1984 M-B 300D Turbo 152K miles $7500 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Jeremy5848 · #1 05-30-2006, 09:39 PM

I am posting this on behalf of the owners, who do not do Internet. I met them today for the first time and have no interest in this vehicle. The car is at the owners' home in Santa Rosa, California. They are selling this car because "the old man" can't drive any more and they don't need two cars (the other is a newer Benz). The owners have not started to market this car yet (I think their price is high) -- but read on and see for yourself. Sorry I forgot to take pictures or copy down the VIN.

This 1984 300D Turbo is a one-owner car with 152,000 miles on the odometer. It is dark green with tan carpets and tan MB-Tex seats. The dash is black. As near as I could tell in looking at and driving the car, everything works, including the cruise control and the climate control. The owners today brought the car home from their indy wrench, who put $1100 worth of belts, hoses, other things, and a new climate control fan. The owners have all the service records since the car was new. They are asking $7500.

The a/c has been converted to R-134. It does not get "ice cold" as some put in their posts, but it does get cold enough to be useful. It probably has not been serviced recently and might need a little freon. It works in all a/c functions; I didn't try the heat as it was already too hot. The center dash vents do not work in any mode. I suppose this is due to a failure of the vacuum pod.

The power windows and power sunroof all work. The window switch in the left rear door has popped out of the inner door skin. The factory Becker radio works as does the power antenna. The leftmost display digit in the Becker is missing a couple of segments so that the FM frequency "88.5" displays "38.5." The factory first aid kit is in its compartment. The MB-Tex seats are in good condition. The outside mirrors both work. The tires are worn and will need replacement this year. Brakes are in good shape. Carpets are good and have pads over them. Wood is in good shape and no pieces are missing.

The body has a few small parking lot dings and scratches but this is at least a five-foot car and maybe even a three-foot car. This is a California car since new, usually garaged, and no signs of rust. The dash has three small (about one inch long) cracks -- one on each side and one in the middle, where the a/c temp sensor lives.

Since this is a 1984 model, it does NOT have the dreaded "trap ox" anti-smog stuff that the 1985 model has. The owners claim highway mileage of about 27 mpg on dino diesel.

The car exhibited one strange feature, which the owners said had just started since the car came home from the mechanic. It was an absolute dog from a standing start as the RPMs crept up ever so slowly. Once the turbo spooled up, at about 3000 RPM or so, it went like gangbusters. Clearly, something was keeping the engine from getting enough air and fuel. I wonder if a hose didn't get knocked loose during the maintenance. This is something that needs to be checked out but it certainly wouldn't scare me off. The owners will be looking into this problem.

You can call the owners yourself at 707-539-3466. They are on Pacific Time so please don't call from the East at 9am! I am also available to help answer questions for you, if I can. PM me and I'll try to help. Like all cars, this one should not be bought without more checking. I think this is a great car for someone who wants a diesel Mercedes to drive rather than to work on.

Jeremy

Veloce300DT · #2 05-31-2006, 04:29 PM

Dark green is a less common color! Thanks for the heads up, I have a friend whom is looking for a replacement car for his totalled 83 240D.

Boardmonger · #3 05-31-2006, 07:51 PM

Sounds like a decent car, too bad the dash is cracked for a lower milleage car, anda one owner at that. It's probably worth closer to $5000 but if they wait they will get what they are asking. I am kind of looking for a car for my dad but that is a little too expensive for the condition you describe.

engatwork · #4 05-31-2006, 08:36 PM

That is the kind of car you want to purchase if you are looking to purchase one

. Convert the a/c back to r12 and put an ultramat on the dash and you are good to go

.

Boardmonger · #5 06-01-2006, 01:16 AM

No, I am looking to spend less. I missed (and am still bitter) an 84 300d turbo in thistle green(my favorite color), 1 owner, full service history (serviced at the same dealer from day 1) and a perfect interior. Oh yea, 162k on the clock. They were asking $2000

and it sold for $5k to the first guy who saw it. I probably could have had it for 3.5-4k if I had been the first to call. I was second

mr_big · #6 06-04-2006, 04:18 PM

7K? they are out of their mind!!!!!!! I just found an 83' 300D for 3 grand original owner mint condition, 165,000 miles, in IRVINE.

wolf_walker · #7 06-06-2006, 05:45 PM

Funny how expensive these have gotten. Figures, since I got rid of mine..
Oh well...