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  #1  
Old 12-17-2002, 07:33 AM
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Location: Miami, FL
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Advice about 1981 300TDT I might buy

I drove up the coast about 200 miles to look at a promising 1981 300 TDT wagon. The owner lives there and in Wisconsin and wanted a car at each place. But after driving this car for about 40 miles last Spring, garaged it and went back to his island in the lake. He is a boat dude, not a car dude. So while in Wisconsin, he found a 1987 300 D wagon, and bought it. Of course, this is a 6 cylinder rare model and is qualitatively better but harder to work on.

Edmunds lists a 1981 300 TDT at $3125 if in excellent condition and purchased from a dealer. This was also the price he originally asked for this car.
Here is what I found.

There are no records, just the dealer's manual, which lists maintainence up through 80K miles. Current mileage is 171K. It has been repainted, an original color, a pale yellow, a color I like, because it is cooler. No one needs a black car in Florida, where a Barbie left on the dash will melt in the Summer heat. The car looks really nice. There are a few places where there has been rust around the sunroof. and minor places at the bottom of two doors, nothing visible at two feet. The floorboards are solid.

It has a trailer hitch. a useful plus, and a sunroof. It has two luggage bars onthe top.

On the minus side, the right hydraulic shock is broken near where it connects at the bottom. The self leveling pump at the front of the car is not connected. The oil container is missing entirely. The nitrogen spheres (accumulators) are there. The left shock is working. The original radio is gone, and it comes with a mama-san brands radio which is not connected. The antenna is entirely gone.

The driver's seat moves up and back, but the backrest does not want to lean back or forward. The MB-Tex is in good shape, but the seat has the unstable feel that comes from being driven by a hefty Bratwurst eater for 100K miles or so.

The cruise control works after the car has warmed up for five minutes. The front wipers work. The real wiper doesn't, and the washer squirter has been removed and replaced with a painted piece of metal and looks as though it had never existed. There is a filler bottle in the back, complete with tubes. The switch in the dash does not cause anything to happen. The oil pressure gauge hangs between the top two positions. My 300D 2.5 Turbo jumps up to the top and stays there all the time. The engine makes the usual Diesel noises.

A road test proved that the acceleration was good (for a Diesel) and the car will do at least 85 MPH. The car handles very stable, and does not pull to one side or the other. It stops just fine, and will turn around in two lanes.

The battery is new (Interstate). The clock works.

The dash is slightly cracked, but they do make covers. The AC does not seem to cool, but it will blow air through all the vents.

All the electric windows work except the left rear. The left front switch has been replaced, because it was put in backwards. I assume that the motor in the left rear will need to be replaced, but it could be the switch. The sunroop is manual, and requires some manly force to open, but it opens just fine.

The owner bought it from a dealer who was selling it for the guy who started a restoration and had it painted. He also made stalks to hold the hood and tailgate open. The right side of the hood is missing the spring and some of the hinge assembly. It opens and closes fine. The little handle that pokes thru the grille has been relpaced by a piece of rubber-coated wire that looks as though it will outlast us all, but is moderately ugly, but then it pokes through only when the hoodlatch is pulled .

It will need the shocks fixed. I wuld prefer to restore the MBZ self-leveling design, which will involve a new $340 right shock and a hydraulic fluid reservoir, perhaps a new pump, the left shock, pump ( I can get a new one for $170), and maybe one or both of the accumulator (nitrogen spheres, and a couple of litres of fluid.

I don't really expect a new car for this car, which is after all 21 years old. I do want a comfortable, casic transportation vehicle that I can mostly fix by myself and drive for long distances comfortably. I am 62 years old and am not planning to pick up chicks in a Diesel wagon

The owner's current offer is $2725. I didn't make a counter-offer.

I located a much rougher 1980 Diesel wagon with no AC that was brought over from Germany in 89 with 130K and a four-cylinder Diesel for $1500. This looks like more work than I want to do, and it's gray. I am not considering this either.

The question is should I buy this or keep looking?
I am moderately capable (somewhat slow) at fixing things. I have an ample collection of tools, jackstands and such. I put new shocks on my 1989 300D, and have done numerous brake and fuel pump jobs on other gas engine cars. I know a good indy MB shop where they can pretty much fix anything I can't, but for $80 an hour. I will ne bhappy if I can get it all up to snuff for maybe $2000 more.

Any comments will be gratefully and graciously accepted.

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Semibodacious Transmogrifications a Specialty

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo sedan 171K (Rudolf)
1985 300D Turbo TD Wagon 219K (Remuda)

"Time flies like and arrow, yet fruit flies like a banana"
---Marx (Groucho)

Last edited by Richard Eldridge; 12-17-2002 at 09:51 AM.
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  #2  
Old 12-17-2002, 09:07 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Knoxville TN
Posts: 121
Keep looking?

I'm thinking that should be about a $1500 - $1800 car. It sounds like it runs fine, I'm suprised that it handles good with a broken rear shock. The oil pressure may be a worry though, it should go right to the top with any rpm much over idle - 45 psi on my 79 TD -and drop down at idle.

I'd keep looking, there are probably more out there, that have been better cared for. That car sounds like it has been neglected a bit, but of course any car this age is bound to need some work.
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  #3  
Old 12-17-2002, 10:30 AM
r90skirk
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Keep Looking!

You can purchase a lot better (old MB diesel) car for the same, if not less money. We have three and we (my sons and I) have not paid more than $1525 for any one of them - all of them in much better shape that you have described.

Besides, if your in Florida I would suspect that if you strolled down to the West Palm Beach, or Naples area you could find some real creampuffs (w/ records) for 2,500-4,000.

Based on everything you have described wrong with this car - I'm not sure it's even worth $1,000.

Just my opinion.
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  #4  
Old 12-17-2002, 10:46 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Knoxville TN
Posts: 121
That sounds about right

Try traderonline.com, should be several in that general area.
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  #5  
Old 12-17-2002, 01:30 PM
lrg lrg is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 1,163
Keep looking. There's just too much wrong with this car and the fact it hasn't been kept up very well doesn't suggest it's had religious oil/filter changes and the like. One major problem and you've doubled your purchase price. You should be able to find a much better car for that price or maybe just a bit more.
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1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold
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  #6  
Old 12-17-2002, 01:39 PM
LarryBible
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These days, $3,000 is a premium price on most any 123 car. If you pay a premium price, you should expect a premium car. They are out there, you just need to plan on doing a lot of looking before you find that really nice car. When you find it, you won't pay much more than this one, if as much. It will be worth the look to find one that has been garaged and well maintained.

Good luck,

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