1983 300d "HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK IT'S WORTH??$$
 

Hello,

I came across a nice 1983 300d in Manilla Beige with a polomino interior 211,000 miles. The current owner is the second owner and has ownerd since 2009 and put 32,000 miles on it since he has owned it.

He has done pretty extensive maintenance to it, and seems like the type of guy who would get something fixed if his indy reccomended it.

Here is a list of things that he has done since he has owned it:

Oil changed with Amsoil 20w- 50 every 3k, replace filter with either Mann or Wix
Fuel filter changed every 5K , both primary and secondary changed with Mann, still have a few extras they will be yours


7-10, New MB Rims bought from "Adsit Company" Have the originals will put in the trunk if you want them
7-10, New Michelin Harmony Tires
7-10, New MB Key, rekeyed driver door to match factory ignition- original owner used a brass key and the lock needed to be rebuilt. Car now has two steel MB keys
7-10, Left and Right drive axles replaced
7-10, Carrier Bearing replaced on drive shaft
10-10,Flush transmission and replace oil and filter

10-10, control arms, control arm bushings, center bushing,tie rod ends, alignment
11-10, Replaced battery tray frame and battery with a Bosch battery
11-10, Replaced all belts

1-11, Flushed brake fluid replaced with Amsoil
2-11, Windshield and rear glass removed and re-installed with new gaskets
3-11, Replaced diesel primer pump
4-11, new brakes all the way around rotors and pads, front has cross drilled Brembo rotors
4-11, New radiator and coolant related hoses, coolant flushed
5-11, Replaced Air compressor and A/C pressure switch, new freon
6-11, air box bracket replaced
8-11, new glow plug relay with all new Bosch glow plugs

The drivers door below the middle trim piece has been repainted and doesn't quite match, its close but you can tell. I think I could have it redone relatively inexepnsively.

I am trying to come up with a fair price for the car because he does not know what he wants for it. I don't want to insult him, but I don't want to pay too much either. What do you guys think a fair price is?

sounds like a 2500-3500 car to me. Hard to tell without seeing it.

pictures

pics

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more pics

Looks good and clean. Any rust behind and under the batt tray and in the rear wheel wells?

No rust.

He also has a $400.00 OEM carpet kit that will give me as welll, it has not been installed.

have you PULLED the battery and the tray and VERIFIED there is no rust?
have you crawled under the car, and looked at all the pinch welds for signs of bulging, or bubbling undercoating?
NOTHING in the pics so far confirms a lack of rust.
look closely at the jack points and verify they are showing the welds, not just bondo'd over.

Yes to the above as when looking at cars we sometimes cannot see the trees for the forest. Human nature at work. Usually it is called having blinders on. All of us are not totally immune to this either as we are looking for the good as well.

Since he no longer really wants to own the car. Maybe you will just have to ask him what he considers a fair price for it. Being honest and straight forward can get his attention as well. Then you can decide.

For example he may be reasonably minded or is looking for pie in the sky. You can afford to perhaps pay slightly more than you may think it is worth as you do not have to pay travel expenses and time to locate another. Fairly decent examples are not falling off the trees exactly.

At this general milage area the seats including the drivers seat should still be in excellent condition. Best of luck but if he comes up with an unrealistic price in your mind just counter offer. In life we cannot always prevail.

Whats the going rate for a car in this condition, with service records and in my opinion one of best color combos?

Thank you.

Also, check at the inside bottom of each door for rust, make sure to take a look UNDER the rubber door seal. Its a big problem and expensive to fix.

I'd check for rust, everywhere its usually found. Check the engine compartment drains for leave blockage, etc.

Honestly, $2500-3000 is all I would pay... Maybe 4k if there was something rare or if it came with euro headlamps, and other fun/euro things.

Hmm...Even with all the documented service only 2500-3k?

Yes, it's just over 200k, nearing 30 years old, it's not rare by any means. $3500 if anything else.... You kind of want to get it for the lowest price


Also noticed, 20w50 Amsoil every 3k miles... can you say expensive? Plus the engine should be getting 15w40, ideally. But that is a can of worms for another thread.

