
Stay tuned, pictures to follow.

$12,000 huh? and no pics? Service records? How many miles on it 76K miles total? Can this be verified (not calling you a liar but odometers on these are famous for breaking and can be easliy tampered with)? In Indiana you will need a lot of pics to prove it has no rust and at $12,000 asking price you will need even more pics. If the car is in the shape you say it is it is worth a considerable amount of money.

Hold on, i am currently working on the pics.....i am not too techno savy, bear with me!!
Yes, 76K total......see pics.....gimme a minute.

You'll probably not get anywhere near $12k for it, especially here on the forum. Your best bet would be Ebay.

Here is a link to another forum that I am running a ad, lots of great pics:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/vehicles-trailers-sale-wanted/273727-sale-gorgeous-82-mercedes-300td.html

Every time i click on "post reply" i get an error and kicked off the web. i am currently on a broadband card..may be the problem, not sure, BUT, this link has a lot of good photos.

Here is the "skinny" on service records....longish story, bear with me. Most of you have probably not heard of Kruse International but it is a big auction company that specializes mostly in cars. They are located in Auburn Indiana, ten minutes from my house. They have a huge auction facility and they conduct a huge classic car auction every Labor Day weekend for the last 40 yrs. In addition to the auction they have a "Car Corral" where you can park your car in the grassy area for the weekend and try to sell it, not running it through the auction. My family and I have been going to this event since I was a kid, great place to just drool over 1,000's of cars. Well, the Car Corral is where we found this 300TD. The owner, a women in her 80's that was evidently "slipping" had a friend of the family, sounds like persuaded by other family members, try to sell this car for her. So this guy (friend of the family) was in the Car Corral selling a couple other imports (BMW's and Jag's) and had this car with his cars. The old couples name was on the title and i believe i made a copy of the title before I put it in my name. I also asked about records and he did not have any. Honestly, after looking the car over, inside and out, underneath and every where possible, I had absolutly no doudt this this car was the real deal and still feel that way, even stronger since owning it and getting to know it even more over the last 5 years.

OK thanks....please look at the pics and give me your honest opinion what you think it is worth.

Second that, eBay seems to bring the best prices for cherry old MB diesels.

Jim

Wow, that looks like a beauty! I'm not doubting the car is worth $12,000, its just unlikely someone in here would pay that much. Given the condition I don't think you are to far off. +1 on trying e-bay. Oh yea, and ditch the K&N.

3rd motion on the the eBay idea. With more photos and a lengthy description it should fairly easily catch 8-12k in the first round. Be careful with scammers, though.

I imagine you are sitting pretty well on this thing. Good for you for seizing the opportunity, but you might try driving it a little more. These really are fantastic cars, and worth keeping as fine of an example as this.

Love the color, is that Labrador Blue? :cool:
But for anything close to or especially above 10k, the A/C should be working properly first & foremost...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...r/f7438742.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...r/dbae167b.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...r/3c322736.jpg

He must have editing that in after the original post, certainly deduct 2k for non-operational AC.

8-9k is more like it

Working AC is a must if you are gonna go above 10K. If the Ac system needs some expensive AC parts then someone is gonna overpay for it.

No I didn't edit that in, evidently you missed it.

But i will take the comments on the AC into consideration.

I am not sure what the color is called but i can let you know when i get home from vaca.

So, if I get the AC fixed by a MB dealer and show documentation, could it be worth closer to my asking price, maybe $11K?

Let me explain my position. I do not have the MB knowledge that most of you have. This is the only MB we have owned although we have owned a lot of different cars....not new cars and a total of 6 German made cars. My passion is for LandCruisers but I love about anything on four wheels that is nice.......that is why we bought this car. My hobby is to work on what i own and learn from it. That is my "thing", as i call it. I am truely trying to get a handle for what this car is worth and sell it, not trying to rip anyone off. I am not selling because of the money, more for the storage space. We didn't buy it 5 yrs ago to make money on it, we bought it because of what it is. I am not a salesman or a scammer and really, really want to avoid ebay. i do understand how someone new (myself) on a board can be scrutinized. I am a member of MBCA and my local chapter.
If anybody here is truely interested in this car at a certain price I would definately be open to getting the AC fixed at Shaver Imports (MB dealer) in fort Wayne IN.

Any thoughts?

Tom

Well without working AC and service records 12K might be pushing it I really think that 7-8K is a good place off of ebay. However I am the +millionth person to say ebay that and well you might get your 12K. Good luck its a great car. I personally would keep it.

What's the big aversion to ebay? People who are not salesmen love auctions. It is, what it is, and there it is, high bid takes it, no salesmanship about it.

