A friend of mine directed me over to you good folks to give me an idea of what this 300D my wife and I are interested in is worth. This is a California car, no rust issues. It is silver w/ black interior (not leather).

The ad read:
"Always in the family since new. Near Perfect inside and out. Low miles (140,000) and always garaged and maintained at the dealership. Recently had $2500 in maintenance and repairs. Has new battery and newer tires also. Air Conditioner is very cold and the heater works great. $6500 OBO"
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I asked these questions & her answers below:
Can you tell me what the recent $2500 of work consisted of exactly?
The radiator & hoses were replaced, the car was serviced and completely inspected for any other problems. None were found.

Also, do you have complete records of the vehicle service history?
We have the paperwork for the above work. The dealership has all the other service history. This car has been maintained perfectly.

How low is the mileage and do you know of anything that is wrong with this car?
It has about 140,000 miles which is very low for a 21 year old car.

Is there any leaking in the engine?
Nothing leaks from the car at all.

From what I have come to understand in my research on these cars if the front suspension has not been rebuilt then it is likely to need that repair which is fairly expensive.
Yes, I believe this has been done in past.
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She is moving to Hawaii next week and says she will ship it over with her if she doesn't get what she wants for it.
I'm sure I saw this same car for sale two or three weeks ago and she was looking for best offer over $5000. (I've never heard of someone putting the price UP when something's not selling....)
She said the dealership has all the service records on file.
Do you all think this car is worth considering? Even around $5000?
Thanks for any help with this!

I would have jumped at the opportunity to buy a car like that back in 1989 when I was looking for a car for my wife. I looked high and low for a decent, well maintained 300D and found an '83 at a brokerage for $5100. Granted it was "newer" then comparitively speaking, but it had 206K miles on it. It had been garaged and was very nice looking. All I have done since then (over 11 years latyer!) besides putting around 65K miles on her, is replace the alternator, the A/C compressor and most of the front suspension and steering components (shocks, steering box, bushings and control arms) glow plugs and tires of course. It has always started and been the most reliable car I've owned. In todays market, finding a real clean original miles 300D (or ANY BENZ FOR THAT MATTER) under 200K with service records is getting to be a rare event. $6500 will seem high to some but not to others. You have to see it to make the final determination if all the claims are true, and I suggest a third party check the car for transmission shifting and overall "feel" before you fall in love with it.

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

I would suspect she got some offers at $5000 then decided it may be worth more. She then decided to try to sell at $6500 and put in another ad. I would suspect she will get 6500 or more in a vary large metro market. Check out the completed items on ebay.

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Tom Engel
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83 240 230K Manual (8/2003)
83 300D 265K (3/2004)
Just a Driver!

well we at least want to go see it and see from there.
what should i be looking for in the service history? anything that should have been replaced by 140,000 that might loom on the horizon as a big-ticket repair? i have heard the front suspension is vulnerable on these cars and so i'm thinking that should have been replaced (?). what about the injection pump? what is the life of one of these?
thanks folks!

I purchased my 83 300D (131,000 miles) in Seattle on Sept 04 for $3000. The lady was asking $4000 but I doubt that she realized what she had. Even though you say it is "mint", I'd have a independent shop look at the transmission, the engine compression, the vacuum system, and the climate control system. I also place great value on the condition of the body (lack of rust, paint condition, etc.) the interior (no dashboard cracks, and the upholstery in perfect condition), and the presence of all the original equipment like the radio, original owners manual, tool kit, etc.. I feel that one can always find a good deal out there if you are patient. I also bought my 85 300SD (101k miles) one month ago for $4500 (asking price was $4950). This car is what I'd consider "mint". Subject to the car passing all the inspection points and if the condition is excellent, I'd offer $4000 and walk if it's not accepted. Then again, older car values are based on what you are willing to pay and how bad you want the car. Check my recent thread entitled "My Stable" for an example of what kind of cars can be found when you are patient. Good Luck.

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1983 M-B 300D, 148K, daughter's ride
1983 M-B 300TD, 120K, my ride
1985 M-B 300SD, 102K, wife's ride
1969 HD FLH, 45K, restored/hobby
1996 Chev Suburban, family taxi/tow vehicle
1990 John Deere Model 240
1942 John Deere Model LA
1985 16' 4Winns ski boat

It could be worth that much, but you'll need a determination from someone who knows these cars very well looking at it in person. We could give you a whole laundry list of stuff to look for, but without any experience, how will you know what looks out of place? In other words, you need to pay for a prepurchase inspection done by a qualified Mercedes technician. It sounds like the car is great, but spending this kind of money without a PPI is foolhardy.

That line about the dealership having all the service information may or may not be true. A dealership employee recently told us on this board that the computer system only retains records of warranty work. And even if they have more data, they might not be willing to give it to you. This is an area where results vary widely. So expect not to get it, and be pleasantly surprised if you do. Certainly don't let the promise of records somewhere down the line influence you to buy the car.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

If you are going to pay $5,000 for this vehicle, then it had better have a fairly thick set of maintenance and repair docs. The front end had better been all done and it should have a new radiator and some new parts such as brake booster or cruise control amplifier etc. It should definitely have hoses and a battery that have been recently done.

Everything must function on this vehicle including all window switches and rear defroster and all vacuum doors for the climate control system. If the climate control system has not been serviced, it is likely that the doors don't work as designed.

Basically, the vehicle is worth the money, provided you don't need to put $1-$2K into it during the first year.

But, you need to check it out very thoroughly to ensure this.

thanks for the really great responses i igot to this post.
i am trying to organize to check it out this weekend with a factory-trained mercedes guy.
she has no records as i mentioned except the last one which was for $2500 when the radiator and hoses were replaced. i found out that the dealership would have dug out all the old records for me (for free even) but the timing's not going to work if i am thinking about buying this car. i will rely on the mechanic to check everything out. is this foolhardy and should i not think about it without records?
i can get it for $5000 btw.
thanks for all the great help i have found on ths site.

Don't worry about the records if you're going to get a PPI. Not that big a deal. Hope everything works out for you and that the car is as nice as it sounds.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

I paid $2,800 for my '83 300D with 142,000 miles and only a few minor problems......ZERO rust...Carfax clean

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

You gonna hedge yourself out of a nice car.

__________________
1983 240D 4 speed running on B100 and SVO
www.b100wh.com/b100wh.html#reactor
My Biodiesel Reactor/Processor

You got THAT right, Brian! For $5K? ... better be a one-owner with every scrap of maintenance and fueling documentation since the car was NEW!

$2500 for a radiator and some hoses?? Gotta be more to that story. Maybe an overheating episode of some sort.

A car like this would go for about $3500 around here and would be hard to sell at that price. I dunno why they go for twice that much in California.

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



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