Hi. I am wondering if any one on here would have any advice on buying a 83' 300SD. This would be my first MB diesel and am curious if there is anything I should be looking for as far a potential problem areas...

You can look at the car here:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;jsessionid=2XFPYW4RCI5BDLAZGLAZPQY?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&paId=130625205&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&recnum=13&leadExists=true&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_31_%7CB-4000%7CN-N%7CR-500%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-80304&aff=national&leadExists=true

(wow what a long address)

anyway the title checks out and I am pretty sure it has had only one owner. I am going to the dealer in a day or so to check it out but want to make sure I am not missing some potential huge problem before I buy it.

Thanks!!!

There isn't much you'llbe able to tell about the car without just going to look at it and drive it. It seems like an unusually reasonable asking price from a dealer.

That is my thought on the car...thanks.

The wench is right. You can tell so much more about a car if you drive it. As with all older MB you must look for service history. If it is in really nice shape and you can't nit-pick anything on the car the price seems a little too nice. Chances are the car has no service history and needs some work. If that is the case that is a little too much money.

__________________
'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

If a dealer is asking $2900. for an SD in reasonably good condition, you had better be very wary. Check this vehicle out thoroughly including taking a close look at the front end to see if any replacement parts have ever been installed. If they have not, you are looking at about $1K in parts alone.

Check out the a/c. It's also likely to be $1K if it does not work.

Drive it carefully and look for signs that the transmission is on the way out. Flaring between shifts could be a vacuum issue, or it could be getting time for a new transmission. $1.5K minimum if you install it yourself.

See how it starts on a cold morning. How long to crank it? This will not tell you, with any assurance, of the condition of the engine, but, if it cranks for 10-15 seconds, you already know, as a minimum, you have starting issues to deal with.

Can you get anyone to do a compression check? With 190K on the clock, the engine could have another 190K left in it. Alternatively, it could have another 1K left in it, if it was poorly cared for.

Get underneath it, in the back, and check the condition of the axle shafts. If the boots are cracked, you will need new shafts almost immediately. $200. for the pair if you do it yourself.


Most of these dealers are clueless as to the real condition of the vehicle. Don't buy it because the price is $1000. less than any other vehicle around.

Remember, and remember well:

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes-Benz.

My advice, would be to go and check it out. Take it to a reputable indy or dealer and have them check it out for you. There are so many complexities to getting a car that's 21 years old. If there is a good paper trail of service records i'd me more inclined to purchase. Most likely it's just a Used Car place trying to make some big bucks off of a car that desperatley needs to be serviced. Be cautious? Investigate and ask questions...

Thanks for all the great responces....!

When I bought my 81 300SD, it took the better part of 10min to get it started (glad I brought a good battery!)
Turns out that a new set of glowplugs fixed this problem and the car has been pretty flawless since
So sometimes I huge problem can end up being a simple one. Do some searching.
Check and see if the oil lines have been replaced/weeping
you can tell cause most aftermarket ones are not cloth covered like the stock/mercedes ones.

I called about this car a couple of months ago. He said, "I'm sorry it's sold." "Ok, thanks." "But I have many more cars!" "No thanks, that's ok." Click.

If he sold it a couple of months ago why does he still have the ad up? Have you called this dealer to see if they still have the car???

I'm really curious about this one now.

Let us/me know.