I am looking for a clean, rust-free, mechanically and cosmetically sound W123 for my daily commute in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In my search I have come across a nice looking '85 300DT at a local Mercedes specialty shop (email for dealer details). The dealer is asking north of $6k.

What should I expect in a car for that price? I feel like the price is too high. My mechanic said to pay no more than $3-4k for an excellent specimen. Do these cars exist? Does anyone have an excellent 300D for sale? I am not interested in "fixer-uppers" I plan to use the car for commuting but would enjoy having a vehicle that has been taken care of, has low miles, and is in outstanding condition. In other words, I am looking for a car that looks good and won't leave me stranded!

Thanks for the opinions/advice/etc.

6K is way too high around here. Keep an eye on Craigslist for 300D's or 300SD's and then just try and beat WhiskeyDan to them!
Who is your local mechanic, and what part of our fair burg are you in?
And, even though we love these cars, they do have problems quite often. Usually it isn't things that will strand you, just things that have to be addressed. And of course try and find one with working AC for down here. Most of the time the AC isn't working....... It will be much different than a Gwagen......
I'll keep my eyes open, as I always do anyway......

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I think $6k would need to be an "excellent specimen", but surely truly mint W123s would go for much, much more.

For $2k I expect the car to need work, A/C probably doesn't work but for the most part is solid. For $3k I would expect a pretty solid car, but still needing some minor repairs ($500-$1k in repairs) to get it in satisfactory condition. For $4000 or more, I wouldn't expect much to be wrong, mechanically or cosmetically.

Anything beyond that and somebody has a gem or they're trying to pretend like they have one because they know there's a market for it.

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

Well, you want a wagon, want it now, and want it ready to roll....I don't think 6k is too bad IF the wagon is near perfect. Based on my experience, it would be real easy to tie up 6 grand reworking a wagon to a high standard....super easy if you don't want to do the work yourself. Nothing is more expensive than a cheap Mercedes! You get what you pay for...but that doesn't mean you couldn't throw out a low ball offer and see if you could work the price down (flash some cash, let 'em smell the dough).

Tis the season to buy a car, it is fixin' to be a year older and the dealer is fixin' pay some taxes on it! BTW, don't get caught up in that "Classic Mercedes" crap...they have classic looks, but it is really a 22 year wagon, not an investment type automobile.

Having said all that, what kind of car does 6K buy these days? Not much.

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Mark
1983 300TD Wagon
Even a broken watch is right twice a day

Maybe I misstated the model. The car I am looking at is 300d sedan.

It sounds like the market may be a little different in Texas for clean cars, here in the rust belt $6k would be ok for a rust free fully functional ~150k mile type example thats been well maintained.

If you are looking for a nice specimen, if it passes your test, do take it to a mechanic who really knows the cars. Make sure you get the service records so you know what will need to be done.

I have a fixer-upper Texas car one thing to look out for are the rubber glass seals (windshield, sunroof etc.). Mine all need replacing due baking in the sun for 20+years. All of them leak now. Maybe this is common knowledge to texans already...just like rust is a way of life up here.

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

That sounds like a high price. EVERYTHING must work correctly, A/C of course, ALL vac systems, door locks, fuel shut off. Don't know if you folks in Texas ever need heat, but the ACC can be problematic, some flaps not opening when they should. Multiple fan speeds? Tach work? Clock work? Seat drooping? Inside drivers door handle not drooping. Glove box door closing and staying closed. Check for oil leaking from front crank, while running. Trans shifting properly. Strong brakes, good pedal feel. Sun roof opens smoothly, and steadily, completely? All of the above can be dealt with, but at that price you should not have to. Recent maintenance. How many miles? Good luck, happy motoring.

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83 SD

84 CD

Call John Redmon at 903-858-1128. He's 2 hrs. east of Dallas on Rt 14 in Red Springs. Got tons of parts too as he has over 100 part cars--all MB's, mostly 70's & 80's.

Now THAT IS A FANTASTIC TIP!!!!

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Aquilae non capunt muscas! (Eagles don't hunt flies!)


1979 300SD Black/Black MBtex239000mi
1983 300TD euro-NA. White/Olive Cloth-MBtex 201000mi. Fleet car of the USA embassy in Morocco
1983 240D Labrador Blue/Blue MBtex 161000mi

Is this the guy I've heard of who has a lot a parts, but charges quite a lot for them? (I may have this mixed up though).
Is that east on I-20?

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

John's been real fare with me not only with parts but with some major repairs. He's located east of Dallas, north of I-20 on Rt 14 due north of Tyler. Give him a call and tell him that Dick referred you.