Is $5,500 too much for 25yr old diesel Mercedes?

[pgagy]

I found a old 300 series turbo-diesel Mercedes. It's a two door, and it has gone around the world more than 12 times (it has over 500,000Km on it) The paint seems in OK shape. I'm only considering it it because it's so weird looking and think it would be fun transportation - if it lasts 3 years I'll be happy.

I have no experience with diesels - other than that they supposedly can go really long distances. What are your thoughts?

Here's what it looks like - it's not the one I'm looking at, but it's the same model

[thebronze]

I'd take it to a Merc dealer or other reliable mechanic and have them look it over.

[RoadHogg]

To much money.. Some dealers will not be able to work on it (trust me) I know someone with one that looks just like that car but yellow, I had to tow it to 3 different dealers. And the cost and wait time for parts.. (They will have to find them since none will be in stock for something that old)

[K4GSXXXR]

As long as you don't drive in winter you should be fine.

[Brian P]

Those cars have a reputation for astounding durability IF they are taken care of, but also for sucking the owner's wallet dry for fixing odd little things again and again during that time. That generation (late eighties) is arguably better built than the newer Mercedes cars - that generation was still from when Mercedes was building over-engineered tanks on wheels. BUT ...

At the price being asked, check every single function on the whole car. Power windows, sunroof, A/C, power steering, heater controls, *everything*. Take it to a mechanic for a check-over if it passes your own check. You do NOT want to have to fix much, if anything, at the price being asked. Ask for maintenance records. Anything that needs fixing WILL be expensive.

Also, I'm not sure of your definition of "fun". These cars were designed as serene luxurious autobahn cruisers, not racetrack carvers and certainly not drag racers.

That model has what is called an "indirect-injection" diesel engine. (As opposed to Volkswagen TDI "turbo direct-injection" engines, or Mercedes CDI engines for that matter.) What that means is that they're noisier, smokier, and unhappier during cold start-ups than new-technology diesels. You will want to have a plug-in block heater or coolant heater for getting started in -20 C weather.

Those cars can be great, or they can be a wallet-emptier, depending on how previous owners have treated and maintained them.

For what it's worth, my last VW TDI diesel was a '96 Passat TDI, and I sold it at 462,000 km still running decently.

[RetroGrouch]

Better off getting an old Volvo DL240. Those things can't be killed.

[FiReSTaRT]

It is durable but the parts will be almost impossible to find and expensive. If everything checks out, it should be a reliable car, but cold starts are an issue with diesel engines, so I'd use a synthetic 0w40 oil in it and add a bit of kerosine with every fillup. I drove an IDI-TD VW for a few years and I didn't have any issues with cold starts as long as I let the glow plugs do their magic twice before cranking her.

[LucTdeC]

When it comes down to 5,500 for a car built a quarter century ago or holding out maybe 4 months and purchasing a new say motorycle with that money I know what I would do.

Is public transport an option? Ahh if I lived in the city I wouldn't care about all the hassles of the bus/subway if it saved me insurance and gas every month.

That's money that could feed a stripper's starving familiy you know '), or perhaps put them through school. Come on... Lets all lend a hand!

[RockerGuy]

I think the old cars were more reliable than the newer cars. The newer cars these days are all made of plastic parts and it drives me crazy. I've got a bmw 328i and its a lot of work. I dont think the previous owner took good care of it. The parts are not universal and u need that special part sometimes. I enjoy some of the advantages of it tho, like the safety aspect and the drive feeling. Its very firm.

This is a website u can use for parts, the part prices are typical of my car.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/euro/cat...66_catalog.htm

[unresolved]

These cars are very reliable if they have had ongoing reasonable maintenance. If you are looking to service an older Benz, there is a shop called Forli Motors at the corner of Richmond and Parliament. Lou has always been a good guy to deal with in my experience.

[pgagy]

Good insights! And yes, this was to be more or less a winter type car - I do have a bike for the summer. By "FUN" I meant it looks cool, I understand that it was under 130HP new, so by now it's going probably slower than a 3 cylinder Chevy Metro, and the dynamics were more boat like. At least I won't get a ticket for $50 over, as it probably can't go past that.

