The 300D Euro I went to look at....stumped. - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

elchivito · #1 09-06-2009, 01:15 PM

I'm really not sure what to do. I went to see the 300D we had discussed in another thread yesterday. The car has been advertised for some days but I'm sure I was the first looker. It had a flat tire! Hadn't been cleaned up at all. It's physically pretty rough but all there except for the radio. Paint will buff up I think, no serious body issues and no evidence of rust at all. Interior is fair. Seats are good but the carpets are worn and filthy. Manual door locks, all power windows worked. Sunroof switch either broken or some other problem. Dash cracked all over, covered with a mat. Console wood bad, dash wood good but loose. I used the open radio hole as an opportunity to look for oil leaks and didn't find any.
Mechanical:
The AC controls on the dash were loose like somebody had been fooling with them. "Needs freon", yeah, I'll bet it does, but couldn't turn it on to test.
Started up first time after a 10 second warm up wait. Warm engine oil pressure pegged right away and at idle stayed right at 3 bars after warm up. The cap didn't move at all looking for blow-by. The car had clearly been sitting in the same spot for some time and there were only a few little drips under it.
I was pretty amazed at the peppiness of the car. Clutch felt good. A far cry from the scary slow starts I've experienced test driving a few SD's with automatics. The engine was pretty loud and bangy it seemed to me, but my experience with diesels is limited. No smoke on startup or under way.
The engine compartment was filthy, but looked fairy dry with the exception of some fuel apparent around where the fuel line inserts into the cylinder closest to the firewall. Is that #1 or #5? Not a lot, just a little wetness.
Tight parking lot circles didn't produce any bangs or clunks, but the brakes felt mushy and pulled to the right. The guy sort of showed his hand when he said "my dad just wants it gone". It looks like a project more than a daily driver to me. I'm tempted to throw the guy a lowball offer, 500 bucks or so.
Your thoughts and opinions are greatly valued.
Here's a link to some pics:
http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh234/cokeisgood112/300d%20album/?albumview=grid

edit to add: I couldn't get these guys to admit to doing ANYTHING to the car in the 7-8 years they've owned it other than regular synthetic oil and filter changes, changing a headlight and replacing the clutch. I told my son on the way home "I can almost guarantee you there is easily 2500 dollars worth of work that car needs, NOT including the AC and interior".

JackG · #2 09-06-2009, 01:22 PM

What is the asking price? Looks like a good start to me.

toomany MBZ · #3 09-06-2009, 01:57 PM

A good cleaning will do wonders, seems mechanically sound.
Cylinder #5 btw.

elchivito · #4 09-06-2009, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackG

What is the asking price? Looks like a good start to me.

He wants 1K dollars.

elchivito · #5 09-06-2009, 02:00 PM

One thing about it that appeals to me is the simplicity under the hood. Lots of room, no turbo, no rube goldberg tangle of vacuum lines. I don't mind getting dirty and can turn a wrench but am no mechanic. This looks like a car I could make some sense of.

thebenzbar · #6 09-06-2009, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elchivito

I told my son on the way home "I can almost guarantee you there is easily 2500 dollars worth of work that car needs, NOT including the AC and interior".

That is absolutely correct. For example, Pierre, Lexxani, Elk, Necrosavant, and I looked at a euro w125 500SEL yesterday at a used-car-sharkdealer's lot to help out a fellow friend who wants a euro 126. The stealer listed it at $1,990 and wouldn't budge a dime even after we collectively identified a bunch of things to be addressed: A/C, exhaust, suspension components, interior work, etc... Realistically a figure of around 1,500 out-the-door would be fair. After all, a few thousand more would be needed to properly sort out that car. However, a typical shark-dealer tagged on a $399 dealer fee on top of their non-negotiable price, and that quickly persuaded us and the buyer to walk away.

So unless everything is 99.9% entirely sorted-out by the seller, practically every older MB you see for sale will need $$$$ worth of parts/work by the "new enthusiast" owner to address.

#7 09-06-2009, 02:16 PM

Looks like an interesting project. I agree that you will have to put a few $1000 and/or a bunch of time into it. I would be tempted if I had some free time (which I don't).

drstrangelove · #8 09-06-2009, 02:42 PM

If its really not rusted then I think it is a good buy at $1000. (plus $2500 to fix up).

elchivito · #9 09-06-2009, 02:45 PM

Those of you with experience with both models, would you say a 300D is inherently noisier than an SD? The SD's I've driven seemed much quieter.

