hello,
i'm in the market for my first car and i've stumbled upon a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300SD Turbo Diesel for only $6500 CAD. the car is in perfect shape, it's been well maintained abd it looks great. the only problem i have with it is that i'm worried if anything goes wrong with it it's going to cost me a fortune to repair it. maybe i'm asking the wrong crowd but would guys recomend a car like this as a good first car. it just seem with all the electric options there's so many things that could go wrong and all the parts would be so expensive. but at the same time i really like this car and thought of having a Mercedes as my first car has me a little excited. what do you guys think?

 

well if it was well maintained, nothing expensive should go out for a long time now. Of course with the age, you might have a little things go glitchy, like the power windows, or power seats, and other power comfort things but nothing major that would be a small fortune.

Things to check for that might cost a fortune: Rust, and transmission/various serious drivetrain issues. Timing Chain breakage.

A 1983 300SD I believe is the 5 cylinder. Not a race car, but reliable as they come, a little crude sounding by today standards but will be there to the end if kept and it's not expensive to maintain, easy to maintain. And the car you are considering, you said it is in perfect condition and well maintain. Take a test drive, evrything should be straight. For that price, everything should work all bells and whistles, not jerky transmission. But when do something goes wrong, parts for the car for the most part shouldn't break your pocket but it is an Import and of course parts won't be as cheap as say, a regular 1983 Chevy.
What I would do is get an expert mechanic take a look over it to cover the bases andyou have a potential excellent good used starters car.

 

I agree with BW, far fewer potential problems than today's MB, this is when they made reliable cars. It is however now it's 23 years old which I would have no problem with. Parts (German-Bosch, Mann, etc) can be bought from Autohaus Arizona and others at huge discounts. My dad needed a door seal for his 1980 300SD - dealer $112 -AAz $45.

You did not disclose how many Km are on the car, that may affect how much you should pay regardless of condition and is there full service history, trans fluid every 30K miles, Differential fluid changed since '83?

The only two systems that I see as costly possibilities are the heater core (my dad's went out at 125K, the dash and steering column have to come out: dealer $1,800, shop $1,200)

The air conditioning system. No worries about the trans, engine, etc. Minor switches can be obtained from a wrecking yard for cheap

It is a great car. Gluck

Oh, the mechanic should especially check the front end steering and suspension components as well as wheel bearings and motor mounts. Modest cost to fix, you should try to get the price lower to cover these costs of these repairs.

 

thanks for you help guys. just a few more things about it. it has 230,000 kms, the guy says he changes the oil regularyly whether it needs it or not, he just installed brand new air conditioning and he gets it serviced every year at a near by Mercedes dealership every year. the last time he did this was in April.

 

Sounds even better, not that he is a liar but I would like to see the service records and keep them with the car. You might suggest he cut his name, address, phone# off the records of course leaving the date, vin and miles. Some people (me) are leery about thier personal info going with the car.

Check the records on the AC, as long as it works that's great. It would be nice to know if more than the compressor was replaced. The receiver dryer, accumulator, etc. Things you won't have to do if already done. Also, if belts and hoses have not been done in 5-6 years, they are due.

 

alright, i'm going to to take it for a test drive tomorrow, i'll look into some of ther things you guys mentioned. is there any reason i shouldn't buy this car? my dad is really against me getting this car, mostly because of the cost of repairing it, which like i said concerns me as well. but it seems like a pretty good buy to me.

 

The question is not whether you should buy it but at what price. Cost of repairs (not routine maintenance, oil, fluids, brake pads) is a valid concern and despite being an appearant cream puff it still has 150K miles on it. The engine could easily go another 150 without a single problem. It is 23 years old and "systems" will need to be fixed. Power sunroof next month, a couple of wheel bearings in the Fall, a new exhaust next year, A new alternator and starter next Summer, new glow plugs a few months later, in a year and a half a new Diesel injection pump ($1,000), 1 month later a new water pump, 2 months later new trunk weatherstripping for a leak, 3 months later a leak in the transmission, new seals needed still works fine though, 3 weeks later a new radiator.

Your dad may be right. This scenario is a real possibility, virtually all mechanical issues, no fancy schmancy eletronics to deal with. This is the reality of a 23 year old car with 220KM on it. Much of the needed repairs you can do, not on todays MB, this is where the cost becomes favorable, I don't find MB parts all that pricey if bought from discounters (not the dealer).

Bottom line is how bad do you want the car and how much can they go down on the price. Your dad might think differently if you got it for $2500 (you won't). Keep in mind a 23 year old Honda (if any exist) will have the same potential problems. I say low ball the price and if you want it ink the deal, don't let someone else buy it out from under you for $100 more.