How much would you offer or pay for this:

1981 Mercedes-Benz 300SD
Green metallic exterior, green leather interior
interior has some wear and tear from 22 years
paint is dull, has oxidation, a little rust from dent repair, but not through the body
rear seats recently refurbished
cold A/C, and heat works good
engine has 200,000+ miles on it, little smoke, valves just adjusted, runs great on the open highway
brand new Michelin tires
little things are broken on it, but can easily fixed like...
cruise control, odometer (both typical of old MBs), vacuum pump for door locks and trunk lock
seat switches need replacement on driver's and passenger's side
antenna motor needs replacement or repair
a little play in the steering, suspects the steering box needs tightening.
So, what would you offer or pay for it?
-Joe

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Hahaha..... all that "little stuff" sounds close to $1200 in parts alone. For example, authentic electric radio antenna motor will probably set you back at least $100 in parts - cruise control electronic box can be anywhere from $150 - $300...... and you've gotta ASSUME the car needs ball joint links, tie rods, etc at high mileage instead of just minor steering box adjust- so figure another $500 in parts there. Then factor in another $200 in parts for unknown entities such as brake pads, fuel lines, engine mounts, suspension bushings, muffler or whatever.

Never mind vacuum servos on trunk and door locks..... when you start repairing this yourself, you might give up and decide to trash the entire automatic door lock system - takin the easy way out.

Good news is that if you are mechanically inclined, glueing the zinc odometer gear back to its spindle with liquid loctite is free and easy repair.

Off the cuff, I'd say anthing much over $1G for car that needs paint and could easily have 400k miles would be top price to pay..... knowing it would take another $2-3G in parts, labor and paint to cherry it out.

Well, I know about all of that. All of that is fine. The car is mine, and I just want to know what a good price to ask would be if I ever decided to sell it in the near future. So with that out of the way, about how much would you say?
-Joe

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Hey, you don't have to pay me anything to take your car, I'll take it off your hands for nothing.

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Don't worry, I won't pay you. You can pay me for it though...

-Joe

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Green with a green interior? I wouldnt pay anything..


Kidding, kidding..

I think if I was thinking on selling I'd spend a few bucks and fix what can be pretty easily fixed, then look for someone that really apreciates the cars. They seem to be worth next to nothing to the general public, which suites me just fine. If your selling local, look through the papers, see what there going for. Or watch e-bay, or the for sale forums on the various Mercedes forums.


And you'll regret it if you sell it, it's a universal law.

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One more Radar Lover gone...
1982 VW Caddy diesel 406K 1.9L AAZ
1994 E320 195K

OK I won't worry...how about then, a six-pack of Budweiser and a bag of Doritos for it?

Don't let it go too cheap just because of few minor items need attention. Best thing is to check some of the online listings for your area and the rest of the country for about how much they're going for and then just set your price. Then all you need is patience once you list it for sale.
Good Luck!

__________________
DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Hello H-townbenzoboy
Reference material for you to review:

On eBay 1981 Mercedes-Benz : 300SD Item number: 2453852861
Seven days with no bid Starting bid: US $3,000.00

On eBay 1982 Mercedes-Benz : 300D Diesel Item number: 2453881550
13 bids Current bid: US $610.00

On eBay 1985 Mercedes-Benz : 300-Series Item number: 2453923034
13 bids Current bid: US $909.00

1980 Mercedes-Benz : 300-Series CD Item number: 2454413475
14 bids Current bid: US $900.00 (Reserve not met)

1981 Mercedes-Benz : 200-Series Item number: 2453706449
28 bids Current bid: US $725.00



Could we see a couple of pictures of your car?
Agree: you should fix some of the small stuff.........

The other way to find the value of your car:
post it on ebay, with a very high reserve, you are out $50.00 for the auction or you sell at a happy price, friend just did this with his Rolls-Royce, he had no intention of selling, just wanted current market price.

You did ask what I would pay, $500.00 USD
Have a great day.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

Less than $1200.

Why do you want to sell it?

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'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

Joe, i hope you realize nobody's trying to roast you personally..... its just that after a certain point old MB diesels become end-user consumer products - where they stablilize at/near or less than $1000...... niether depreciating nor appreciating significantly in value.

Bottom line - use value far exceeds market value especially after a certain point, say 20 yrs. These are the bargain cars that many of us enjoy for many years of trouble free, easy maintenance, daily driving....... meanwhile secretly thinkin on newer models at twice the price as sucker cars that we want to avoid.

Yes sir, the $800 - $1200 market is very ripe with many exceptional vehicles available....... of course, the only people who shop this bracket safely are those who know what they are doing and/or have gone from one old MB to another, generally dealing with 20 yr old cars at 5-7 yr intervals.

Another thing to consider is the devil you know is easier to deal with than the devil you dont..... thus sellers of cars who then purchase a replacement at the same price can take a beating while contending with unknown entities.

I say keep the 300SD - especially if it's the last year of the 116 body style.

Hold on now, I didn't say I was selling it, I said that I MIGHT be selling it. There's a big difference between I am going to and might. It's not a W116. 1981 was the first year of the W126 in North America, although it had been available in Europe since 1979. If I do sell it though, I'll make sure to see what other early W126s go for in the area, although I havent seen many of them for sale lately in the quantities that I used to.
-Joe

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.