Just looked at a 240D, could use advise - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Junkman · #16 08-15-2015, 02:54 PM

I'd like a 123. Wife would disagree if it needs work because the cars we have aren't fixed. That one looks nice.

Mark DiSilvestro · #17 08-15-2015, 09:05 PM

Ask about any history of body repairs.
Cracking paint could indicate a poor quality repaint & possible filler underneath.

Happy Motoring, Mark

spliteye · #18 08-18-2015, 12:41 AM

Hey everyone. Sorry it took me a while to get back. I had too much going on this weekend.

I didn't buy the car. I took some more time to think about it and decided that it wasn't going to cut it for me. One thing I forgot to mention is that I'm moving to L.A. in a week and a half and I didn't think this car would cut the mustard on some of the on ramps I took while I was down there (ones I'll be taking five times a week). I did try to go back and test the car, to shift it manually and see if it would work for me, but they ended up selling it.

The car was nice, but it did also need a set of tires and a few other things. All in all, a good car for it's age, but it wasn't quite as pretty in person as it was in the pictures. I got a little excited, like I tend to do with cars, so I'm glad I took some time to think about it.

I'm going to look at a 300D turbo with under 170K miles. What are these worth in good condition? He said the a/c has been repaired and is ready for R-134a, but isn't charged. I doubt R-134a will work well in this car (wouldn't care if I wasn't moving to L.A.) The power antenna is non-operational and I think there was another small issue, but beyond that I'll just need to see it. He says obo, but at $5K it might be a little high.

Here is the car:
1983 Mercedes-Benz 300 D

Thanks,
Dan

leathermang · #19 08-18-2015, 12:53 AM

If it was ' ready for a charge' he would have already done that to have cold AC as a selling point.....

spliteye · #20 08-18-2015, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

If it was ' ready for a charge' he would have already done that to have cold AC as a selling point.....

That's how I felt.

I'm no stranger to rebuilding A/C systems and converting to R-134a, but it's going to be a bargaining point, as I also know what it could cost and what a PITA it can be.

uberwasser · #21 08-18-2015, 01:21 AM

Looks like it is in nice shape. If it has some records to back up the work claimed, $5k isn't out of the question as an asking price. Some negotiating should get you a price a bit south of that.

When it comes to the A/C, if it isn't working at the time of purchase the buyer should approach the negotiation as though the A/C is broken and in need of overhaul, because for all you know it may very well be.

If somehow he can prove, through service records/parts receipts/etc. that the work was indeed done you'll want to know some details - like was the system vacuum'd properly after reassembly before being left without refrigerant? What oil was used? What parts were actually replaced? Dryer? Expansion valve?

A properly rebuilt system with R134a will work OK in most Southern California weather if you're anywhere near the coast. In the desert, however, you'll be less than impressed without further modification. Here in Tucson I find it works nicely up to about 95F. However, if the system was properly refurb'd with new green o-rings and a universal oil (ester or otherwise) you would have the option of filing with R12 if you can get your hands on the stuff.

spliteye · #22 08-18-2015, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uberwasser

Looks like it is in nice shape. If it has some records to back up the work claimed, $5k isn't out of the question as an asking price. Some negotiating should get you a price a bit south of that.

When it comes to the A/C, if it isn't working at the time of purchase the buyer should approach the negotiation as though the A/C is broken and in need of overhaul, because for all you know it may very well be.

If somehow he can prove, through service records/parts receipts/etc. that the work was indeed done you'll want to know some details - like was the system vacuum'd properly after reassembly before being left without refrigerant? What oil was used? What parts were actually replaced? Dryer? Expansion valve?

A properly rebuilt system with R134a will work OK in most Southern California weather if you're anywhere near the coast. In the desert, however, you'll be less than impressed without further modification. Here in Tucson I find it works nicely up to about 95F. However, if the system was properly refurb'd with new green o-rings and a universal oil (ester or otherwise) you would have the option of filing with R12 if you can get your hands on the stuff.

