To buy or not to buy...

[scabadaska]

Hello all,

First time posting here. I wanted to get some opinions on a (just about to happen) purchase. I'm looking at a one owner, one mechanic 1984 300D Turbo that's midnight blue with tan interior. It has 247,000 miles and was meticulously maintained. The engine purrs, has great acceleration, handling, and fires up cold with zero issues. Mechanically, from what I can tell, it's as sound as can be. All power everything works including the central vacuum locks. If the car needed anything that affected performance or accessibility the mechanic did/fixed it. The man from whom I am purchasing was and still is in love with his car. He hates to see it go but can no longer drive unfortunately.

I feel good about the car but not great about the price. Part of it is location (Los Angeles) and part of it is a more than likely unrealistic attachment for the vehicle that the seller possesses. I whittled them down to $4,000 but that's the lowest they'll take. I'm keen to purchase due to all the above however it's still a 30 year old car and it will need money. There are some downsides to the car, too. And they are (mostly pedantic stuff):

1. One piece of wood console trim missing.
2. Trunk is stuck. Hadn't had the time yet to go over there and really mess with it but it's also to their benefit as they have stuff currently stuck in the trunk.
3. Repainted. Not only that but two small areas are pulling up which says bad adhesion so I can only guess more to come.
4. Nearly rust-free minus the bottom right part of the front passenger door on the inside. I pulled every mat, rug and compartment up in that thing and that's the only spot I found. Not even minor surface rust. The spot on the door is not large but it appears to be deep. I'm guessing a poor seal between the door.
5. One tire is not the same (all rims match and are original though). Owner believes it's stuck in the trunk but unsure.
6. Three small cracks in dash. Less than an inch each.

Unfortunately it's a bit hard to get answers to everything because the owner is really up there in age and, to be frank, seems to be a bit senile (though a a very nice person). His wife is trying to help while he's in the hospital but she knows absolutely nothing about the car nor where half the service paperwork has gone as their entire house is currently being unpacked from moving boxes. While this could come across as a ploy or "something smells fishy" I can say with 100% certainty that it's just a real, unfortunate situation. That makes it even harder for me to make an informed purchase.

Anyhow, here's where I stand now:

Money has already been exchanged. Again, I have a good feeling about the purchase even though I am aware it's on the higher side simply because the mechanics in the car seem flawless. We plan to meet Wednesday at AAA to take care of all of the paperwork. She offered to happily give my money back if I chose to change my mind. That being said, I am still a bit on the fence here. Now, I know most members here (from reading around) got their lovely cars for nickels but I'm not opposed to buying this car if it really is going to last another, oh, 250k+ but I am aware it's high given the issues above. I'm wondering what everyone else thinks though. Perhaps it's just too high given the paint issues and trunk thing. It's a shame about the two small spots peeling. Otherwise, the paint looks fantastic. If using the door jambs as a guide it's nearly perfect. I worry though with poor adhesion that more will start peeling up sooner than later. Also, I was given the number to the mechanic who has serviced the car for the last 30 years and intend on calling him tomorrow. He has all of the service records and, from what I gather, most likely knows more about the car than the owner at this point.

So, there's my first post! Looking forward to some good insight.

Kind regards.

[Skid Row Joe]

The car sounds very nice, all things considered.

[yvairguy]

hmmmm am north of palm springs and it's had as heck to find a deal on a diesel mercedes, i have a friend that works for mercedes and he said they give them so little that nobody ever trades them in and on the rare occasion that they do someone snaps them up before he ever gets to see it.

I have looked for a couple years for a CHEAP one being not afraid to have to put in some work on it knowing that anything that old i will need repairs. so the one i bought a few weeks ago and i have already done these things, needed the hood fixed, needed tires, battery, the glow plug relay went out after driving a couple weeks(i repaired the relay but had i not, cheap 100 dealer 300) fluid and filters, fixed the dash lights(look into that), all the vacuum lines under the hood from them just rotting, removed and cleaned the electric mirror(works again) and the drivers (was stiff), cleaned the switches in the console started working bad after i drove it for a couple weeks they were gummed up. ugh and a bunch of more little things that didn't take too long but if you can't do them they will add up. NO rust needs paint 1300 bucks with 184k on the clock but that is probably wrong as these are notorious for having speedo issues. these cars had a clear coat so if they did a poor paint prep you could see more issues with the paint.... don't know that i helped

[vstech]

if indeed, everything works, it starts and shifts perfect,and it's been well maintained, zero rust... if all the suspension rubber is good as well, then it's worth twice what you have agreed to... IF YOU WANT IT!
if not, it's an old car...

[Junkman]

I bought 1an 84SD for $1,500 and am approaching $3500 total including parts. The AC still needs work and I have done everything myself. $4K is reasonable if everything works and won't break soon.

Look hard at what you will want to change. Let that be the deciding factor. Mileage on trans may be an issue but both of my SDs are approaching 250,000 and still working. For how long I don't know.

[ROLLGUY]

Agreed about the trans. If it is original, it is nearing it's life expectancy. However, that still would not be a deal breaker for me if I was in your shoes (had the $, and wanted the car). Nice examples of these cars are harder to find nowadays, so $4,000 seems like a decent deal even with the issues (or lack thereof) described. I have never paid that much for a 123, but have eventually put that much into a few of the cars I have had, and still may not have ended up with a car as good as the one you are getting. All things considered, I say go for it!....Rich

[scabadaska]

Thanks all! Makes me feel a bit better about the deal. AC works well as does heat. I made sure to check all lights as well which were in great working order. The transmission was my biggest concern too. It does shift well, but as you said, it's possibly getting close to that time. It's hard to say. A trans can keep on trucking with the engine if everything was maintained well (which it appears to be) but, of course, if it does fail it is costly.

