My friend is looking at a 81 300d turbo. It has 165,000 miles. Is their anything he should know before buying it . Or is thier any special places to look for problmes. O ya he wondered the gauges are in km no miles how much would it cost to convert just the spedo to miles. (the car came from Canada)

Benzman500, this topic has been covered many times and you can get more info by doing a search in the archives.

Just off the top of my head here are a few things to look for.

1. of course since it came from up north I would check it good for rust in areas that could be problematic in the future.

2. have a compression check done.

3. check trunk area good for rust (sign that rear window seal is leaking).

4. Check under floor mats for rust (sign that there are drains plugged and foot areas are fillin' up with water whenever it rains).

5. of course make sure that the power windows work, sunroof (if applicable) is working and it has smooth travel.

the list goes on and on, about things you should check. This website has been invaluable and has taught me so much about what to look for when purchasing a used vehicle. "I wish I knew then what I know now..."

Good luck,

__________________
Frank
84 500SEL EURO 101K ( JUST LIKE MY 1ST WIFE. GLAD TO GET RID OF HER! )
85 300D 310K (sold)
90 350SDL 184K sold
83 300D 118K (sold)
88 300E 153k (sold)
93 400E 105K (sold)

I'd look at the regs long and hard before buying the car. Make sure your friend knows everything he needs to know about getting a Canadian car (I think a 1981 300D Turbodiesel is actually a European model, they didn't make it stateside until 1982) into the US with valid tags. He/she will be out of luck if it is discovered the gray market laws were phased out and this car has never been exempted. Better to buy a car that's already been titled in the US so you know it can be done.
Mike Yox

the car is a 82 300d turbo not a 81 sorry it is already in the us annd has been for along time

I cosider the 123 to be one of the great cars.I have an 80 wagon with about 230 k miles runs as good as new.The engine and trans have never needed any work.One thing to check carefully if the car has it.Is the Auto matic Climate control.Many of the components where bought from Crysler.If It is not working totally right.It can be of moderate cost to fix But it can also be very expensive.Other points have been givin the cars have no real weeknesses.They where not built down to a price.caveat emptor Michael

1. Rusty rear wheel wells and trunk floor.
2. Damp interior floors (look under carpets)
3. AUTOMATIC climate control operation
4. AUTOMATIC door locks operation/engine shut-off.

Not much else to look for :O) good luck!!!

Benzman,

I add to what jeepboy had to say, check the rear foot wells too, if the car had been leaking rainwater internally, expect the footwells to have rotted through, which would be a lot of work to rectify. Also check the windscreen seals to be sure car is not leaking.

Around the engine firewall around the bonnet hinges, check that the metal there is good, and had not rotted through due to wet leaf accumulation.

my 2 cents worth. I learnt it the hard way.

Check the motor mounts ($175 replacement for all three). Symptoms will be a shaking hood and a very low tranny. Make sure the cruise control works and all the dash and console lights too. These are little things but from this site you can see than many cars need some work in these areas.