Did I do well on my "new" car? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ESLee · #1 03-30-2007, 10:53 AM

I just found this site. I wish I knew about it earlier. There is so much great info here!!

I just purchased an ’84 300SD from e-bay. I am going to pick it up this weekend. I just wanted to know if you guys think I got a good deal or not?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=220096460879&rd=1&rd=1

I know that it’s hard to tell if I have a good deal until I find out if it breaks down in a month or not. That being said, if you guys have any feedback it would be appreciated.

veg_hed_300d · #2 03-30-2007, 11:13 AM

sounds like a decent deal to me...but there is a saying that i got from this website, "there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes..." The one major thing that would concern me is the mileage...The odometers on these things are notorious for not working all the time....When I bought my 82 300D the owner assured me that the 201,000 on the clock was correct...a week later i found out other wise...I don't think he was being dishonest I truly think he didn't know... It just seems odd that the odometer stopped working only 1000 miles ago...yeah right...but if these odometers are similar to 300D's then they are not that hard to fix...i used the diesel giant DIY to get mine back on track..

http://www.dieselgiant.com/repairyourodometer.htm

I picked my benz up for super-cheap and have had a great time with it...this forum is the best place out there for DIYers...so it's good you found this site.. and some tinkering on a 25 year old car can be expected...

vstech · #3 03-30-2007, 11:45 AM

the odo's are similar, but not the same. you will find that a gear has sheared. search for sd odometer gear there are listings here to fix it.
John

vstech · #4 03-30-2007, 11:47 AM

nice car, odd that the MBtex is cracked, that stuff is usually darn near bulletproof!
change ALL the fluids when you get the car. change the oil filter and the orings on the filter shaft.
have fun. ask for help when you need it here.
John

ESLee · #5 03-30-2007, 12:02 PM

I heard that it can be more damaging to change the trans. fluid if it has never been changed before. Something about the detergents in the fluid can remove the protective grime. Is this true?

barry123400 · #6 03-30-2007, 12:17 PM

Hard to say how you did overall with so little information. Hope it is well though. Chances are his wife would not have drove it if pretty bad. My wife notices the slightest things for example and makes me fix them.
I have speculated to myself as well over the use of very high detergent oils in these older transmissions. Have to wonder if the tractor places that still have the pretty bland type A fluid that if it might be a better relacement? Anyone out there to speculate on this?

rrgrassi · #7 03-30-2007, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESLee

I heard that it can be more damaging to change the trans. fluid if it has never been changed before. Something about the detergents in the fluid can remove the protective grime. Is this true?

Never heard of "protective grime".

If the tranny fails after a fluid and filter change, it was going to fail regardless. My very first car, a '73 Pontiac Grand Prix, had 90,000 on it when my parents bought it for $800 and gave it to me. Tranny fluid was never changed, car was 8 y/o when I got it. Fluid was still bright red. I changed it and the filter. Never had a problem. I sold the car at 200,000 miles.

Looks like you got a good deal though.

POS · #8 03-30-2007, 12:46 PM

I won't even buy a w123 if I found out the odometer quit working - everyone seems to lie once the odo breaks. Hard to go wrong with only $1200 though.

barry123400 · #9 03-30-2007, 01:09 PM

Unless there are continious records to establish the odometer accuracy. I consider it a good possibility the odometer is not accurate. For starters there was just too many dollars at stake when these cars where fairly new to not manually turn them back by vendors.
Added to that was their atrocious failure rate. I almost have to wonder if the design was purposful by vdo if thats the maker of them. I have owned other brands of cars that use that brand of speedometer head with almost no known failures in general.
Add to this that people usually buy diesels to drive lots of miles. Again if you notice the newer versions of mercedes that are perhaps more tamper proof. They have a lesser failure rate usually as well. Yet have about the same accumulated miles as most of our old buggies. Even my low milage older examples are suspect by me to some extent.
There are always exceptions of course. Still I would never bet the farm on what the odometer states on 123s.

Magoo · #10 03-30-2007, 01:36 PM

Looks like a pretty good deal to me. I wish it had appeared before I bought my car!

Quinn8it · #11 03-30-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESLee

I heard that it can be more damaging to change the trans. fluid if it has never been changed before. Something about the detergents in the fluid can remove the protective grime. Is this true?

Are you adding a Lovecraft system? They are the only people I have heard that say not to change transmission fluid...

GRIESL · #12 03-30-2007, 09:01 PM

Overall, I think you done good. Probably better than I did with my 123. I would be a little concerned about the engine losing a little oil and it blowing from the front of the motor to the back. About midway up your valve cover, you can see where there is some oil blow and it seems to reach the firewall. But I doubt it's anything major. I bet the valve cover gasket was pinched or put on wet once when valves were done. Good luck with it, and post back if you ever need help. The experienced guys on this forum will help you more than you can imagine.

ESLee · #13 03-31-2007, 11:19 PM

I'm in Philadelphia right now. I woke up at 6 a.m. and drove almost 500 mi. to make it to the title office before they closed @ 3. When he tried to start it, it would not start. He told me that the car hadn’t been driven and the battery was low. After several min. attached to his truck the 300SD started up. We drove to the title office and I am now the owner!!
So far…

The Good: The engine seems to run strong.
The transmission shifts fine.
Mechanically everything seems to be in order.
He is the 2nd owner since new and gave me all (or at least very close to all) of the service records since new. The folder is nearly an inch thick!!
The mileage I believe to be close to correct due to all of the records.

The Bad: As stated the driver seat does not move.
As stated the sunroof does not fully close on its own.
As stated the rear passenger window control is pulled out.
The passenger mirror does not move.
The air conditioner does not blow cold air.
There no insulation between the engine and hood.
It looks like the car has had a lot of break issues. (They seem fine for now though.
I need to glow the plugs 2-3 time before it will start right up. (He says it’s because the fuel filters need to be changed.)

The Ugly: As stated paint on the hood looks like crap. (I think it’s due to the lack of insulation between the engine and hood.)
The display for the radio does not work.
As stated some of the wood paneling is off.
The paint is not in very good condition. There are a lot of deep swirls and even a few spots where the clear coat has been buffed through. Who ever buffed the car should never be allowed to go within 20 ft of a buffer ever again!
There is a lot of oil/maybe diesel on the engine. (He says it’s from where the tube coming off the engine that goes back into the carburetor came off. I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about diesel engines, so I don’t know exactly what that tube does or if it would account for the oily engine.)

Well that’s all I can think of for now. I hope/pray there the bad/ugly list doesn’t get longer during my 450 mile drive back to Ohio tomorrow!

JimmyL · #14 03-31-2007, 11:46 PM

What was the temperature at the time you had to glow the car 2-3 before it would start?
With the car running, loosen the oil filler cap on top of valve cover, and just let it sit there. Do the vapors from inside the valve cover blow the cap off? This will give an idea of blow-by.
You also need to do a search on testing glow plugs. We will hope that is why you have to glow it several times.

bgkast · #15 04-01-2007, 12:09 AM

I just spent $750 on a 300D with a few less issues, but bad paint. Seems like you got a fair deal.