Buying diesel help - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

snookwhaler · #1 02-14-2009, 08:59 AM

Hello... I'm new to the board. I have been reading here for a few days trying to absorb all I can before I go look at these cars. My family has had bunches of Mercedes in the past to include 4 diesels. Those cars were all bought new though and I was a kid back then.

I am looking at 2 different cars. One is a garage kept 1984 with 183,000 and the other is an 1984 with 159,000.

What are some specific things to look out for when shopping for a W123 turbo diesel (besides the obvious)?

Some things I know to look out for: Cracks in the dash, vacuum leaks in the locking system (if it bleeds off or not), trans. vacuum leaks, rust on the door bottoms, rust in the fender and rocker corners, operable A/C controls (vacuum).

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. How much blow by is acceptable with these engines? At start up and when warm? Can I do the oil cap trick to get a seat of the pants idea? Are there any things to look at regarding the transmission? Shift points, hard shifting, etc.... IE: would hard shifting indicate a vacuum leak or something more serious?

I have had several diesel pickups and I am very familiar with the Cummins 5.9. So, I know a have pretty good general diesel knowledge just by working on and doing repairs and upgrades.

Thanks again for any help.

Regards,

AJ

Jeremy5848 · #2 02-14-2009, 01:01 PM

Choose the one with the best set of service records, that is, the one that seems to have had things fixed when they broke, had all of the recommended oil/filter changes done, had the suspension and a/c maintained, etc. An old Mercedes can turn into a money pit if it comes to you with a laundry list of repairs because the PO started to skimp. For every problem you find, there's at least one other hidden.

Blowby is hard to judge. You can do the teakettle test to impress the seller with your knowledge of cars (cold and then hot). It may mean nothing.

Hard shifting is either a vacuum leak, mis-adjusted VCV, or mis-adjusted Bowden cable.

Any rust anywhere is bad – there's always more that you don't see.

The a/c is best if NOT converted to R-134. Freon-12 or close substitutes are still available and work much better. The things that are expensive to repair are the compressor and the things that require tearing apart the dash – heater core, evaporator, vacuum pods.

Jeremy

rs899 · #3 02-15-2009, 06:37 AM

At that kind of mileage, pay attention to the suspension. Front end rebuilds aren't cheap or easy.

tobybul · #4 02-15-2009, 07:01 AM

I would say that I would pay attention to tranny shifting flares. Vacuum leaks are not too bad to fix but a bit time consuming to diagnose.

Being in FL hopefully the car should have minimal to no rust. Watch for rust on floor boards, jack points, wheel wells, under spare tire.

I would also eye ball the f&r axle boots for tears or cracks. They are a PIA to work on.

While under the car, check the driveshaft center bearing support for tears.

Check the ball joint boots & tie rod end boots for tears as they will have to be rplaced.

If the AC works, thats one less thing to address. It could be just as simple as a recharge or worse case is a component replacement (compressor, filter, xvalve, etc).

I would not be too concerned about dash cracks if the rest of the car checks out. Dash covers can be purchased.

snookwhaler · #5 02-15-2009, 05:55 PM

Thank you for the input! I have looked at a few now and I am getting discouraged. I have already put 1600 miles on my old Volvo driving around the state looking at old Diesel Mercedes. I am getting a little bit discouraged. Mainly because I have so little to work with.

It is my thinking that I should be able to find a pretty good daily driver for less than $3,500. I hope that my assessment is correct.

I totally forgot about the C/V boots and the center support. Thanks for that!

One of the cars I drove was all original and had 160,000 miles on it. That one had a pop when making a left hand turn? Are these the suspension troubles. Almost sounded like a control arm moving around or something.

I'm going to look at another one of Tuesday for another 300 miles on my car (round trip). Trying to find more to look at along the way.

Gene Horr · #6 02-15-2009, 10:46 PM

> It is my thinking that I should be able to find a pretty good daily driver for less than $3,500.

You're probably a bit optimistic. If all you care about is mechanical condition you can probably find something for around $4k-5k (including all repairs). You could get under your amount if you do all of the repairs yourself and have a well stocked junkyard nearby with a good supply of parts in good condition.

The problem is that a vehicle that has been maintained in like dependable/like new mechanical condition probably isn't going to be sold. The owner is going to want to keep it. So the vast majority of vehicles you see are going to be ones that need a minimum of $2k worth of work just to be road safe and dependable.

What you want to find is one with all maintenance records where you can see that the owner tried to keep up with everything but it finally became too much. What you don't want to buy is something from a young person who only did the minimum to keep it running. Those cars are usually completely junk by the time they come up for sale and you are going to be spending a _lot_ more than $4k to turn it dependable.

And the vehicle you are going to find in that price range is going to need a new paint job and the interior will likely be falling apart. But as long as the body does not have material rust you can get used interiors for reasonable prices and the clear coat doesn't keep you from getting to work .

