hello everyone... i am looking at a 85 300sd for sale. the car has 192k miles on it and he guy says it has a solid set of service records from the original date of purchase. he says there is no rust on the car and from the photos it looks clean. he said the locks just stopped working and the radio turns on but no sound. he said there is a small oil leak but it doesn't burn any oil. also, that the a/c was converted to 134 but it is only semi cold right now. he said he just had the engine and trans mounts replace as well as a front end brake job (rotors, calipers, pads)

The price is posted at 2800. what do you think?

i'm a single dad just looking for reliable / safe transportation. The a/c not blowing cold kind of scares me for high repair costs. is there a way to test if this only really needs a charge?

i have created a list of what to check out, let me know what you guys think and if i am missing anything.

Check for:
overheating - let the car sit idle for 10 minutes, drive it on the highway pretty hard, sit for 10 minutes.
Poor starting
Pings in engine
Timing chain - if not replaced test for play - VERY BIG problems if breaks or jumps
fuel leaks
front steering components
front suspension components
RUST

Normal checks:
Coolant level
oil level
p/s level
trans fluid level

When driving:
steering should be tight
no drive train jerk
no vibration

Replaced - - glow plugs? relay? alternator? fan clutch? radiator? engine temp sensor? A/C components?

anything else?

Thanks in advance,
-RJ

 

forced induction,

thank you very much for the reply. the guys ad has listed "no low ballers" so i have a feeling he wouldn't accept 2000 for the car. i think these are really great cars but with the cost of potential repairs, a/c being the main one, i may be out of my league. like i said, im a single dad with limited funds and wouldnt be able to afford costly repairs one after another. i also find it very hard not to have ANY rust beings i am in NJ and he is only an hour away from me.

from someone with expirence in these cars, what do you think?

 

if you cant fix it yourself it can be very expensive to own and run an old benz.parts can be had for low prices at u pull the parts yards.again you must be ablle to do this yourself.paying a mechanic can be very costlly...especially for a mercedes....i have 4 on the road and do all repairs myself.good luck

 

i am pretty good with cars, i know its not a mercedes but i completely rebuilt the engine in my 88 mustang, new clutch, etc.

rust... over heating... timing chain... vibration... drivetrain jerks... oil leak by flywheel... tight steering... no blue, white or lots of black smoke.

got all that. i will review the service records in detail as well.

Thanks for all your help.

 

i just received a little more info and he said that he has only had the car for a month and put 600 miles on it but his wife doesn't like it so she is making him sell it. he said he has had many of these cars before his marrage...

i have a feeling he knows these cars pretty well and he found a major problem... the other reason is just an excuse in my eyes... if she doesn't like the car, she doesn't have to drive it...

anyone else have the same feeling as me?

 

hey guys...

i found another mercedes that seems to be in very nice shape.

it is a 83 300sd with 217k miles. the car has fresh paint as of 1.5 years ago and in the last 10k miles it has new tires, new battery, new shocks, brakes and brand new a/c system this spring. the guy says everything works down to the power antenna and sun roof. he says there is no rust that he is aware of and the body shop that painted the car said nothing to him about any rust when the paint was done. i will, however, check those spots mentioned above. the interior looks clean, free from rips, tears, etc.

the guy did say there is the occasional drop of two of oil on the garage floor, there is some black smoke under hard acceleration and he said maybe be a tint of blue smoke when it starts.

are these anything i should be concerned about?

also, how do i check the timing chain for play?

Thanks in advance,
-RJ