Hi all! I'm new here, but not new to forums in general. There are a couple of forums that I'm very active on and I really enjoy some of these online communities. I like to be able to banter back and forth in good humor, share ideas and experiences, and make new friends.

Reason I'm here, I've recently come into possession of a 1984 300SD, and was wondering if there are any things in particular I need to look out for?

A little background on the deal...I'll try to make the long story short.
My Grandfather was a local musician, and after he passed away a few years ago, I inherited his truck, an 87 Ford Ranger 4X4. It has/had treated me very well, but with 340k miles, and motor not know for reliability, it was going down hill very fast, things were breaking down and wearing out faster than I could replace/repair. Well, last week after finishing up my preregistration for my current semester in college, I was on the way to pick up my son from his school, had about 30 minutes to kill, so I stopped in a small town dealership, knowing their prices were way too high, but what the heck, why not?

Turns out, the salesman that came out and spoke to me was probably my grandfather's biggest fan. When he learned who I was, who my grandfather was, and the fact that I had inherited his truck (which I was driving at the moment) he decided he just had to have it, and wouldn't take no for an answer.

He traded me, out of his personally owned vehicles, a 95 Nissan Pathfinder that runs excellent with 169k miles, and just to sweeten the deal, he threw in the 84 Mercedes too! He claims that all the Mercedes needs is a key (says he lost it) and the battery needs a fresh charge. It's a bit of a fixer upper, but nothing I can't handle, needs new lifter arms for the rear windows, a new door handle for the interior of the drivers door, and the trim is cracked and faded from the sun. A good washing, and a lot of wax and elbow grease.

But this is assuming it does actually run as he claims, I haven't gotten a new key yet (looking up the local dealership when I get off this site, to price one and find out what I need to get one made)

I was just wondering if there are any special considerations to be made while I own this car, ie, regular maintenance. For one thing, this will be the first diesel that I own. I can work on a gas burner all day long, have done so for years, but I don't know the first thing about repairing a diesel.

Thanks y'all.

 

Well, I did check on a key and those other parts. $38 for the key, $36 for each window regulator, and $25 for an interior door handle.

I'm happy so far with my find. Just hoping it actually runs as advertised! If not, oh well, at least I got one vehicle that is better than what I had before.