You'll find one. Especially in Florida. Just keep looking. Be prepared to look for at least two months to find the right one.

TheDon · #7 02-15-2009, 10:49 PM

buy my car.. Its a good daily driver..

daw_two · #8 02-16-2009, 10:21 AM

Why limit your search to Florida? I bought my first Mercedes from New Orleans. A forum member went and test drove it for me. I was a member here for about 2 months before my first purchase. My second purchase was 4 days after my first car was delivered.

I've got a 240D, 4speed for sale.

#9 02-16-2009, 10:28 AM

Beware these cars are like crack! Ohhh sure you start off with one but then.....then more come along!!! and you can't say no!!!! But really no matter how well maintained the car you buy is there will more than likely be things that need to be addressed on it. Good luck!

LUVMBDiesels · #10 02-16-2009, 11:43 AM

You should look further North. I found my SDL in North Carolina for $2300...

The car is 100% rust free. I think the cars from there are more preserved than the ones in Florida as there is less salt in the air and much less rain.

Keep looking, but expect it to take a couple months.

bgkast · #11 02-16-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

buy my car.. Its a good daily driver..

That's what I was going to suggest. Joe has a very nice car that he has cared for well. It's in the Cars For Sale section.

tobybul · #12 02-16-2009, 09:47 PM

I've never bought a car from a forum member but being a forum member I can say we all try to care for our vehicles. So its probably not a bad idea looking at a member's car.

Seems to me though that $3500 is more than plenty to find a W123. Step back a little bit and regroup.

I would not get discouraged with mechanical issues because you will never find one without any. As others have said, rust maybe more of an issue unless you don't care about aesthetics.

So, hang in there and don't be pressured or in a hurry. The right one will come along...

snookwhaler · #13 02-18-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bgkast

That's what I was going to suggest. Joe has a very nice car that he has cared for well. It's in the Cars For Sale section.

Thanks for that. I'm going to look at it tomorrow. I hope the rain will hold out.

I found a pretty good one locally, completely original (including the paint). But, I did not know how good it was until I saw some others. I have been trying to contact the guy but I think it already sold. That was 5 days ago.

I'm a little worried about buying a car with 300,000 miles. Surely it will be needing quite a few things. I would be tempted to replace the timing chain immediately. What do you guys think?

I plan to continue to rack up miles on what ever I buy. At least 24 to 30 thousand per year.

TylerH860 · #14 02-18-2009, 07:29 PM

I think of a near mint 150-200k sedan to be had easily $5-6k.

Without records, it would be hard to tell if the mileage is accurate. Of the 3 diesels I've owned 2 had the odometers fail at some point.

So, you can get a really nice car for $6000, or...

Buy one that needs paint: (at least $3000 for a decent paint job)

No AC: (Up to $2000 depending on what's wrong)

Aged drive train: Original engine transmission over the hill. Price depends on whether you replace it with a used or rebuilt unit. $500-$7000. Plus there's the many, many other issues that come with use.

The Dons car is pretty nice, and he has taken care of it, but if its going to be a daily driver, you will probably be spending more $$$ to keep it going over a few years then buying the nice $6k one right off the bat. If you don't care about paint and AC, or are pretty handy, then go for it.

*edit* I'm not knocking the Don's car at all. He has it priced appropriately enough, put in alot of work, and taken good care of it.

WhoWhat · #15 02-18-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snookwhaler

Thanks for that. I'm going to look at it tomorrow. I hope the rain will hold out.

I found a pretty good one locally, completely original (including the paint). But, I did not know how good it was until I saw some others. I have been trying to contact the guy but I think it already sold. That was 5 days ago.

I'm a little worried about buying a car with 300,000 miles. Surely it will be needing quite a few things. I would be tempted to replace the timing chain immediately. What do you guys think?

I plan to continue to rack up miles on what ever I buy. At least 24 to 30 thousand per year.

Don't get discouraged...you'll love a w123 if you buy one. I just bought my first one last fall, and I love it. Remember that no matter how nice the car is (or seems), it will need some work. That said, the work is pretty straightforward and enjoyable...plus, you'll never have a problem that this board can't help you with. It's seriously amazing.

I bought my car with 227k miles, and I learned quickly that while this seems pretty high (it IS a lot of miles), these engines, when cared for, can go for lots and lots of miles.

I had no idea what I was buying when I purchased my car...I was completely ignorant. I spent $3000 on my 84 - the body is very well cared for, and the mechanicals, for the most part, were sound. I've put in about $1000 since I bought it, bringing it up to where it is now. I've got a bit more work to do, but I drive it everyday, and it's great. I've put on about 15k miles since August.

Don't be bashful with questions - we're happy to help. Just buy it - you'll be ONE OF US...