FS: 1991 300SEL "Ingrid" 129k Wichita, Ks $4750

[TylerH860]

With another car on the way I feel the need to sell something. My girlfriend has showed interest in Ingrid, so I will list her Grand Am for sale as well on craigslist. If I sell the Grand Am first I'll get to keep this incredible car in my circle for a good while longer.

Information:

1991 300SEL
129,000 miles with carfax and service records corroborating.

Since purchasing I have put about 3,000 miles on it and replaced the following.

Fuel Pump
Fuel Filter
Center Muffler, Rear Muffler, and exhaust seal rings
Tranny Cooler Hoses
Oil and Filter
Oil Pressure Sender
Tranny Filter, Gasket, and fluid
Front Rotors
Cleaned and Repacked front wheel bearings
Brake bleed

The previous owner did considerable work to the car in the last few years as well including:

Head Gasket
Valve Seals

Dealer write up on repair:
March 14, 2008: Coolant and oil leaking internally and externally at head gasket. 11.00 R&R Cylinder Head and inspect for cracks and warpage.... OK. Found head gasket eroded and leaking into ports. Cleaned cylinder and engine surfaces and replaced valve seals during service. Had heavy carbon buildup and resurfaced seats by lapping providing good quality sealing surface seating. Fond about 10-20% sealing prior to servicing. Replaced head gasket set, valve cover, gasket, seals, coolant, engine oil, 1 missing panel screw, distributor rotor (cracked) and rotor bracket. Test drove - OK. After test driving and sending vehicle to courtesy wash, found thermostat housing cap cracked and broke. Replaced housing cap with new style metal cap. Topped off coolant and test drove - OK. Coolant contamination from failed head gasket. After repairs in line A were competed, drained coolant and added detergent and water solution. Ran engine to full running temperature and then drained. Filled with coolant and checked for leaks. Found radiator drain plug dripping. Replaced plug and retest- OK. Found when first started engine from cold, coolant temperature gauge was inop but started working after several minutes. Found gauge faulty. Topped off washer fluid.

Other reciepts: Way too much work for a working temperature gauge.

July 2008: A. Hose Coming apart, soaked. Drained Coolant and replaced radiator hose. Replaced coolant and test drove- ok. B. Customer states engine temperature gauge is not working. Parts have been ordered for this repair. C. Engine mounts collapsed and coming apart. 4.00 Replaced leaft and right engine mounts and transmission mount. Test drove- OK. Topped off washer fluid.

July 2008: Intermittent short to ground in temperature gauge sender. Intermittent open circuit in temperature gauge. 3.00 Found at times usually with cold engine and after vehicle set for hours temperature gauge will not operate. Found after driving for a while gauge begins to work. Cold started engine and found temperature gauge inoperative and found about 260ohms resistance in temperature sender. Replaced temperature gauge and started engine. Found in less than a minute temperature gauge reads full hot. Disconnected temperature gauge sender and found temperature gauge reads full cold. Checked temperature gauge for resistance on nearly cold engine and found 74 ohms. Found sender shorted to ground. Replaced temperature sender and topped off engine coolant. Reinstalled original temperature gauge and found gauge reads full cod. Test drove until engine at operating temperature. At about 90 degrees celcius and found gauge still reads full cod. Inspected with David Brown and ok'd to replace temperature gauge as per previous estimate. Replaced temperature gauge and found gauge reading about 90 degrees celcius. test drove and found no futher concerns.

The indy at another visit was not nearly as verbose as the two previous dealer trips.

July 2009: Check and replace swolen heater hoses. Installed new flex disc.

The car also comes with a maintenance booklet that was dealer stamped for the majority of its life. The car has no leaks, no mechanical issues, starts, runs and drives perfectly. Ingrid is as close to turn key as it gets. Everything functions as it should with the exception of the power antenna, and a bleeding LCD temperature display (though it does still read the temperature correctly and legibly). The luxury add ons include memory/heated seats, and ABS.

Cosmetically, Ingrid is incredible. Thanks to a professional wet sanding and polishing, the original paint looks amazing.... very deep, glossy, and reflective. There is some road rash on the front, and a few scratches, chips and dings, but certainly much better than "for its age". Absolutely no rust anywhere. The interior crack and tear free, the black leather seats gracefully worn and very comfortable. I recently replaced the center console wood with a crack free piece and added like new gray OEM floor mats as well. The only downside is the lackluster wheel finish, which I have been waiting for more favorable weather to properly address.

I will part with Ingrid, reluctantly, for $4750. Considering its had over $7000 worth of work done to it in the last few years, coupled with the outstanding cosmetic condition, methinks it a good deal for someone.

Photos: I will ad some more interior/under hood shots and a video in the next few days. Contact at [email protected]. Thanks for looking.























New Interior and Engine Photos: The engine is a bit dusty, but if a potential buyer insists on a spray down and armor all used car dealer style I'd be happy to do it. Note some of the close ups with the fresh looking fluids, hoses, belts and vacuum elements.