The values of a few years ago may not be as common since the general turndown of the economy. For awhile there prices seemed really depressed to what they once where.

Supply of decent cars of this vintage are becoming less at the same time. Basically pay what you feel comforatable with.

It is also not unusual to pay a little more than the going price for something you want in life. The prices on cars this old are not exactly written in stone either.

Try to remember you will probably still find things on this car you want to address or they will come with use. As for records they are seldom complete and should go back to when the car was new. Partial records are better than none of course but not particularily worth the same.

Original records are about the only way to tell the total milage accumulated over the years if the records are consistant enough. These cars where so easy to spin the odometers back when fairly new many got done to increase the resale value. Combine this with broken odometers left for a period of time plus used offshore cars brought in getting new speedometers showing basically no milage it is quite a crap shoot.

I have always figured with reasonable care the original drivers seat should still look pretty new up to 250k or so.

Your current issue in my mind is. Does he think he has a gold mine on his hands? Or is more realistic? Until you get some indication of what he is thinking there is not much point in speculation. Procastinate too much and it may also slip through your hands.

Two things that did elevate the value in my opinion was that the compressor was replaced and the air conditioning is both working and in decent condition. Plus the tires sound pretty new.

I think you are right about not wanting to insult him. On the otherhand him claiming he does not know what he wants might just be a fishing expedition to attempt to establish some form of value. He would not be the first guy to do that.

I'd pay $3500 for that car in a minute.

Since we members already have cars of this type.We perhaps tend to keep our wallets in our pockets more as well. The air conditioning service and partial rebuild and tires might be worth 1500 in my mind. People have paid 3k with no working air for reasonable examples reciently I saw.

Thanks for the comments. How much do you think it would cost to get the front drivers door painted below the trim line? I would like it to match a little better.

Also, do you guys consider your w123 300d a daily driver or just an extra hobby car?

Thanks!

I am looking at a rust bucket 84 300d. No maintenence records.
It runs and drives and all the glass, lenses and most body hardware is good. the guy wants $400 and I just want it for parts.
That gives you a spread from $3500.
Both my 240's are daily drivers.

Mine are hobby cars. I do not know the division of each but there are both camps on site. I expect daily users predominate.

Summer use only is another catagory I suppose. In the northern climates especially they will not last in the salt.

Lower front door repaint should not be all that bad. With todays technology a match to older paint is easier.

Mine is more of a hobby car. The old 240D was my daily, and the 250 has been taking up the slack for short trips. When I had a 50 mile round trip commute I alternated the 300 and my bike.

I'd be willing to pay around $3000 for the car in question.

The issue is the original paint is the enamel based stuff, single stage. Not many places shoot that any more due to EPA regulations. So to get a proper match you'd need the paint from the OEM or at least a very very close PPG mix.

I was thinking of using a modern spectrum anyaliser to match the faded out color with age. This colour should come out really close. Sourcing some old style paint is still doable. He needs little of it.

I'd go with the old style paint. That's the only way to get it truly correct.

Done, $1600

or you could just buy my 240D......

:D

Or we could trade drivers door plus some cash on my part?

Nah, I'm not dealing with removing doors, aligning doors, etc....

My cars are daily drivers. I've already put over 3k on the new engine in my 4 door. I do a lot of driving, and easily put 25k miles on a car a year. It's one reason I really like these cars, they are as dependable as anything you could buy new, at a fraction of the cost and get better mpg than most comparably sized cars sold today. Maintenance is simple and parts are cheap. Plus there is such a great resource for help right here that you can figure out anything you could possibly need to know about them.

Thanks for the comment. I have owned a 240d, 300d and a 300td in the passed, 2003-2006. The 300d I owned the longest 2.5yrs. I was in college and totally broke. I bought a silver one with a blue interior, the car needed a lot of work. I put a good amount of money into it, but it seemed to just need more. It was pretty reliable, but it didn't have a/c and in the FL sun it was brutal.

Fast forward to 2011 im a little more established, not much :). I have a Honda Civic that I drive daily but it just doesnt have any personality besides starting every morning. The other thing is I dont know how safe it would be in an accident. It gets incredible gas mileage 42-47mpg and it it is great A-B transportation but I still really want a 300d.