I'll report back today after I speak with the mechanic in hopes to garnish a better understanding of the car's history. Thanks again.

[ROLLGUY]

When you get the car, please consider joining us on our annual Spring Coastal Cruise. Check out: Home - Mercedes Benz Enthusiasts Group

EDIT: Any other members in the So. Cal. area are welcome to join us as well.....Rich

[whunter]

Originally Posted by scabadaska

Hello all,

First time posting here. I wanted to get some opinions on a (just about to happen) purchase. I'm looking at a one owner, one mechanic 1984 300D Turbo that's midnight blue with tan interior. It has 247,000 miles and was meticulously maintained. The engine purrs, has great acceleration, handling, and fires up cold with zero issues. Mechanically, from what I can tell, it's as sound as can be. All power everything works including the central vacuum locks. If the car needed anything that affected performance or accessibility the mechanic did/fixed it. The man from whom I am purchasing was and still is in love with his car. He hates to see it go but can no longer drive unfortunately.

I feel good about the car but not great about the price. Part of it is location (Los Angeles) and part of it is a more than likely unrealistic attachment for the vehicle that the seller possesses. I whittled them down to $4,000 but that's the lowest they'll take. I'm keen to purchase due to all the above however it's still a 30 year old car and it will need money. There are some downsides to the car, too. And they are (mostly pedantic stuff):

1. One piece of wood console trim missing.
2. Trunk is stuck. Hadn't had the time yet to go over there and really mess with it but it's also to their benefit as they have stuff currently stuck in the trunk.
3. Repainted. Not only that but two small areas are pulling up which says bad adhesion so I can only guess more to come.
4. Nearly rust-free minus the bottom right part of the front passenger door on the inside. I pulled every mat, rug and compartment up in that thing and that's the only spot I found. Not even minor surface rust. The spot on the door is not large but it appears to be deep. I'm guessing a poor seal between the door.
5. One tire is not the same (all rims match and are original though). Owner believes it's stuck in the trunk but unsure.
6. Three small cracks in dash. Less than an inch each.

Unfortunately it's a bit hard to get answers to everything because the owner is really up there in age and, to be frank, seems to be a bit senile (though a a very nice person). His wife is trying to help while he's in the hospital but she knows absolutely nothing about the car nor where half the service paperwork has gone as their entire house is currently being unpacked from moving boxes. While this could come across as a ploy or "something smells fishy" I can say with 100% certainty that it's just a real, unfortunate situation. That makes it even harder for me to make an informed purchase.

Anyhow, here's where I stand now:

Money has already been exchanged. Again, I have a good feeling about the purchase even though I am aware it's on the higher side simply because the mechanics in the car seem flawless. We plan to meet Wednesday at AAA to take care of all of the paperwork. She offered to happily give my money back if I chose to change my mind. That being said, I am still a bit on the fence here. Now, I know most members here (from reading around) got their lovely cars for nickels but I'm not opposed to buying this car if it really is going to last another, oh, 250k+ but I am aware it's high given the issues above. I'm wondering what everyone else thinks though. Perhaps it's just too high given the paint issues and trunk thing. It's a shame about the two small spots peeling. Otherwise, the paint looks fantastic. If using the door jambs as a guide it's nearly perfect. I worry though with poor adhesion that more will start peeling up sooner than later. Also, I was given the number to the mechanic who has serviced the car for the last 30 years and intend on calling him tomorrow. He has all of the service records and, from what I gather, most likely knows more about the car than the owner at this point.

So, there's my first post! Looking forward to some good insight.

Kind regards.

Have you looked at other offerings in Los Angeles ?

1981 Mercedes 300D, Rare 4 Speed Manual

1977 Mercedes Benz 300D

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300D

1979 300D low miles runs good

1981 Mercedes 300SD

1979 Mercedes 240D

1981 Mercedes 300D

1985 Mercedes 300d turbo diesel w123

1979 mercedes benz 300d turbo-diesel

1984 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel

1983 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo Diesel

1980 mercedes benz 300d wagon

.

[scabadaska]

Hi whunter,

I've either looked at or contacted and questioned most of the cars on that list (excluded wagons and 240Ds). The ones I looked at were in bad condition. The one for 3500 (grey) had rust everywhere and was sitting abandoned for several years. I have to imagine a lot of build up and gunk. Also, it was in a small front-end accident and has had body work. The interior was poor. Most others are 3rd, 4th owners that have had them for a couple months. Car flippers with not much knowledge of the history of the vehicle. That's not to say that I couldn't luck out and end up with a great machine. That's why I still think it's worth looking at them but I'm finding that, at least here in the past few months, it's either pay the price or end up with a hunk of junk. I've also resorted to driving around older, residential neighborhoods placing notes on windshields. One lady called me saying that not now, but she will be selling it in the future. She said, "I'll keep your note with the rest of them" - I got a good laugh out of that.

I'm finding that there's a load of junk out there. Kind of a needle and haystack scenario here.

[Junkman]

I'd like the 77 or wagon.

[scabadaska]

I have to admit, the 77 looks pretty good. Only if I had a garage

[ROLLGUY]

Originally Posted by scabadaska

I have to admit, the 77 looks pretty good. Only if I had a garage

Not that I need another car (I am up to 26 Benzs that I have owned), but the interior alone is worth the $400 they are asking. I would hate to see this one go to the wrecking yard.

[scabadaska]

Sold! I just heard back from them. Someone got a steal on that.

[ROLLGUY]

Originally Posted by scabadaska

Sold! I just heard back from them. Someone got a steal on that.

I hope they will put it back on the road, as that is a nice car.