Hey everyone, just found the forum, and I am a prospective diesel owner. I've started looking for a diesel Mercedes in decent shape (I don't mind doing a little work on it). I found a ad for one near me in Toronto, Ontario for a 300SD TurboDiesel. It appears pretty nice from the pictures, and the guy is asking $2000 for it. Assuming it looks good in person, and I plan on having a Pre-purchase inspection done, is this a fair price? I don't really know much about the market for these. He claims it runs well.

I just finished restoring a 1978 VW Super Beetle, so I'm looking for a next project/driver . Thanks for your help!

I can't post the pics now, but it doesn't appear to have lots of rust. I know from doing a previous resto some places to look though, so hopefully it's not crumbling!

 

Hey, thanks for the reply. I had a chance to see te car in person yesterday afternoon. It has 180,000 km on it (not miles), and is extremely solid. It has not been repainted, and there is only minor visible rust under the trunk lid behind the rear window. Because it was being sold by a mechanic's shop, I had a chance to look and tap away at the underside of the car while it was on the lift too. I couldn't find any signs of rust, and the undercoating all looked intact.

I test drive it, and it felt smooth, except for some noise and rumble coming off idle which they told me was the A/C compressor which was seized and had to be replaced. As for the shifting, is it normal for the auto transmission to not shift as smoothly as a modern auto trans? It felt a little jerky, but my dad seemed to think that's just how they were. Only other things were that it needs a replacement fresh air blower and rear right window motor. Everything else worked.

So if I were to try and bargain them down to $1500, would it be worth it? I was impressed with the condition of the body, but it needs a little mechanical love. I should also rephrase my original post. I'm not really looking to restore one, more to just fix it up a bit to make it run nicely, then just have something more comfy than my beetle to drive longer distances. I'm attracted to these models because I'd like something I can work on myself, and I'd really like to learn more about diesels.

Thanks for your help!