I've got "The Bug". I can't stop with one diesel, so I'm looking locally for another. Needless to say, it's hard to find *any* old MB for sale here in WV, let alone in reasonable condition.

Anyway, I found this:

1981 mercedes benze 300sd

I hope to be driving that way later next week to check it out.

I spoke with the owner for about 15 minutes by phone. Here's what I know:

1. He's the third owner. No paperwork (no manuals or reciepts) -1
2. 215k on the clock, but the clock broke 5 years ago. To be expected. -1
3. Recent paint job (did it himself). Painted the sunroof shut. :/ -1
4. Rebuild transmission. Problem was really a vacuum issue which he found out after the rebuild didn't fix the problem. +1
5. He's had it for 12 years and used it for long distance cruises . +1
6. No rust, he says. +1
7. Some interior blemishes. - small tear in side of driver's seat and broken door handle in the rear. +/-0 IMHO.
8. Leaking oil, but not sure where. -1 Turbo seal?
9. No compression numbers, but "it starts in the cold". :/

Overall, I get the sense that he's a conscientious owner and kept up with the routine stuff, but he's just not as knowledgeable as board regulars.

I'm going to do the quick "oil lid dance check and remove the vacuum hose from the valve cover and count the time to shut down" test. I'll also glance around the bottom and look for rust, investigate those leaks, look at the shocks, bushings, and motor mounts.

If all's well, I'll take it for a drive and listen for noises, ensure that shifting is firm with no flaring at about 3000-3500 rpm, and that it tracks straight.

Other than that, I'm not too knowledgeable about 124s.

Can anyone offer any pointers? Is $3500 a fair price for this car?

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1974 240D "Boldie" 170K.- New timing chain/freshly rebuilt IP/replaced valve seals/injectors/upgraded stereo/new Bilsteins with Yokohamas/fresh paint and rocker panels plus lots of welds.

get him to fix the trunk star if you buy it

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1981 NA 300D 310k miles

No.

Too many miles and far less than perfect maintenance.

It's worth $2K...........not more.

And, it's a 126, not a 124.

It is a 126, not a 124. It will not get conservatively 25 mpg; you will get about 19-20 in town and maybe 25 on the freeway. Check to see that the AC works; if it does, check to see that the defrost ducts are closed with the AC running. If you are getting cold air at the windshield, the vac pods are not working; they are a pain to fix but most people just ignore them. If it is not blowing very cold, you can check the freon in the sight glass under the hood near the driver side headlight.

Check to see that the elec windows on all four windows go up and down; do it several times. Check the electric seats. Check the door locks; if they do not work it is either a vac problem or a bad door actuator.

Drive it hard. It should have decent pickup especially after about 20mph when the turbo kicks in; it should not be a slug. The steering should be tight. Turn the radio on and see if the antenna goes up and back down when you turn it off. See if the transmission shifts smoothly; if not it could just be a vac problem which is easy or it could be much worse - it should shift well.

The dipstick oil will be dead black; that's OK - it's a diesel.

The 81 is absolutely a bulletproof car; I have one and an the original owner and drive it every day. If it is a decent car and you are willing to do a little work, you will never be sorry. That said, buy the best one you can find and stay away from rust.

Oh yeah, I think $3500 is too much for this one. For a pristine one, yes but not for this one as described.

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I'll still take a look at it.

I think that I'm drawn to the two tone paint scheme. I'm really partial to the dark blue and grey. Was that available in '81?

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1974 240D "Boldie" 170K.- New timing chain/freshly rebuilt IP/replaced valve seals/injectors/upgraded stereo/new Bilsteins with Yokohamas/fresh paint and rocker panels plus lots of welds.

Don't fall in love with a vehicle that was painted by an amateur and that has what is likely to be 300K on the clock.

It will be the worst purchase of your life..............count on it.

I'd rather buy an unpainted car than one someone has screwed the paint on. All of the other info mentioned applies. Regarding tje oil cap dance, I haven't seen anyone comment on plugging the vent to the air filter. Most caps dance pretty hard if you plug the extra port & I wonder how good the dance test really is. I haven't had the opportunity to look at an engine with a lot of blowby for comparison.

I'm trying not to look at a local SD because I have too many projects and would be tempted. The car has been listum fixed.ed for at least a month so the price should have dropped to ~$1,000. Not bad if it only needs trans vacu

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

How does that car seat 6 people? I thought 81 SD's were 116's. Isn't that vehicle at least an 82?

No. 126 Sd was introduced in 81.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

My green SD gets 26 mpg fairly consistently. Its my dad's work car. So mostly trip to and from work (mostly city, then rural roads)

From what you describe $2k sounds about right. We paid 1800 for the green SD. It had a myriad of issues but the mechanics were solid and only had about 80k on them. A few of its expensive issues were: rust/bodywork and a/c compressor. The rest were trivial/routine items.

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Cruise Control not working? Send me PM or email (jamesdean59@gmail.com). I might be able to help out.
Check here for compatibility, diagnostics, and availability!

(4/11/2020: Hi Everyone! I am still taking orders and replying to emails/PMs/etc, I appreciate your patience in these crazy times. Stay safe and healthy!)


82 300SD 145k
89 420SEL 210k
89 560SEL 118k
90 300SE 262k RIP 5/25/2010
90 560SEL 154k
91 300D 2.5 Turbo. 241k
93 190E 3.0 235k
93 300E 195k

I paid $1500 for my daughter;s 84SD with 311k miles. It had a new engine with less than 20k on it. Some areas of clear coat peeling. Well maintained mechanically.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Bucket seats up front.

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83 SD

84 CD

Right on the money with the price and the mileage.
I got one too, but a 1990, 1875 is realistic.

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Agreed. Have had mine 15 years. Still do 1000 mile trips with it occasionally.

Because most of my driving is highway, I tend to get 27-28 mpg. Mixed (mostly city) driving is usually 23-24 mpg in mine...

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Mine: 1987 MB 420 SEL - 66K (Dec 2019)
Mine:1991 MB 350SDL - 244K (Aug 2011)- Totalled 9/14/2016
Mine:1981 MB 300SD - 326K mi (July 1997)-sold
Wife's: 2008 MB C300 Sport - 110Kmi (April 2009)

... come down to my area, I've got a really nice 85SD with all options for less than that!
it's teal green though...

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!