I've just not heard much positive feedback from people i know who have used ebay from a selling standpoint, not as a buyer. Really just as simple as that. I guess i won't completely rule it out.

That is the nicest looking wagon I have ever seen! :eek: Wow. So clean! The engine compartment is immaculate! :dizzy2:

You can fix the A/C by doing it yourself for less than/around $500 if you want to go that route. I bought a Delco R4 compressor for $245, Freon 12 for $16 per pound, drier and expansion valve $50, various O rings, flush and oil $40, vacuum/recharge station off craigslist for $50. It was fun work and it's a good thing to learn to avoid $2000+ A/C repair bills, which I imagine the MB dealer will charge, especially if they want to convert to R-134a (don't do that, and MB or cold A/C enthusiast will want r12)

Thanks, much appreciated!!

Thanks, i will definately consider that, especially if the dealer is going to be close to $2k.:eek:
I spent less than that on my DD.

The work isn't hard, it's removing the A/C parts, pouring flush through hoses (use an empty dish soap bottle to pour A/C flush solvent) and blowing them out with compressed air many times, you need a SAE (The A/C fittings are all standard) flarenut wrench for the expansion valve(remove pass side kick panel & glove box to reach) nuts since they are brass and want to strip, NAPA sells this wrench.

If your wagon is still r12 I highly recommend keeping r12, or deconverting back to r12 if it's r-134a. I went back to 12 from r-134a, best thing I've done to my car. To buy R12 you can take an online quiz from ASE for $15, then buy cans of it off ebay.

Great info..Thanks again!!

i'm driving to saint louis have derburger fix my a/c

Anybody live close by this car? Another set of eyes on this car would be nice.

I would be willing to meet someone if they are not wanting to come to me.

Did I miss the discussion of whether there are any rust issues with this shiny bauble?

If you look at every area of this car, underneath, rockers, under doors, around the rear hatch, engine bay etc., etc., there is only one very small bubble about the size of a half dollar and it is on the bottom right corner, next to the rubber trim around the hatch window. This would of been an easy fix for a good body shop but I decided that as long as the bubble did not change during my ownership I felt it was better off just to leave it alone and original......"only original once". By that you can tell it has not changed at all since I bought the car.
The picture I had taken of the rear of the car has glare but I marked the picture so you can see the spot I am talking about. if someone wants a good clear picture when i am home next week....thats not a problem.

Click on the thumbnail and it should blow up...if not i will try it again.


Attachment 65711

Rust isn't something you want to leave alone... especially in that spot. It's one of those iceberg spots; there could be more under the windshield.

Considering this car and how very miniscule this bubble is, this IS to be left alone. Especially since it has not changed in the 5 years that i have owned it. For you to say there could be more under the windshield is ignorant. There "could be" a huge hidden oil field under my house in Indiana........but i doubt it.

These are not Uber collectibles. The rust and AC need to be fixed. What we're looking at at is a rust belt car that is over 20 years old, that is likely to have all kinds of rubber problems from lack of use. I could see your original once comment if it were like say a 63 split window Vette, but not a 300TD.

Just because it is from Indiana doesn't mean it is a typical "rust belt car". It is obvious this car has not been driven in the winters. I never claimed it to be a "Uber collectible"......it is uber original though. I agree the AC needs repaired but as far as one very small bubble being fixed, I think that is very subjective. As long as I own this car and this spot does not change, it will remain as is. If the next owner feels different , then he or she can have it repaired. As far as "all kinds of rubber problems".....pictures are worth a thousand words, does anybody want to see pictures of any rubber or any other aspect of the car?? Let me know because that is not a problem!!

For those of us at a distance, and I'm assuming that's the vast majority of eyes on this forum, the more pictures of detailed areas the better. Having just paid out 1700 for new rubber on my 300CD I would be interested in knowing the current condition of the window rubber on your wagon so as to avoid a repeat expenditure [understanding of course that the coupe model has peculiar cost differences]

Gappy,

First your car is awesome. If I had unlimited money lying around I would buy it. But you are getting WAY too defensive. He never called your car rusty. The fact is that you live in the rust belt (I do too). So one has to take that into consideration when purchasing a car from this area. I also realize you didn't claim it to be 'Uber Collectible" but a 27 year old car selling for 12k doesn't exactly fit into the category of you run of the mill car, thus the comparison.

Like has been stated earlier, you are not going to get a forum member here to pay 12k for that car. Most of the members here that buy old cars are cheapskates and do-it-yourselfers. They are looking for deals on cars they can fix up. This is why many have steared you to ebay. That is about the only place you will get anywheres near 12k.