Also, if you looked at the engine compartment pics, the intake on the air filter looks to me like it ought to have something connected to it, like maybe an extension of some sort. Am I mistaken, is that the way they are set up?

sixto · #10 09-06-2009, 03:10 PM

How badly you want a Euro? This is about as good a Euro as you're going to find for $1000 (unless you're Tyler). $500 would be better but the difference will hardly matter if it's the keeper it looks to be.

I find the 126 quieter on the inside even with the windows down and just as noisy on the outside.

I think there should be a duct from the air cleaner to somewhere between the radiator and headlight cluster. If not the air cleaner should have a longer snout.

Are those Euro tail lights?

Sixto
87 300D

Skippy · #11 09-06-2009, 03:16 PM

Looks like it's worth $1000 to me. If I weren't currently suffering from an excess of cars and a lack of money, I'd be trying to snag that car myself.

Dieselkraut23 · #12 09-06-2009, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elchivito

Those of you with experience with both models, would you say a 300D is inherently noisier than an SD? The SD's I've driven seemed much quieter.

Also, if you looked at the engine compartment pics, the intake on the air filter looks to me like it ought to have something connected to it, like maybe an extension of some sort. Am I mistaken, is that the way they are set up?

Your dead on about the air intake missing the plastic tube.

I am not 100% sure this is a euro car. I did not see the vin tag on the radiator support. It doesnt seem to have a euro 300D motor either. So i am guessing someone had a 240D with alot of options and they put a 617 motor in it or just put a 4 speed in a US market 300D and switch over the climate also.
Its very hard to tell by your pictures.

If you can get the vin that would tell us Alot so long as it is infact an 81' model.

Only things that point it to being a euro would be the climate control, the black trim under the taillights, the stick shift of course and it also looks like no rear dome light.

Look for a headlight adjust switch on the dash near where the sunroof button is.

JackG · #13 09-06-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elchivito

He wants 1K dollars.

Offer what ever you like, but when all is said
and done, make sure that car is in your driveway!!!!

A rust free Euro stick in running condition for a
grand and you want to think about it???????

AYFN

Yak · #14 09-06-2009, 03:55 PM

Euro headlights by '82 shouldn't have been round w/ yellow fogs, right? Maybe it had to get federalized? Check the drivers door panel for a sticker.

Is that a turbo hood pad with the foil area on it?

Also, from the pics: screw-on cap missing from A/C line - was it R-134 converted or still R-12?

Brake fluid reservoir looks pretty dark - is that really nasty fluid? That would help explain the mushy feel. A caliper re-build is straightforward assuming the piston's not frozen.

Yes, it's missing a tube from the front air intake right at the radiator support to the air cleaner, but that's an easy junkyard replacement item.

Other specific places to look for oil/fluid leaks, if you're getting serious and looking for flaws or bargaining points: check the hoses from the oil cooler for weeping or seeping (skinny vertical radiator on driver's side of main radiator), the PS pump (right behind the oil cooler) looks pretty dirty - are the hoses leaking? Is there fluid or a lot of nasty grease on the motor mounts (basically laterally from the fender wells)? The oil or fluid from these shows up on the bottom or on the lower components in the engine bay. These are straightforward repairs and easier if done together, but can add up to some bucks right away.

But, the CL ad said "well maintained" and they can't describe maintenance other than oil and filter changes? Expect some suspension work!

No turbo definitely means fewer oil leaks and a cleaner engine bay. Making a low-ball offer shouldn't hurt.

Squabble · #15 09-06-2009, 04:51 PM

i don't think that's a euro....

it looks like a manual 240D with some extra options. i say that because i only count 4 metal injection lines and it seems to have a lot more room between the engine and the firewall than any 5 cylinder 300D i've seen. but that could just be the pics...i guess it could be a non-turbo 300D. i had one from '81. someone could have married it with a 4 speed. it's odd, we need more pics.

no euro lights, no euro bumpers, no euro tail lights, i don't think those are euro corners either...

it might have started it's life out as a euro but the euro look as been ruined by the importation process.

what's the vin number, that should clear things up.

of course, it's in good shape for $1000 or less, i just wouldn't buy it until you know what you're buying and it's all sorted out.