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I'm thinking of dropping down into Phoenix and then heading west on 10. It doesn't add much in terms of time and is mostly a straight shot across from AZ. It would give me the opportunity of seeing Arizona on the way. Is 40 a much better scenic route than dropping down at Flagstaff on 17 and then heading east on 10? |
I wish you would have messaged me before pulling the trigger. It would have been no effort at all for me to go take a look.
MY PM: Yup, I saw the ad when it popped up right in my back yard. Great Snag! I have done Wichita to SO CAL twice. You have two very good travel options for the car. I've done both in one trip documented here: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=241323 If you want 3 evenly spaced stops in VERY fun places, I'd suggest going North. Wichita to Glenwood Springs, CO. (approx 10 hours). West of Denver its one of the most beautiful roads in the world, especially in Glenwood Canyon. You can relax in the morning at the Sulfur springs (giant natural hot tub with supposed healing powers), then make your way to Vegas (approximately 8 hours). Then its just a short jaunt to California. The quicker route is South on 35, the West on 40, but its very boring, unless you make the turn off to see the Grand Canyon. |
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I don't think I want to go north on this trip for a few reasons: 1) the tires are 5 years old, should I be concerned? 2) I need to make it a fairly quick trip to get back to work 3) even though the car sounds like it should be very reliable there is no guarantee that something won't happen along the way so I think it would be appropriate to take the "most beaten path" with cell towers along the way or in case I need to pull over etc... I'll definitely go 35 to 40 and then 10 if there isn't something incredible to see between Flagstaff and Barstow. Plus, it let's me hit the major cities for good deals on hotels on Hotwire. I don't want to risk staying at an iffy hotel/motel on the way. |
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My '83 300SD spent it's entire life since being bought new in Dallas, Texas. With the exception of just 7 weeks when it was driven to Omaha, NE. for Christmas through the wintry roads and chemicals - at 16 yrs. old - it still had rust issues. And my engine compartment at 16 years, looked new as contrasted with the seller's 87. I'd have it inspected before buying is all I'm saying..... |
The rust deal is believeable since it came from California and was registered in Wichita with 165k. Now it only has 169k 5 years later. Either they didn't drive it, or it had a classic 124 odometer failure that they didn't bother to fix until sale time.
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"There is no rust on this vehicle." The only evidence that the car is rust free comes from the seller. And that's not proof. The buyer, you, nor I have seen and inspected the car in person. To believe an ebay seller about anything is laughable. I would be willing to inspect the car for rust at my expense, provided I was paid $500.00 in cash on-the-spot to cover my expenses, when I do find rust on the car. I've never seen a car this age, in that condition without rust. I am highly confident that this car as is would be no different. Deeming this car to be rust-free, although sight unseen, is ridiculous. |
I'd be interested to see how the front seats were "professionally reupholstered" to match the sun-faded "pinkamino" of the rear seats, no photos for a reason?
That and the faded dash needles, as well as the clear-coat failure on the hood indicate a car that has spent a good deal of its life outdoors. Miles? I seriously doubt that the car was driven from CA, and only an additional 3,000 miles in the past 5years. More likely the odometer was not working when he bought it with un-known miles, repaired quite recently. Look at the tires for evidence of only 5,000miles use, should look nearly new. Tire age is the next question. The seller says they're 5y/o. There is a DOT date code on the sidewall to check. If the car were truly kept indoors, 5 years should not be a problem unless it was next to a UV source or ozone source. Last, rust. On these cars, look at the bottom edge of the doors for any rust. Look at the rocker panels near the jack points, if they have fresh paint, run away. Usually the rockers need a lot of salt to rust, probably fine. Last, open both side-cargo compartments in the rear, look at the 1/4 panel seam that runs horizontally, look at the bottom of the wells, and look up / around the bottom seam of the window. Also check the hatch lower edge. Not that it's a show-stopper, but this car doesn't have leather steering wheel and shfiter as advertised, not available. Ditto with the "original Blaupunkt". Look at the steering wheel condition though, often a bellweather for miles along with the driver's seat upholstery (now replaced), if it is shiny in places that is not original, it is wear. Reinforcing of the door panels? Probably means that the clips were broken and it has been cobbled together, I hope not. Good luck. |
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The car was bought sight unseen. It's a little late for an inspection. |
Sorry, I guess I came in the middle of the movie.
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I have until 7PM tonight to put the deposit down and have asked the seller to cancel the transaction. Hopefully he will be okay with that and I'll send him a some money for a nice dinner for the hassle. Depending on the reaction of the seller, I will probably ask Tyler to go ahead and do the pre-inspection as we agreed for my own edification and as a reference for the seller if everything in the listing was/is true. |
It could well be a genuine ad.
It could just be coincidence that all the W124 tell-tales and weak spots were either not mentioned at all, or were not visible, in an ad that made much of W124 reputation. It could also be coincidence that the seller just happens to be using all the chavvy tricks in the book, lots of low quality photos, lots of missing photos, lots of obscured items, lots of talk about legends, while actually promising and showing in legal contractual terms absolutely nothing. It also has lots of "why did they do that?" things, like why remove the headlight wipers? Only reasons I ever heard is because the wipers died or the washer system died. My ebay ads always show at least 4 underbody photos, at least 2 engine bay photos, at least 4 panel / shut-line photos, as well as the usual 4 corners and interior shots, and link to full 10 megapixel versions on Picasa. I do this for cars that are less than a thousand bucks. Buying via ebay in the UK is quite safe, as the car has to be as advertised, and various things like annual official roadworthiness certs, you can always just walk away or get your money back. It isn't a bad price for a good W124 wagon, the only question is is it a good W124 wagon, because W124's tend to rot from the inside out, and can polish up and look brilliant while being lethal to drive at more than 10 mph. |
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