I'm seriously thinking about purchasing the above mentioned vehicle. This one has 213,000 orig. miles on the clock and seems to be in pretty solid shape. No accidents, no rust, clean body, original paint in very good shape. Mechanically it appears to be solid, no alarming sounds or major leaks.

I did notice a little bit of oil settling around the edges of the valve cover which idicates to me a valve gasket is due. The front passenger window regulator needs replacement as well. Interior is mostly free from cracks or tears. The dash itself has a few cracks.

The seller is asking $2650 which to me seems fair but I'm not sure what these go for as I can't find any values online.

While I didn't drive it today (just started it and revved the engine) I plan to do so tomorrow.

This is my first experience with this car and a diesel in general.

My two questions...
1. Does this seem like a fair price? (Again, I don't know what these cars typically sell for.)
2. What things should I watch for on the test drive and second inspection before purchasing?

TIA

 

I got an 81 300D last Sept. for US$1,500 with roughly 220,000 on it.

Condition: interior was in good (no cracks or tears), just dirty, no accident, had about 4 small dings that are not noticeable unless you look real close, engine started right away and idled nicely.

The bad: odometer didn't work, vacuum lock has a leak, minor body rust spots (rust didn't eat through the skin), cruise control only worked during acceleration, tranny was erratic but put it to the right fluid level worked much better.

Need to read more.... go to this site http://www.mercedessource.com/node/5806

Best of luck.

 

Thanks for your response. I drove the car yesterday and it seems pretty solid. This is the first time I've driven a 300D so I don't have much to compare it to. My only concern (warranted or not) is the abrubtness of the transmission. The transmission doesn't seem like it is slipping it just shifts a bit harder than I expected. Is this normal for these cars? By the way... is the transmission a 3 speed or 4?

The engine although it accelerates slowly (non turbo) got right up to 70 mph without a problem. The car drove straight without a hitch and the brakes (recently replaced) work great!

It appears there have been 3 owners of this car, the previous owner put about $3,000 into it (saw the receipts) including work to the a/c and heater, engine mounts, replaced an axle, window regulator, and a list of other things.

All in all I was quite pleased. Since again, this was my first time driving this model and type of car I don't have much to compare it to. Any feedback on your driving impressions with your 300D would be appreciated. Feedback on the transmission would be most appreciated.

 

The tranny is 4 speed.

Shifting hard.. I noticed with mine, the tranny fluid was quite high when I got it. I brought it down to the "full" line mark with engine at normal op temp. Shifting got better but not perfect. Found out that I have to change my 3 2 way valve. Plastic levers are worn out (see pix below). I think that these are $26 each. Still have to change the tranny filter and fluid. I do believe that these are all minor replacements and repairs. Nothing major like a rebuild or something.

Slow acceleration, that's normal. Just stay on the slow lane. It will not react like a gas engine. I put in mind that everyone around is impatient. Even the cops get impatient with me.

When was the glow plug changed and injectors cleaned/replaced? That is what most MB officionados look into. Like the site I mentioned earlier.

With all the repairs done, the price seems about right. I have to do all the guess work with mine. The former owners never kept any records.

Frankly, I'm happy with mine even with all its minor kinks. As someone mentioned, "Diesel is not just fuel, it's a way of life."




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^ Thanks again!

 

Oh.. BTW... raffo,

I noticed your planing on dropping in a turbo... how much of a difference does this make in acceleration?

 

^ I guess that's part of my question... is there that much of a performance difference between the turbo and non turbo engines? This '81 is in pretty good shape for its age and I'm hesitant to pass on it however, having a bit more get up and go in a similarly dependable package is attractive.

 

Nope, never intended to drop in a turbo. I'd rather look for a 126 SD/SDL.