I am looking at 3 cars to buy. Here is a brief description, and I would like your input, as I am new to MB.
Thanks.

79 300CD coup. $7000. 170,000miles. Looks very well taken care of, everything works, and has a lot of records No turbo, can one be added? AC is new and all options are car work.

84 300SD 4dr $3000 158,000miles Turbo, under powered suspect bad turbo? but in good shape. Would not start. Dead battery after sitting for 6 MO.
AC does not work Says it runs much better after about 5 mins of warm up. Does that sound like a turbo?

85 300SD 4 dr $4000 350,000 Turbo. Runs well. Few cosmetic things. Replaced engine in that milage, do not know source of the engine.
AC does not work, 1 rear window does not go up or down.


I will pay to have one checked out before I buy. And I fell in love with the 79, But not sure it is a wise move. I am tying to cut costs.

All cars look nice, and the 85 I drove was not as slow as expected when driving it.

thank you for helping me get some info together and start on this journey, I hope.

Doug

IMHO, none of these sounds like a very good deal for the price. I would keep looking around. The CD would have to be in VERY nice original condition to bring $7000, especially for a non-turbo. The 84 SD might be worthwhile if it checks out OK. Based on condition and a realistic estimate of how much it will cost to make it right, you may want to consider making a lower offer. The 85 SD with high miles and an unknown engine history sounds like a big risk. Just my opinion.

Need some more info:

1) How handy are you with tools and getting knowledge? Will you be able to tackle most repairs yourself or will an indy be required?

2) Do you want to tackle quite a few repairs?

3) What's the condition of the three of them with regard to the bodies? Rust anywhere on any of them? Where? How much?

4) What's the condition of the paint on all of them? Faded? Need repaint?

5) Any maintenance records on the sedans? What was done and when?

Just thought I would mention that converting the 79 engine to turbo is not practical. The turbo engine has special features internally to deal with the additional stresses the turbo creates. Even the injection pump is different I believe. Buy a car that pleases you after establishing exactlly the condition it is in. In my opinion these mercedes diesels require owners that enjoy repairing most problems themselves as they arise. Lots of good assistance available on this site. Also try to establish total miles as there seem to be far too many low milage diesel cars out there for their age. Meaningful books and records are always nice and perhaps waiting for a car that has them is yet another option.

I think the coupe will be cheaper to own/maintain than the SDs, theres just less stuff to break.

Do any of them have records/stamped books?


"nothing is more expensive than a cheap mercedes"
have you heard that one yet? I think its true.

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Cheers,
Robert

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't touch the coupe with a 10 foot pole, especially for 7 kilobucks. Coupes are very cool, but they have a few coupe specific parts which can be hard to find and more expensive than sedan parts. Also a 79 would have the old type climate control, which I am not a big fan of.


The other two both have AC problems. That could run $1000 or so, worst case. Both likely need front end rebuild, also figure $1000 or so.

I would say keep looking until the right car turns up.

__________________
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



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Keep browsing/shopping... There are many more better deals out there in the price range of $3000 to $7000 smackaroos!! TAKE YOUR TIME... Like most of us, be skeptical and aware of the littlest things. Read & research if you're not familiar with the particular chassis & model... After all, it's your hard earned money... As for those 3 choices, if it was me - I'd likely pass and move onwards looking for more....

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My Mercedes-Benz Homepage and W123 Owners Photo Gallery and W111/W112 Coupes & Convs Gallery
2005 Northeast GTG and 2005 Mid-Atlantic GTG and Summer '09 Central FL GTG on YouTube

Lots of good rust free examples to be found in California. How hot does it get where you are? Do you need AC?

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1959 Gravely LI, 1963 Gravely L8, 1973 Gravely C12
1982 380SL
1978 450 SEL 6.9 euro restoration at 63% and climbing
1987 300 D
2005 CDI European Delivery
2006 CDI Handed down to daughter
2007 GL CDI. Wifes

All 3 cars have no rust, great paint, and look good.
I will do most of the repairs myself, if you guys will help me.
I do not know where else to look around here. These are the 3 diesels that I have found. They are not real abundant here in the Portland Oregon Area.
Going to CA is not real appealing, How do I know that it is ok before I go to pick it up?

Does that D in the car name tell me it is a diesel? the S appears to stand for sedan.

The budget says that the coup is out. But it is a real nice car.

Where else can I look, and what models should I look for? I do not want to spend too much. I realize I will have to do some work, but I do not want a junker car.


Thanks
Doug

84 300SD 4dr $3000

offer them about 1500 bucks....this is your best deal least milage..

I agree the 84 SD may be the best deal of the 3, but I would not make any offer untill I had it checked out and had a good idea of what it was going to need. Then you can make an offer knowing how much the total cost will be. IMHO, buying a local car without knowing its condition is at least as risky as buying one long distance.

If the coupe is out, the concentrate on the '84 300SD. If it does not run, then it's not worth $3K. However, it's issues may not be too difficult to resolve. Try and attempt to have someone with some knowledge of the vehicle look at it. It's well worth the money. If it runs and has good compression then it's worth the price.

The "D" stands for diesel.

The "S" stands for "S class". It was the larger body style of the period. There was a "SEC" manufacured by M/B. It was an "S" class, fuel injected "E", coupe "C".

There also is a "CD" as you have found. It's a diesel coupe, but not an "S" class. It is the W123 body, a bit smaller than the "S" class.

Clear as mud, right?

Don't feel bad. It gets even more complicated in the late '80s and early '90's when the 190 and 300e came out.

This link may also help decode the model, chassis, and engine numbers that get thrown around in this forum:

http://home.hiwaay.net/~gbf/mbmodels.html

What color is the CD? $7000 is way to much to pay for one, I sold mine for $750, but it also had some issues...

Here's a link for an '83 300SD for $2450. The car is in San Francisco, but says seller is motivated. It may be worth checking out.

http://www.craigslist.org/pen/car/91259210.html

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Kip

1966 230SL
1969 300SEL 6.3
1985 300TDT
1990 350SDL
1992 500E
2002 SL500
2008 GL320 CDI