My son is about to become the owner of a 75 220 diesel 4 door that was abandoned on his property in Nevada by a renter. I was there last weekend and only got a chance to have a quick look at it - It has a manual 4 speed transmission, we have not started it, but a look under the hood shows what looks like a fairly clean engine with an A/C unit. The best feature of the car is the front grill, complete with nice chrome, given the age and the condition of the chrome, it looks like it has spent most of it's life in the desert. Paint is faded-out beige, but all body panels are straight. It looks like it is a Euro model. Interior is aged with torn seats and shot carpets, but the dash has a nice instrument unit and the original radio. Like 14% of Nevada, my son has a lot of time on his hands these days, so I have suggested to him he dismantle the car and sell it piece-by-piece on ebay and craig's list. Do you think I am giving him good advice ? Is there a collector following for this car, or is it just another junkyard refugee? Any other info on this car, and advice on any parts that might have special value, would be appreciated! The car is in restorable condition, if the motor isn't blown or something. He seems to think after conversations with the renter is that the car just needs a new battery and an owner that can afford to put tags on it.

If the car is complete, it shouldn't take that much to bring it back to life.
He would have another vehicle to use. A rust-free complete car is pretty sought-after in these circles.

My $0.02 and you can keep the change.

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Ben
1987 190d 2.5Turbo

I could not find one spot of rust on it - like a lot of Nevada cars, and no signs of body putty and not a dent in it. Just a lot of sun damage, and typical wear and tear to the interior.

Ebay it and see where it goes.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Always worth a lively CL (craigslist) ad, or a well worded with pictures Ebay ad.

In another life, I want to establish a MB, Cadillac, or Corvette salvage yard. With the Internet and CL - it would be a gas to do business nationwide/internationally selling parts that basically cost you little or nothing.

Depends mainly on what your Son should be doing with that time he has on his hands.

Many a small business have started from a hobby that someone just started on the side because they kinda enjoyed it.

Post the question on Diesel discussion!!!

That will get informed answers,though possibly biased ones...


You might even get offers to buy, especially where rust free cars this old are adored, especially with the manual transmission.


The title and registration issues could be sticky, though.

Not to mention the filters and algae problems too.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

The title is not really a problem, Nevada has an abandoned property law that allows a person to claim title simply by filing a form with the DPS.

Filters and algae?

Great!!! New title and plates done, then it can be tidied up easily and sold somewhere back east. Probably to a contributor to the Diesel Discussion for a VERY decent price. few of them ever look on "Open Discussion".


Last year of the w115 body style, was 1976, so your son's '75 is one of the last. The build quality, durability, ease of repair and classic simplicity, and stately good looks of these are epic to old Mercedes Benz enthusiasts. The manual transmission is beloved because with it a few extra HP and a bit more power can be squeezed out of it!! And with these, you need all you can get.

It is so instantly recognizable as a Mercees Benz.

Most never wore out; rust killed them, or they got sunbaked to death in the Southwest. Mechanically they could be eternal, though they smoked a lot, made the famous "klatta klatta klatta" sound, like a bucket of bolts ( but very beloved music to the present day enthusiasts of them).

And one of these W115 diesels has covered over 2.8 MILLION miles, the highest mileage EVER, for a Mercedes Benz, and the car resides in the Mercedes Benz museum in Stuttgart - who talked the Greek taxi driver out of it a few years ago by giving him a brand new C class sedan.


for more comments, see:

http://mercedesforum.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-23663.html


"The other day I saw that the highest recorded mileage on a Mercedes Diesel was in Greece by a taxi driver named Gregorios Sachinidis.

Mr. Sachinidis bought his 1976 240D with 220,000 Kilometers in Germany and drove it to Greece to use as his taxi. The car was retired with 4.8 million verified kilometers.

It is now located in the Mercedes Benz Museum collection. Unbelievable. And one more tidbit, they gave him a brand new C200 CDI in return. Great Story"

~~~~~

I have no doubt that you will get it sold easily, as the car is very rare back east, and the color combo is pleasant, and waxing wih Zymol, *AFTER* an $8 clay bar treatment, and some rubbing compound, (if necessary don't use a electric polisher as something that aggressive can go too far into the paint too fast...) The paint used back then on the Mercedes Benzes was sensational, and on yours it's non metallic, so there is a chance, if done right, it could come back gleaming like new.



Algae builds up after a while in the fuel tank if the car is not driven for a long time.

Apparently diesel fuel is quite from gasoline. It can turn to gel; The fuel filters can get problems too, ou may have to even drop the gas tank and totally clean it before trying to start the car.


You have got to post a question on the Diesel Discussion section, where you are unknown. A wealth of information,and I suspect some eager buyers would await.

But go in there with plenty of pictures, good ones. That will really help, good pictures posted.

Let us kibitzers down here on Open Discussion be favored on this thread with a link, to follow along, if possible.


There is VERY little cross pollination between posters on Open Discussion and the purely technical Diesel Discussion.

Good luck!!!

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

A good friend of mine does just that, but its not as easy as it seems. Finding skilled enough labor to work in a salvage yard pulling parts is one issue. Most of the good mechanics work on the live cars, and are well paid.

Getting the licensing and permits to have a salvage yard is another issue. Everyone neighboring the business will complain about it bringing down property values. That's why you don't see many new independent salvage yards.

Then you sell "good used" parts, and a good chunk of people want to send them back because they claim it doesn't work, when in reality they just misdiagnosed their issue and got the wrong part. Or they try and send back the defective claiming it to be the one you sent.

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Good insight......real issues you've illuminated.

There is or was a Lincoln salvage yard outside of OKC that was known around these parts back when I owned my 1980 Lincoln Town Car from December 1979 to 1991.

I swear, there's not many people that would own and drive one car for that many years to get ahead. I really liked my 351 c.i. carburated (sp?) Town Car.

I would love to have that car here in FL, but I guess I hit my limit.

If this is a 220D with the skinny bumpers, its pre-73, and very desirable in the diesel circles.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)