1987 300 SDL on E-Bay --- Nice - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 01-04-2005, 12:13 AM

Browsing through E-Bay and noticed this 1987 300SDL. Looks nice! I think he goes really overboard on his advertisement. I think if he just left it simple he'd get a good response.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6330&item=4515397463&rd=1

R Leo · #2 01-04-2005, 07:58 AM

Quote:

These engines are bulletproof.

Heh heh, he said bulletproof, heh heh.

boneheaddoctor · #3 01-04-2005, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Leo

Heh heh, he said bulletproof, heh heh.

Yes....notice he avoided the words bulletproof cylinder head............or crack used in conjunction with head.

Brian Carlton · #4 01-04-2005, 11:02 AM

This fellow seems to obtain quite a few M/B's in decent condition. He generally appears to sell them at "realistic" prices. Most have "higher" mileage and should be checked personally before committment, IMHO.

300sdlguy · #5 01-04-2005, 12:16 PM

That is identical to mine...except I have lorenzer wheels. Love the black on black. Also mine will have the VERY rare updated #18 cyl head

#6 01-04-2005, 12:21 PM

Wonder if he'll pull it before the sale is up. He wants $5000. and I wonder what the head # is as what kind of condition the dash is in?

R Leo · #7 01-04-2005, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 300sdlguy

That is identical to mine...except I have lorenzer wheels. Love the black on black. Also mine will have the VERY rare updated #18 cyl head

airfoill (a member here) has a drop-dead bee-yoo-ti-ful black/palomino 300SDL. IMHO, that is the color combination TDF.

#8 01-07-2005, 12:58 AM

I ended up buying the SDL - I'll be flying out to PA on the 15th to pick it up and drive home. A guy rear-ended my '86 300SDL in mid-December (285k mi.) and his insurance company wants to declare it totalled, so they'll be footing most of the bill. I checked out the history on it as best I could, but I'll feel a lot less nervous when I can actually check it out in person. The seller did a pretty extensive checkout, including a leakdown & compression test and everything checks out. Anyway, if anyone's interested I'll be glad to post how well (or not) everything goes with the car once I drive it back...

300sdlguy · #9 01-07-2005, 01:02 AM

Congrats on the purchase. Did you findout what head# it had? Its an awesome color combo in MHO I have a pic of mine on my webpage. Though I might be changing the wheels back to the older style 16" Chrome Lorinzer wheels.

#10 01-07-2005, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David_R_Woods

I ended up buying the SDL - I'll be flying out to PA on the 15th to pick it up and drive home. A guy rear-ended my '86 300SDL in mid-December (285k mi.) and his insurance company wants to declare it totalled, so they'll be footing most of the bill. I checked out the history on it as best I could, but I'll feel a lot less nervous when I can actually check it out in person. The seller did a pretty extensive checkout, including a leakdown & compression test and everything checks out. Anyway, if anyone's interested I'll be glad to post how well (or not) everything goes with the car once I drive it back...

Hey condradulations! I hope all goes well with your purchase. It's a nice looking car. I hope all is well. Let us know how it goes. Check that head number while your at it. I guess that's beside the point since you've bought it.

#11 01-07-2005, 02:47 PM

My understanding is that the '87 300SDL uses the same head design as the '86 and that there are some known weak spots that got reinforced in later models. However, the "weak" spots only seem to be a problem in '87 models when the trap oxidizer is not removed as per the Mercedes recall. I'm pretty sure the trap was removed on this car since it was serviced regularly at the dealer, but that's something I'm going to confirm when I get there. Once I get the name of the dealer in Orlando where it was serviced, I'm going to try to get the complete service records. Of course, I'll keep my eyes open for any signs of a head crack, but the fact that the compression looks good is encouraging. Is there additional information regarding the head problem I should be aware of? I drove my '86 SDL regularly for over 12 years and never had any problem with the cylinder head even when it overheated on my wife once due to a stuck thermostat!

boneheaddoctor · #12 01-07-2005, 02:49 PM

My understanding is its all related to keeping it from overheating.....they would propmptly crack at the first sign of overheating.....but if thats wrong I am sure I will be corrected.

dieseldiehard · #13 01-07-2005, 02:57 PM

Nice looking SDL - congrats!
My '87 300D turbo has 262K on the original #14 head. Do you know about the vac pump problems in these engines? I'd want to be certain the vac pump is the new style. see:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=106614&highlight=style+vac

DDH

#14 01-08-2005, 02:48 PM

I'll be sure to check out the vacuum pump! I had read that thread before but it had slipped my mind. In fact, I'm pretty sure I remember a guy showing me the damage a faulty vacuum pump can do to an engine at one of Rusty's BBQs (he brought the damaged parts) - it's not a pretty sight! If it's the old style, I don't have a problem replacing it myself. Thanks for the suggestion!

goldenbear · #15 01-08-2005, 04:47 PM

Congratulations on the purchase. It looks like you got a great buy.