looking at a 1992 300D

[04 Diesel]

There is a problem with the trany, no forward gears. What could be wrong? The car has just under 200,000 miles. He is asking $1,500, not a bad price. But do you think the trany needs to be replaced or somthing simple that I can fix? Any ideas would be great, thanks.

Sounds like a good deal but go in expecting the worst i.e. total tranny rebuild + 500 bucks...

[babymog]

Most likely, not something simple.

There is the possibility of a "B2 failure", a quick search will pull up more than you will want to read. Check fluid level, smell the fluid, but most likely you'll be needing a transmission or at least internal work on the transmission.

However, if the car is nice and you're willing to source and install the transmission yourself, you could end up with a good car for less than market. For $1500 he won't sell it unless it's to an enthusiast, it's only worth around $500 to the junkyard.