Hello forum!

I was recently heartbroken when my '83 300D was hit on a mountain road, causing body damage that totaled the car. However, the good news is that the driver's insurance company is compensating me quite nicely with enough money to buy a better one!

I've prodded craigslist for a couple weeks, covering all of CA and NV. So far there has been nothing I want to buy. I figure there might be some people around here who might know of something for me. Here's what I'm looking for:

'83 - '85 300D ONLY (no wagons, no CD, no SD)
200K mi or less!
INTERIOR - CLEAN with WORKING instruments (will make exception for cruise control and AC)
TRANSMISSION - SMOOTH and STRONG. I've learned the hard way that this is the weakest link of the car, so I'm going to be a stickler about it!
ENGINE - no leaks, well maintained, compression tested
VACUUM - all in good condition (working door locks, etc)
POWER WINDOWS and SUNROOF - all working
BODY - preference for Silver, Black, Blue, Teal. Will consider White or Red. No Beige, No Gold. Paint condition is negotiable. No major dents or peeling.
OTHER - Prefer good records and ownership history. Original parts not necessary, so long as all work has been done by qualified mechanic with new parts. Bonus if it has been run on biodiesel and/or garaged.

Did I miss anything?

Living in the Bay Area, CA and willing to travel up to 600 mi for the right car. Will consider traveling further for a really good buy, but not east of the Mississippi.

Got something good? I'm willing to pay up to $5000 cash. Show me a beauty!

***EDIT: If anyone in the Bay Area is interested, I will be selling my damaged '83 300D. It still runs great, tranny shifts a little hard, and the accident only damaged the rear quarter panel. 205K miles, many new parts. Can post more info on this thread if there is major interest.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. . . My 300D was totaled nearly three months ago.

I am in California, too, and I could not find anything local--and I searched like an obsessive maniac for several weeks. All the prices were insane or the cars were high mileage beaters and/or WVO conversions--which I was unwilling to risk. I can't work on my own car yet, so I needed something with documented mileage and service records--and I was fussy about color on top of it. I finally had to expand my search nationwide. I found mine on the Autotrader. My new old 1982 300D was loaded on the truck yesterday and is on her way!

I also used Craigslist, the Recycler, and eBay. (This is a great way to search multi-city Craigslist ads.) One good thing to do is to look at eBay's completed listings under the advanced search--click on "Only show completed listings." I'd say more than half the cars don't sell the first time, and sellers may be willing to negotiate.

Another avenue is to contact local independent MB mechanics, tell them what you want, and give them your contact info. I also posted on the various MB forums and kept an eye on those as well.

I know of a woman in the L.A. area who wants to sell hers. It's Manila beige with a java interior. (Another word for "palamino" in my opinion!) Says it's got 150,000 miles, but I'd insist on documentation because the driver's seat looks well used--clean, no rips, but clearly worn down. She's had hers up on eBay twice, and says the bidders were deadbeats. She wants $6,500, but is having trouble getting that--as it's been for sale for awhile. (She won't get that in this economy, and she should know that by now.) If you are interested, I'd be happy to pass along her contact info. Just PM me.

Ebay is pretty slim right now. This one is in Portland, but it's a coupe. It looks very clean, and it's a private seller, not an Armor All-covered dealer special. I can't imagine their reserve is all that high, and it's the second round. The reserve wasn't met last time--it reached $3850.

I nearly went to see this one. It's in San Diego, but it's a non turbo. A beauty. You could get them down on the price--it's been for sale for at least three months.

This one is a 240 W115, but I have a soft spot for them so I couldn't resist. We are going to buy a second car in the next year, and I am going to consider this model if I can find one in decent shape.

One dealer in Sacramento had a 1982 300D up on Craigslist for awhile. Last posted price was $4500. Mileage was 150K, allegedly. The pictures looked pretty good, but I never talked to them. Silver on blue. Euro Star Auto Sales -- (916) 807-2175. I don't know if it sold or not, but you might check.

Again, sorry for your loss. I was starting to become convinced I'd never find what I wanted. Everyone told me to be patient, and they were right.

Good luck!

__________________
Current car:
1982 300D A New Hope! Three-plus tons of China blue steel, rubber, and magic.

Past cars:
1985 300D, Glorious anthracite on black. Gracie. (R.I.P.)
The rest were crappy--including a 1970 Orange Gremlin.

Wow, thanks for all that helpful info! I have been starting to look farther and farther away. I have to ask though, how much did you have to pay to get a car shipped to you? Sounds really expensive!

You're welcome, Seabrighter. It's nice to be able to give some useful information since I still can't identify my engine parts.

I did a metric TON of research. Lots of people use Uship.com, which is kind of like the eBay of shipping. It was too risky to me--if it was a fixer, I'd do it, but not with my new baby.

I paid $1300 for ENCLOSED shipping--an outstanding price, provided it gets here okay. (It was the least expensive price I found--the rates vary wildly.) I went through A Across USA Auto Transport at 800-243-0066. They are only a broker, but they had great reviews. My car is being shipped by United Van Lines. I have the driver's name and cell phone number, and plan to give him a holler in the morning to make sure everything's coming along. I have no idea when it will get here since it's coming all the way from CT. I sure hope I'm not at work!

Going open transport would have been $800-$1000. The peace of mind was worth an extra $300 to me.

This website was really helpful--though you have to watch for companies that pay their customers for good reviews. I checked their websites to be sure.

I look forward to hearing about your new old car!

__________________
Current car:
1982 300D A New Hope! Three-plus tons of China blue steel, rubber, and magic.

Past cars:
1985 300D, Glorious anthracite on black. Gracie. (R.I.P.)
The rest were crappy--including a 1970 Orange Gremlin.

Seabrighter, my '85 300D meets all your requirements except for the miles -- it has 232,000. The transmission was replaced with a rebuilt by the PO at 190,000 so no worries there. The car is otherwise nearly perfect with everything working. Color is smoke silver metallic with a navy blue interior. Just north of you in Santa Rosa. $5000. Pictures here.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970