There is a supposedly VERY NICE 85 300td for sale about an hour away.
This wagon was purchased NEW in Germany by a US general and brought back to the USA.
THERE IS NO TURBO!!
However, the car has PERFECT palomino TEX interior. All maintinence records< 186,000 miles.....UNFORTUNATELY, it is an AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ........the body has original dark blue paint .....the owner is a BMW motorcycle freak
The cas has NO wood, however, does have power windows and sunroof.
I have NOT driven a 5 cylinder N/A diesel, however, the owner seems to be so cool and up front about the car and its upkeep that I have decided to check it out.
It DOES have FULL US complience paperwork. I don't know what type of door crash bars were installed. The car does have the SMALL bumpers.
Please, lets hear any thoughts on this ride.
Spo out.

I almost bought a grey market wagon once. It had the red fog light inplace of one backup light, in the rear bumper.
I discovered that some engine parts were going to be a little unusual, that according to a mechanic at the dealer, who said they did not have all the microfiche here to get part numbers. It meant they had asked Stuttgart for help in ID'ing some parts before, maybe not for a wagon, but they definitely told me it was more of an inconvenience than a serious problem getting parts. OTHERWISE, the car would probably have served me well.
Maybe you should check and see if you can get the factory manual (it may be printed in German) from MBNA. All this shouldn't deter you from buying if the price is reasonable. You could even have a US turbo engine installed if you wanted!
Dieseldiehard
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 104646
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 290820
1983 300D 238890
1985 300TD 207980

Also as a point of curosity if nothing else, check to see if it has the hydro rear suspension. From what I understand not all the euro cars had it.

__________________
LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold

good point, lrg.
I can't remember if the Euro wagon I saw had hydro rear suspension or not. I have seen Euro cars like the 260SE (280SE?) from the '80s that had hydro suspension whereas the US models did not. I have seen conversions where a good welder installed shock towers that accept a conventional shocks, but that kind of work takes some experience O/W you wind up with a vehicle that doesn't ride right. The hydro system works well when the components are good. I'd buy a wagon with bad (leaking) shocks for at least $1000 less than a car with good ones.
Dieseldiehard

Spo123,

You might find the euro wagon to be a very good bet. It almost certainly has the euro a/c heater controls, so you'll never have a problem there. Manual windows, and sunroof. You can always convert to a 4 speed manual tranny if you want. Might even have the euro headlights too.

Ben

__________________
www.reproduce100s.com

Thanks for the responses...
Dieseldiehard, the engine is factory without turbo (as ALL nonusa cars are or were). The mechanic that performed the compression test on the 1985 300d USA model is an old time MB diesel specialist. He tells me that the injection pump on the grey market car is NOT available in the states ...Does ANYONE know if an earlier non turbo 5cylinder IP will fit and function correctly. The current owner seems to think that his son has another junked grey market 5cylinder that I may take the IP....HoWEVER, I would think that the IP should last for the life of the car.
Irg, the car DOES have a correctly functioning load leveler suspension with NEW rear shox and accumulators.
Ben, indeed, the heater controls are of the older type, AND they DO have individual settings for EACH side...ie; the driver AND the passanger. VERY NICE!! The sunroof is manual. The windows are electric. There is nice wood on the dash, not around the heater controls or the shifter surround. The stereo is of the older style becker am/fm cassette with the round knobs.
The car has some BALLS. Probably due to the lower rear end. It drives very well, as I test drove it in the mountains of New Hampshire.
There was BLUE OIL SMOKE>>>>>rather noticible....The owner stated that the car had traveled LESS than 200 mile since the last oil change which was FILLED RIGHT TO THE MAX LEVEL. Isuspect that the valve seals MAY be leaking, HOWEVER, there have been MANT posts concerning the oil burning off until the middle area and then maintaining that level.
I will EITHER DO a compression test OR go up there on a really COLD morning and see how it starts.
I will need to replace the rear hatch lock assembly most likely, as it does NOT function by the key. Is the federal lock assembly the same as the grey market???
ALSO, does anyone out there know for sure which engine parts differ?ie; the injectors and the glow plugs etc.....
What about TRANSMISSION COMPATIBILITY with the usa cars.......if the transmission dies, can I switch with a usa unit?
These are some of the questions that I need to answer. I will need to check the search function concerning the grey market units.
Thanks much,
spo out

to the top, thanks for any information.
spo

Spo123, yes I know about the Euros not having turbos that it why I said " You could even have a US turbo engine installed if you wanted!"
Actually I once spoke with a German fellow that said there are some W123 turbos in Germany, they are rare and probably the product of someone like myself that has a modified car. Thanks to the way the common parts interchange. With some exceptions, like the exhaust valves in the Turbo are Sodium filled. The turbo engines have slightly less compression ratio than the non turbo, and I would expect the Euro engines to use a different cam, the gas cars usually always use a hotter cam the pollutes a bit more than those cut for the US market. Performance is the key spec for the Euros, and it is possible the IP is different but likely only internally in a few areas, You can always get it rebuilt stateside, Bosch keeps good records on parts for repairing their IP's - they make dozens of different models!
As for the grey market questions especially related to the tranny, you really need a person that has loads of experience with those here in America.
I recall someone steering me to a MBNA dealer's shop in VA that was supposed to have such an "expert" but when I reached that person he informed me that I could NOT install a gas engine frma car with an automatic transmission in my 220 (already set up with a stick shift) - my friend Larry at MB Garage, a local outfit, did it no-sweat. The pilot bearing was one item and the flywheel had to be swapped - real easy actually. To heck with the dealer, if I had listened to him and not bought the car I wouldn't have my lil puppy the 220 (I love that bugger!)
You better start calling around before that car gets sold! Like I said, you can buy it and run it till the engine dies then have a turbo engine stuffed into it!
Dieseldiehard
1971 220 4-spd manual 104646
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 290820
1983 300D 238890
1985 300TD 207980
1976 300D (still waiting to see what it needs to get running!)