Folks,

I've been lurking awhile, trying to learn, while searching for a 300d turbo to buy. I think I 've found one. '82, 150ishk miles. Interior's in excellent shape. Body is in very good shape with some minor rust at the back of the rear wheel wells, and on one jack point. Everything works, including the a/c, except for the power door locks, and an antenna that was busted off.
I checked out a coupe last week that wouldn't shut off becuase of a vaccum leak in the driver side door. THIS car, as I said before, shuts off, there seems to be no issues beside the power door locks not working. I was told it was bought from the original owner, and the current owner is a mechanic who has maintained the car. Brakes were just done, with new calipers.
My experience tells me there's going to be something that's going to bite me in the ass. The price is right. I asked the owner not to run the car at least a day before I look at it.
My wise friends, what should I look for, and where should I look? I'm test driving it this weekend. I've been told the steering is tight.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks,
Slim

The locks are vacuum controlled, so they can be easily fixed. Usually the problem is with the trunk or fuel door actuators.

Check all fluids

Make sure you have access to all repair records before you buy.

Get a pre buy inspection at a different shop.

Check the rust carfully, Rust is like roaches. For evert spec you see, there can be many more lurking under cover of carpet, etc.

Check for blowby. Drive it kinda hard and listen for pops, squeaks, etc.

See if the seller will give you a warranty of some sort.

__________________
RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

The inability to shut off is very annoying, but it's rarely a serious problem. There are several vacuum tubes in the vicinity of the oil filter (it's on the firewall in front of the driver), and they get knocked off when someone changes the oil filter.

The vacuum door locks are easy to fix with a Mity Vac or other vacuum device and the info you can find on this site. The oil will ALWAYS be black, even an hour after it has been changed on any old Diesel.

Drive the car close to a wall or something that will reflect noises back through your open window: listen for scraping sounds (brakes) or a schuff shuff sound that could indicate a bad bearing or a warped rotor.

The biggest pains in the butt on these cars are the AC and the radio/antenna. The latter is easily fixed" for under $150 you can get a CD AM/FM radio with a jack into which you can plug an Ipod or a cassette player or anything else. The antenna is not expensive to replace if you do it yourself.

The turbo cuts in at about 200 RPM: before this, these cars have unspectacular acceleration. The brakes should stop in a straight line. Check the level of fluid in the tranny and the brakes. Low brake fluid can mean you need new pads.

Others can give you more tips.

One can use a simple problem like the inability to shut off as a bargaining point. All you will probably need to do is to very carefully examine the hoses and plug them all in. There is one that goes to the right of the yellow door vacuum module located under another on the same device that is very hard to locate.

If you change the car from forward to reverse if there is a sort of clunk or lag, the flex discs (what Mercedes used instead of U-joints) might need replacing. This is doable by the shade tree mechanic, but is a pain, because it is under the car and the fittings are connected with Allen (internal hex) fittings.

Good luck. These cars are much better made and are much more durable than American, Japanese and other competitors, which is why they cost so much more when used. An 82 Cadillac or Lincoln is often hardly worth anything.

__________________
Semibodacious Transmogrifications a Specialty

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo sedan 171K (Rudolf)
1985 300D Turbo TD Wagon 219K (Remuda)

"Time flies like and arrow, yet fruit flies like a banana"
---Marx (Groucho)

Where do I look for various fluids? Where do I check tranny fluid, for example? I'm searching the forum for answers, but, I guess I'm panicking a little. Never owned a Benz or a diesel before.....

Thanks again,

Slim

Tranny fluid is on the passengerside of the engine, near the firewall, like most other RWD cars with an auto tranny. Oil is near the front, driver side. Coolant is in an expansion tank mounted on the passengerside fender well.

__________________
RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Don't panic. Only the engine is different , the rest remains the same. However, since you don't know how to check the basic stuff, you might not have time to learn how to check the more advanced stuff that's been recommended -- paying someone for a prepurchase inspection is pprobably money wisely spent. Check the forum for an independent in your area or maybe take it to the dealer.

As for how to check the basic stuff, both the Haynes manual and the factory service manual have pretty good sections on how to check that stuff. Online, you can find some pretty good checklists of what to look for in general, and others here have already pointed out some of the MB-specific issues to look for.

There's only one thing you'll have to learn how to check, and that's how it starts up when stone cold (ie. not run for at least several hours, preferably overnight). Such starts are a pretty good indicator of the presence of internal engine wear. Observe how quickly it starts once you start cranking the engine over, how rough the idle is once started, how long the rough idle persists, and how much and what color the smoke out the back is (you'll want to have a friend to observe the first puffs as you get it started if possible.. or maybe have the owner start it for you while you watch). Diesel engines start quite a bit differently than gasoline ones, so not everything you see will be indicators of problems -- check back here before passing judgment.

All that said, its a little difficult to pass on a car you already like. Perhaps put a percentage down to hold it for a week while you get it in for an inspection and ask questions here?

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'83 300DTurbo http://badges.fuelly.com/images/smallsig-us/318559.png

Broadband: more lies faster.