So good luck with the sale. I hope it works out for you and the car finds a great home with someone that will truly appreciate it.

EDIT: I don't mean that you don't appreciate it. Just hopefully the new owner does as well.

^^^ X2 on the way too defensive. Everyone here is just trying to help and are only asking the sort of questions that anyone with the kind of money to buy your car is going to ask. Rust almost always is a "tip of the iceberg" kind of thing. And the question of the rubber also I would assume applies to the CV boots, Flex discs and anywhere else. So its more than just a whats visible kind of thing. Again hope you sell your vehicle.

I understand, thanks and more detailed pics forth coming once i return home......maybe i should of waited until i was actually at home to run this ad.:mad: I'm new to this and learning i guess.

Thanks for the post and i do appreciate the input. I actually fit your description of the typical board member here. I have owned a wide variety of cars and trucks and this is not my typical purchase because i enjoy the work involved and this car didn't take much work.
As far as the price, I didn't know where to start. So if someone is interested at what ever price, make an offer. You are not going to insult me and the worst thing to come of it is for me to counter offer or decline your offer.

Please excuse the defensiveness....I'll try to view a little clearer from the buyers side in this situation. Again, thanks for taking the time to educate me instead of ignoring!!!! Once again, more detail pics by Sunday or Monday.

What is the Flex discs?

A flex disc is Mercedes Benz's version of a universal joint.

thanx

Except one usually doesn't have to replace the universal joint of their car during the car's useful life.

It's a beautiful car. Nobody here will buy it though because you are asking about what it is worth ;)

As for the A/C issues...here's what I do when I run across a system of "unknown status". First check to see if there is any refrigerant in the system at all. You can do this by either hooking up a gauge or just pushing in the schraeder valve on the hose for a second. If there is any refrigerant in there you are lucky (and yes it does happen). You don't have to open it up and do anything to it because it is telling you that it holds pressure. If there isn't any in it then I hook up a vacuum pump and see if it will hold a vacuum. If it does then, once again, you are lucky.

Next, you can test to see if the compressor is functioning. The pulley will turn when the belt is driving it but the compressor is only working when the center section is turning along with the pulley. That means the clutch is engaging. If it is not engaging then I usually test the clutch to see if that is the problem...apply 12V to the clutch and watch for the plate to move and listen for the click.

These tests will help to narrow down the issues with the A/C. To start with a complete tear down when all it may need is a charge is like repainting the whole car to fix that little rust bubble. It might cost as little as $100 to get the A/C working or maybe a lot more, but until you know what's wrong you can't be sure.

I recently bought a 240D which a PO had removed the belt from the A/C compressor. It had some refrigerant in it (passed test #1) so I put the belt on. I then discovered why it was removed. All of the rubber bushings which the compressor mounts on were disintegrated and the compressor bounced around like crazy. Replaced the bushings and added a can of R12 and that A/C was as good as new. $100 in parts and a couple of hours of my time was all it needed to restore it. Don't always assume the worst, especially when you are selling a car. That's the buyer's job.

Thanks Marty!
When I bought this car the AC did work fine. I have worked on a lot of aspects of different cars but not AC, only a AC clutch fix once.......so I very much appreciate the info!!

Dieselgiant.com has a great section on AC repair with pictures also search the DIY part of these forums for more answers.

Thanks helpplease

Perhaps I could better explain myself. Rubber deteriorates over time, you can't do anything about that. You can try to preserve it for as long as you can, but it does go bad. Second, I was just saying about it being uber collectible because of your comment about it only being original once. While you do have a point, I'd rather buy a car that has had a quality repaint and ZERO rust than a car that shows original paint and rust. An original 123 with flaws is not as big of a deal as the Vette I specified. I was just making a comparison, not attacking you or your car. You are asking top price, and with the AC fixed and the rust taken care of, I'd estimate you are about 80% sure to get it on Ebay.

That all makes good sense. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

Never had one go bad in more than a million miles of driving MB diesels, since 1969.

I have something to add from personal experience, having owned a Mercedes-Benz continuously since 1969. The very fact that a car has spent time in the rust belt of road salt and chemicals has exposed it to the chemicals if driven on those roads when wet, long after an ice or snow event. All our Mercedes-Benzes that spent any time in the north country, even visiting several weeks a year, evidenced small rust spots at some point in their life at home in Texas. Some worse than others. It's an inescapable fact that has to be taken into consideration, especially if the car's paint has already bubbled in one or more spots. The rust belt, and, any extended time near the open seacoasts expose it to salt as well. As far as the price of $12,000? I would never give or offer anywhere near that figure.