If I could buy the current car for $3000.00 do you think I should pull the trigger?

Thanks!

Sure, put him on the spot for thee $3000.00 offer. I suspect you will find out real quick what he "thinks" its worth. $3000.00 sounds right to me.

I really like the quote that you will find out real fast what "he thinks" it is worth. Yet you never know.

At least update this thread afterwards as his response may be interesting.

Now he does not know what he wants apparently. I have to wonder how long it will take after your offer to tell you what he wants?

I guess my question would be if I purchased the car for $3,000.00 would this be considered a **GOOD DEAL** or an average purchase price for a 300d in this condition etc.

Thanks!

I think $3000 is a good deal for that car.

Consider if it was to go another 200k ,you would have a vehicle that would outlast most new vehicles from the show room floor for $3000.Its kind of crazy when you put it in those trems but its mostly true to fact.

116's are better but $3000 sounds good. Maybe start at $2500.

You must have come from American cars or Mitsubishis. Most German and Japanese cars will go well over 200,000 miles before they are junked. I used to work in a junkyard and I paid attention to odometers.

To the OP: I would make an initial offering more like $2000 and see what happens. The guy may not know what he has.

Should I ship it home or fly out to get it? The difference in price between the two is around $140.00.

I think shipping is the way to go? It's about a 7 hour drive home.

My vote would be to ship via a reputable company. (And no sorry I don't know of one)

Just found one. Wondering how the title is handled? I would pay the seller via bank transfer or via certified funds. The shipper would arrive and pickup the car.

The car is delivered to my home or somewhere nearby. How would I get the title? Would the shipper bring the title with the car?

Just curious?

personally if the car is road worthy I would drive it... road trips are fun!

The thing is the flight would not arrive till around 7:30 PM so I would be driving into the wee hours of the night in a car that I have zero history with...

I drove my last car down from DC because shipping was around 4x what the flight + driving it back was going to cost.

x2!

ok, so a stay in a motel just bumped the drive price up a notch.

Most recent reply from the owner:

I like to see things before I buy them, just me. Some people are the complete opposite. Either way is fine with me as I have sent enough pictures I am sure you feel comfortable enough with the condition. The main reason I bought this particular car was because it does not have rust, most of these cars are full of rust, behind the rear wheels, under the rear glass, battery tray etc. This car does not have rust, I have pulled the carpet up and inspected all the floor pans, also pulled the liners out of the trunk and inspected. I replaced the battery tray several months back and painted under the tray with a product called POR 15 which is an industrial rust preventative paint. The paint under the battery tray is light gray and this is why, as you are right this is a very common area for rust to develop. None of the doors have any rust on them.

Expect for the lower drivers door all paint is original. The car has never let me down or left me stranded. The only issue I have with the car is starting it in the cold, if the temp drops below freezing it really needs to be plugged in allowing the block heater to work. The car does have new glow plugs and a glow plug relay so I hope it will help, temperature has not been cold enough yet in SC to know for sure. I have another friend with this same car and his alternator went out on a road trip and the car was still able to run with no alternator. The car is old and it will have things that need to be fixed from time to time, I try to fix things before they break and keep up with it so I don’t end of with a huge bill all at one time. If you are relatively handy the car is fairly simple to work on.

Over a 3K period I usually top off with about 1/4 qt if making a long trip. It is normal for a diesel to burn a slight amount of oil. I have a VW TDI with 25K on it and the car burns about a quart every 5K miles.
Let me know how you want to proceed.

The guy sounds like a righteous one with knowledge. Pretty rare, in my experience.

what part of SC is it? PM me if it's near me, I could go look the car over for you.

You do not buy a car without seeing it yourself or having someone with knowledge look at it on your behalf. I assumed the car was local to you and that is worth something that I priced in.

I also thought it was religious oil changes every three K claimed. Now it is top it up with a quarter of a quart at three K? Who adds a quarter of a quart? would he not have changed the oil anyways at that point. For starters dipstick reading are not that accurate and vary by orientation of the ground in the horizontal plane.

Not trying to throw a damper on this just do not totally throw caution to the winds. It may still be a very good car.