im thinking about buying a 78 300D. i love the 60's era style but doesnt seem like they made diesels in the 60's, or am i wrong?
ive been wanting an older MB diesel for a while now but ive never owned a MB before and dont know what to look for or what to watch out for.
i can tell you anything you want to know about air cooled VW's but i havent been very interested in anything with a radiator until recently.
i drove it today and it seemed fairly solid except it was remarkably unimpressive off the line. it almost seemed slower than any car should be.
im not addicted to speed by any means for the past year ive been driving a 50 hp bug everyday and the year before i was driving 40 hp ghia.
if the slow acceleration is normal for the non turbo 300D's i can accept it and enjoy the car, but what should i look for as far as existing or potential problems?

 

Mercedes has, as far as I know, made diesels since the war. But, they use some weird logic in deciding whether to import them to the US. Conventional wisdom is that if you can afford a new MB then you can afford the gas for it.

But people buy cars for lots of reasons, and if I had my choice, I would want an E-Class diesel with a stick shift. But, can't get 'em.

You should get a mechanic to look at the car, unless the price is low enough. Even the dealer will check it out for you, but an independent should charge no more than $100 to look at the engine and major systems and give you a punch list.

If you do this, remember that you paid for it. You do not owe the owner a copy. Let him buy his own. You should, however, use the list in negotiating from his "everything works" price.

I drove a regular diesel for many years and liked it just fine. But I now have a turbo diesel ('99) and I would never go back.

 

My first MB in 1979 was a 1978 300D, black with ivory interior. Loved it but it was pretty stodgy around town. It was far better on the highway. My second MB was a 1981 300SD turbo dieselwhich was much heavier but the turbo diesel was significantly faster than the 300D. Both great cars but my favorite was the 300SD.
The engines are pretty bullet proof but absolutely get it checked out by a qualified diesel mechanic. Both of mine blew some minor smoke under full throttle.

 

i bought the car last week, figured why not, it was only $900, havent been driving it a lot but it seemed to do ok when i would. but today it wont start. it had always taken a bit to get it going when it was cold but it would always start. but this morning it wouldnt, just clunking and white smoke. came home for lunch and same thing. then after work i tried again the temp outside was 65 and more white smoke. it almost started but nothing, so i pulled off the air filter and put a heat gun over the intake for a few minutes tried to start it with the heat gun going and all i ended up doing was running the battery down. i have the block heater plugged in right now but if the heat gun didnt work i dont think the heater will help.
also why are there 1000 vacuum lines for the heater and ac. only the def button will turn the fan on but it wont blow hot.

 

I am hesitant to offer mechanical advice, since I am not a mechanic, but I have seen the following problems with similar symptoms:

1) Defective glow plugs. Started in warm weather (hard) and would always start when hot, but would not start on a cold morning.

2) Fuel cutoff (which I think is vacuum in your car) sticking.

3) Weak fuel pump.