New Guy Whit Q? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Sash · #1 12-08-2006, 09:49 PM

Hello guys,I am new to the forum and Mercedes world.
I am about to purchase a 1984 300sd turbo D coworker's car,car is in weary good condition 99% rust free nice interior to,car have 250k miles head was redone once and fuel pump was rebuild to other than that is all original,after two years parct in the garage we fire the car up to day and she fire on the second try,sounded good,I was not able to take it for a ride because bad radiator(liking).
He is asking 1000$.
Let me know what you think.
is 250k to much miles for this car?How long this cars normally last?
I thank you for your input.

TheDon · #2 12-08-2006, 09:53 PM

if he has the recipts to back up the head job 1k might be a good price

but what worries me is the head was redone... my car has 266k on it and its never had the head off.. find out more about why the head was done

vstech · #3 12-08-2006, 10:22 PM

yeah, how long has the radiator been leaking?
if the car's head has been redone due to overheating, have the motor inspected THOROUGHLY!!! a cracked head will blow out a radiator pretty quick.
where is the Radiator leaking? hoses? cracks in the tanks? figure about 2-300.00 to get a new one. Just the radiator, labor is more. what color is the coolant? red, ok, green? look to 'citric" clean it out, and put in a few 10 - 25.00 gallons of antifreeze.
you state "almost" no rust... where is the rust? on the frame? on the jack points? on the fenders? around the windows? around the sunroof?
is there any evidence of water in the trunk? under the carpets? inside the car anywhere?
if garaged all the time, there should be NO cracks on the dashboard. the steering wheel should be pristine, and the back seat stiching should be flawless and tight up near the back window. verify this.
also, the rear window should be perfectly clear. no white spots anywhere on it. make sure. if the seller is lying about this they could lie about other things.
John

oh, and since it's an 84 look for a football shaped exaust pipe near the turbo not sure, but you may get a new turbo if your car has it.

#4 12-08-2006, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sash

Hello guys,I am new to the forum and Mercedes world.
I am about to purchase a 1984 300sd turbo D coworker's car,car is in weary good condition 99% rust free nice interior to,car have 250k miles head was redone once and fuel pump was rebuild to other than that is all original,after two years parct in the garage we fire the car up to day and she fire on the second try,sounded good,I was not able to take it for a ride because bad radiator(liking).
He is asking 1000$.
Let me know what you think.
is 250k to much miles for this car?How long this cars normally last?
I thank you for your input.

I would offer $450, and explain that the cooling system is going to need at least $550 to make the car move under it's own power. When you figure radiator repair, battery, ect. Even at $450, it is a slight risk, because you don't know how the brakes, suspension, and transmission are going to be after two years of storage, even if the engine is ok.

The miles aren't that high, but I would not buy the car for $1000 unless you could drive it for at least an hour and see if it overheats, and that it drives ok.

Otherwise, you can get a decent one for around $2500.

I mean, think about it, who would sell a otherwise nice car that only needs a radiator for a low price of $1000, or could it be that the radiator leak is an excuse for not being able to drive the car and see the rest of the problems.

My dad looked at a Farmall tractor the other day at the flea market. The seller said it ran perfect, when parked two years ago. My dad offered to supply a battery and fresh fuel to hear it run. The seller refused, claiming that "the old stuff in the carburetor would destroy the engine". Pops counter offered that he would like to hear the engine turn over with the starter, the seller refused again, saying that the old oil would ruin the perfect engine. Translation: the engine is frozen and hooking up the battery would prove my theory.

RobTheMod · #5 12-08-2006, 11:46 PM

I see a similar thing in AZ with "fuel pump" or fuel pump relay being the reason a 560SEL etc won't run.

On some occasions, the seller has even dumped gas in the CIS plate opening, to show that it will run... OK, fair enough... but isn't it worth so much more running?

Usually, it's either a bad ign. module $$$$ or a broken timing chain $$$$$$ which sidelined the car... wouldn't ya buy a $70 FPR to make that 560 into a runner rather than try to sell as a 20 yr old uber expensive to fix broken paperweight??

#6 12-09-2006, 12:37 AM

That's so funny, because I just looked at a really nice looking 420SEL "I bought it from a doctor" that the seller told me was out of gas when it was obvious that the fuel pumps were dead because the car had been run out of fuel. The car only had 112,000 miles, even though it was a 1987.

For some reason the guy (used car dealer) only wanted $2600 for a perfect car..... that did not run. The last straw was when he got bent out of shape when I copied down the VIN, and told him I would be back if the Carfax was reasonable and it would move under it's own power.

It's my fault for thinking I could buy a nice 420SEL for around $2000 to 2500.........

rwthomas1 · #7 12-09-2006, 09:41 AM

I think you all are being a bit harsh. Nice SD's are getting harder and harder to find. Unless the coolant leak is severe then you should at least be able to take a spin around the block with the car and see how it handles, shifts, noises, etc. Getting a head redone is far from a big deal. The valve guides could have got tired or there could have been a very slight headgasket leak. If a short drive shows the car to be worth it then a radiator is cheap. If you aren't able to drive it try getting a junkyard radiator and installing it to test drive. Again, cheap and effective. RT

#8 12-09-2006, 11:51 AM

IMHO.

I say, let the seller fix the car, and ask a reasonable price. Buying a car that has been parked for two years because the radiator simply sprung a leak is real suspect. If it was such a good car, then why did it get parked for two years over a simple and inexpensive repair. It might be a diesel, but it is a S-class. Repair are not simple and cheap when it comes to the climate control system, suspension, transmission, brakes, or the various other things that go wrong. Such as the door locks, sunroof, cv axles. It sounds to me like the seller used up all the life left in the car and now wants to dump it.

If the guy went to trade it in he would get wholsale value, around $300.

Sash · #9 12-09-2006, 01:07 PM

I'll go down there to day again,and I'll take the car for a ride,radiator have small leak,I'll take some pictures and I'll post em here my be I'll make a video to.
I know this dude long time we work together in a machine shop,this guy is weary net individual hi like to keep thinks nice and organized,he is a little to much of that,I mean one minute you see him running the machine making production and if hi thinks some thing is not ideal hi gonna tear the machine a part to marked better,NOT that that was not good enough like that,but hi is just like that little weird dude, whit good hart.I am shore that he take the head apart because of that, hi is just a Mark the weird dude from work ,I'll talk to him to day why hi redone the head.
As far as way hi park the car two years a go is this,
That was one car that was his dream, he have to have it,so hi got this car from a school teacher whit all documentation for maintenance for the car hi kept the car like a jewel, hi was driven the car for a long distances or for going out for diner or wedding staff like that,two years a go his air stop working and hi stop drive the car hi drove it every once and a while, after that the radiator start liking a little, and this car was not his dealy driver so simply hi parked in his garage, until I convicted him to sale the car to me, and here we are dealing whit this now........................
later............
pictures and videos to come.

vstech · #10 12-09-2006, 02:31 PM

ahh, you know the guy. that makes a big difference!
if you know the guy, and work with him, it is unlikely he would sell you known problems... then again, the climate control fix can get pricey...
John

Sash · #11 12-09-2006, 06:15 PM

update here
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?p=1353490#post1353490

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiNFaY4ZegU