PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - longshot / delimma - trade my beloved '88 300SEL (W126) for 92-95 S-Class (W140)?

amosfella · #7 09-06-2009, 12:30 PM

There could be a lot of issues. A guy I knew sold a s420 cheap because the closing pump was needing resetting all the time. Got a price quoted at the dealer for a new pump (about $900 IIRC), and just decided to sell it. A friend of mine bought it, and we readjusted the pump according to the method found on v12 umbras' website, replaced the ball joints, and did a few other cosmetic things, all for under $300. If you can remanufacture things, it can be a great car to own. My friend paid $5k for that car.
One reason that he decided to buy it, was because there was a receipt from the year previous to him buying it for the evaporator core in the cabin being replaced at the dealership.
So, get the VMR from the dealership, and see if the evaporator has been replaced, and what other work has been done. Check about the engine wiring harness. Sometimes the duovalve fails, so run the car at max temp inside and check the heater core temps. (not exactly what you want to do in Georgia this time of year.... but necessary to check). Open and close each door and the trunk about a dozen times. That should tell you if the pump is timing out... The doors will stop closing themselves... Drive it around, and if the front end creaks at low speeds over bumps, and whole turning, probably needs new ball joints... About a 2 hours fix if you have a pitman arm puller or ball joint puller from horrid freight... I had to modify mine with a die grinder, but for $10 it worked well... If you have a voltmeter, check the battery while the car's running... it might need a new alternator.... Should be 14.4 at idle. At least it is on mine... Check for tranny flares... All the general things that go wrong on a car...
I"d personally look for a 97-99. Has a much better tranny in it...