Thanks for the advice. I'll be living in the desert, unfortunately. If I understand correctly, the expansion valve on these cars is located behind the dash and difficult to get to? I converted my 1992 Ford F-250 IDI that I use to own, replaced all the hoses with barrier style hoses, flushed the compressor, evaporator core, condenser, replaced the accumulator and orifice tube. Bought an a/c manifold from Harbor Freight on sale and bought a small Robinair vacuum pump. In the end, I remember it working well, as long as the truck was moving and had continuous airflow through the condenser. In traffic it kind of blew (no pun intended). Funny thing though, I bought all that for several hundred less than a shop quoted me for just replacing the accumulator and "expansion valve" (liars) and a recharge.

I found another for $3K, looks just as clean (they say the a/c works too), however it has over 230K on it. Its understandable why people ask so much more if their cars have less than 200K. There aren't many available.

Dan

Desert Panther · #23 08-18-2015, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 75Sv1

As for engine cleaning. Might look at a product called Kreen. It is made by Kano Labs. Part you put in the top of the cylinder over night. The other in the oil. They also make Kroil. Sort of like MB Blaster..

Yaaaaay! Another person who knows of Kreen!

I talk about this stuff from time to time, but if people haven't heard of it or had personal experience with it, they may not know what all the fuss is about. This stuff is truly the single most impressive petro chemical concoction I've ever used in my life! It works like magic and is pretty fast and effective too! I first used it in my old Case diesel tractor and was so impressed, I used it in my M-B W123 diesel as well. It made the engine's internals clean as a whistle in about 500 miles! Like you pull off the valve cover and it is spotless in there, valvetrain clean enough to eat off of. It's really that good! You will be absolutely FLOORED when you see what all is in the oil filter after using this stuff!

I would make it a mandatory thing for ANY used vehicle I purchased, after seeing what it can do.

Skippy · #24 08-18-2015, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spliteye

Thanks for the advice. I'll be living in the desert, unfortunately. If I understand correctly, the expansion valve on these cars is located behind the dash and difficult to get to? I converted my 1992 Ford F-250 IDI that I use to own, replaced all the hoses with barrier style hoses, flushed the compressor, evaporator core, condenser, replaced the accumulator and orifice tube. Bought an a/c manifold from Harbor Freight on sale and bought a small Robinair vacuum pump. In the end, I remember it working well, as long as the truck was moving and had continuous airflow through the condenser. In traffic it kind of blew (no pun intended). Funny thing though, I bought all that for several hundred less than a shop quoted me for just replacing the accumulator and "expansion valve" (liars) and a recharge.

I found another for $3K, looks just as clean (they say the a/c works too), however it has over 230K on it. Its understandable why people ask so much more if their cars have less than 200K. There aren't many available.

Dan

With the dark interior of the first one, you'll be wanting AC. With a lighter colored interior, you can get by without in SoCal. I don't think I'd go 5 grand on the first one, maybe say four and go from there.

uberwasser · #25 08-18-2015, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spliteye

Thanks for the advice. I'll be living in the desert, unfortunately. If I understand correctly, the expansion valve on these cars is located behind the dash and difficult to get to? I converted my 1992 Ford F-250 IDI that I use to own, replaced all the hoses with barrier style hoses, flushed the compressor, evaporator core, condenser, replaced the accumulator and orifice tube. Bought an a/c manifold from Harbor Freight on sale and bought a small Robinair vacuum pump. In the end, I remember it working well, as long as the truck was moving and had continuous airflow through the condenser. In traffic it kind of blew (no pun intended). Funny thing though, I bought all that for several hundred less than a shop quoted me for just replacing the accumulator and "expansion valve" (liars) and a recharge.

I found another for $3K, looks just as clean (they say the a/c works too), however it has over 230K on it. Its understandable why people ask so much more if their cars have less than 200K. There aren't many available.

Dan

The expansion valve is no problem to get to. It is located under the dash but is easy to remove and replace if you take off the kick panel and remove the glove box liner. There are guides with lots of pictures on doing both of those things on a W123 in the iFixit link in my signature.

If you did the conversion on your truck you'll find the conversion easy on the Benz as well. Nothing much different or any trickier. And indeed it can be done reasonably. I help a friend recently in doing a full refurb of his A/C (had gone for several years with the compressor not even installed, hoses open to the environment). Installed a refurbished compressor, new dryer and expansion valve, all new seals/o-rings, flushed everything, and so on. In the end the price tag was less than $500. No way you'd get out of any shop in my town for less than $2000 with the labor put in to the job.

Best of luck, sounds like you're on the right track.