I am looking at a damaged 1988 300E for purchase. Car has been wrecked on driver's side front, above bumper. Airbag did not deploy. Damage consists of curled hood front with broken hinge support and radiator is pushed into front of motor. Fenders are not affected and it looks like I can tackle the body member work with used parts. Only real concern is that the back of the motor is touching the curved portion of the firewall. Exhaust manifold looks O.K. though. Could not visually assess motor mounts. What kind of problems am I looking at if motor is "shifted back" slightly. Otherwise car is in average condition with 145K.

All help and opinions would be very much appreciated.

I would bid extremely low on that car. If it runs and drives, bid slightly higher. Or look for a clean running car with no damage and save yourself lots of trouble.
Steve

How much is the seller asking? What is the overall condition of the rest of the car/papers/books, etc?

I'm not sure I get it. If having the front end pushed in seems alright why does the motor being moved bother you?

If you are capable of rearranging the structure of the front end putting the motor straight should be easy.

Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Engine setback indicates a major frontal impact which can affect everything from the engine back to the differential. Find another car. There is no way to really determine the actual potential damage to the drivetrain and frame w/o tearing it all down. 2-3 inches of setback is significant. There is a lot of aluminum between the fan and the tailpipe and.. it's all pretty brittle..

[Edited by jeffsr on 07-15-2001 at 09:11 PM]

Price
 

I can probably buy for $1000.00 which is why I am interested. Haven't discussed service records etc. as I have not spoken with owner since I looked at it (after initial brief phone discussion).

Thanks for all of your input.

Buy it for parts, break it down, and you should get at least 2-3 times your investment. Otherwise, pass it up..