Hi, I am new to the forum. I just have one question. I came across a 1978 300d with only 98,000 miles on the dash. I spoke with the owner of the car and she asid the car has sat for more than 10 years when her husband died. Would it be worth to buy it for $200.

if you are up to working on a mb diesel (here's the forum to learn if you want to!) the 78 is a decent car. it's not great for highway driving, as the powerband is annoying in the 50-70 range... no passing downshift if you are driving above 50mph...
but for 200, it's worth nearly double that in the crusher... so you can't lose there.
98K on the odo, the car's rust free, all it needs is tires, grab it.
if it's been sitting out flooded and mossy... and rust covered... I'd walk away.
it really depends on what you want the car for.
give us a background on your plans, and some juicy details on the car!

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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 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Yes the car is mossy and in very rough shape. My plans were to take the motor and transmission out of it and put it in another car. Thats why i need some advice on what to do. I was hoping the motor would be good for something? Thankyou for your fast reply. I really appreciate it. Is there any way i can post some pictures up here so you can see how it looks?

300 na is a great motor...no reason you cannot cruise at 75 if in good shape.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Alright, well would it be worth trying to use the motor. Is it bad that it has sat for a very long time?

This posting has been deleted by its author.


Not there, did you buy it?


Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

It's not ideal, but with new fluids and fresh fuel they often start up and run well despite it.

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1979 300D 040 Black on Black - 1985 300D Maaco job (sadly sprayed over 199 Black Pearl Metallic) on Palamino

http://i.imgur.com/LslW733.jpg

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Visit the W123 page on iFixit for over 70 helpful DIY guides!

Sold already? There's far more to the decision than information you can share - how much to get it home? Do you have space to store it indefinitely? How will the family and community feel about a non-runner at your property even if you have space? Do you have a car that can use the parts? Etc. If this is your first foray into MB Diesels, get one you like that runs. Worry about parts for it later. Getting this parts car ties you to naturally aspirated 300Ds. Then you find a jewel of a 240D or 300D turbo or even a 300SD which render the parts car less useful. Just saying...

Sixto
87 300D

My 1979 300D was rolling down the interstate at 80 yesterday..no problem (107k)

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1979 300D 106k miles
1972 220D sold
1969 220D sold
2009 Ford F150 SuperCrew

Unless you have a use for some major part right now, I wouldn't just walk away from it, I'd run. Junk is junk, and if you have to haul it anywhere, there is no money in it. It is obsolete, it don't run and it is stinky! Run.

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Junqueyardjim
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis



1983 Mercedes W123 240D 4 Speed 285,000 on the road with a 617 turbo, beautiful butter yellow, license plate # 83 240D INDIANA

2003 Jaguar Type X, AWD. beautiful, good mileage,
Mom's car, but I won't let her drive it!

As did our 1977 240D roll down the Interstate highways at 80 as well... no problem (375K).

Non-turbo MB diesels just don't have a lot of punch @ low RPMs.

You always want to be aware of your car's speed, as well as knowing your car's passing abilities at highway speeds, or any speed.

The ad shows up just fine for me.

It's possible a new battery, a change of fluids, some tires, and a thorough cleaning will result in an excellent used car. It's also possible that the wiring harness has been consumed by rodents, the pistons are corroded permanently into the cylinder walls, and the car was parked because the transmission was trashed.

I can't understand why people will just let a car sit for years. I used to see the end result of that at least weekly when I worked at a junkyard.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

the ad shows up fine for me as well...

but I'll repost the info here.







not a bad condition from the looks of it, a little elbow grease, and it should look very nice.
those wheels are likely aluminum, and worth 400 by themselves... the hubcaps should be worth another $100

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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 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I removed the ad link, until the OP decides if he wants it, it's not a good idea to post it up here on this MB site... it won't last long at $200.00
If I lived closer, I'd have it in my yard already. I can sell the head for $250 TODAY... there are a LOT of super valuable parts in that car if you are looking for them.

I never said the car wouldn't cruise on the highway... but TRAFFIC at highway speeds is very dangerous to the uninformed driver of this car.

it'll easily hit 80 if accelerating from a stop, or merging on a traffic exit... but if traffic is encountered briefly requiring you to slow down to 50 for instance, it's near impossible to get back to 70 to get up with traffic speeds... the car will NOT downshift until the speed drops to 45... and various other difficulties with highway traffic... totally fine at high speeds, but it does require planning to maneuver.

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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 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

I would snap that up in an instant if I saw it around here

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"