So what do you guys think it's worth? I've seen them from $3000-14000 on ebay and autotrader (mostly 4 doors, as 2 doors are rare). I wasn't going to pay the $5,500, I thought that was too much myself

Also, how do you arrange with a shop to look over a car when you want to buy it? I've never done that before. Do I tell the guy I want to do this, then call the shop, make an appointment and make the seller drive it there?

[CdnVStar]

The guy that has the cottage behind mine in Vermont has two MB diesels. He swears by them--he has never owned another type of car. He bought a "new" one five years ago (a 1982) because he was concerned the 1974 one that he drives may eventually die. Both cars will not die. Short of lighting them on fire, I think they would run for ever (his older car has close to a 1 million miles on it).

[FiReSTaRT]

You just find a mechanic that you trust and then you have 2 options:
1) Negotiate a price and leave a conditional deposit (passing the technical inspection with a mechanic you trust)
2) Have the seller bring it over (they'll do it if they think you're serious about buying it)
If you don't have your own mechanic I do know a good shop that's both good and cheap. PM me.

[m.breen]

If you don't know of a good mechanic (not a dealership) to do the work, then you should forget about it. It will need a mechanic at some point in time and a dealership will cost you big time. I lucked out when I bought a '89 BMW 325i 'cause there was a guy around the corner from me who did bimmers. If I had to go to a dealer I would have sold it the first problem I had. Nice car.

[RockerGuy]

If you don't know of a good mechanic (not a dealership) to do the work, then you should forget about it. It will need a mechanic at some point in time and a dealership will cost you big time. I lucked out when I bought a '89 BMW 325i 'cause there was a guy around the corner from me who did bimmers. If I had to go to a dealer I would have sold it the first problem I had. Nice car.

U can do it urself if u got a repair manual and the internet.

I bought my car in for engine seals, but after I realised I could have done it myself. Its not that complicated as some ppl think, plus its an old car, there are lots of space to work w/ and the components should be pretty basic.

[romey]

the 300 D turbo diesel motors are bulletproof and extremely reliable like everyone's mentioned. they are also found in the G-wagons in the G300 (or smaller version G290) and also in the unimog military vehicles, you can't kill them. but, with 1/2 mil K kms, you have no guarantees and dishin 5 g's now could mean that it'll run worry free for the next 100K or breakdown needing an engine rebuild (worse case scenario). my aunt has the 4 door 300SD turbo diesel but it only has 90K miles and boy would i love to get my hands on it, it's an early 80's model too and it took us to florida no probs averaging about 7/800k/tank.

i say knock it down as much as you can, get the seller to certifiy it and check it through with a fine tooth comb and see how well he's documented it's maintenance. check the undercarriage too for rust. you need to find one of those old private shops that specialize in german cars AND has someone who's familiar with diesels.

i have a 4 runner turbo diesel from japan and love it! i've been using the lucas diesel fuel additive to clean the injectors and make it run smoother (used to use Howse, but after lucas, i almost got an extra 100k per tank!) i'd also like to get a hold of an early 90's G300, virtually unchanged since the 70's and it's a serious workhorse with a strong military service history... just another option, at least you'll have no problems in the snow and offroading.

btw, e-testing diesels is JUST a visual inspection! no running through a dyno and examining the gases, so that's good, sorta. it's normal for them to blow smoke at higher rpms...just use good additives every tank up like Lucas. good luck!

[romey]

check these guys out too. french german guys in montreal that ship mint low mileage european cars. they actually have an 81 300SD in stock, but don't know what they're goin for, this was the orginal gangsta terrorist vehicle! lol! the heaviest sedan mercedes has produced i believe.

http://www.rvwestfalia.com/en/Stock.htm

hit english, and check stock, scroll down and you'll see a pic too.

oh yeah, around the wolrd 5 times?! that's crazy!! so check the suspension and predict which things could go wrong and source the parts so you know what your getting yourself into. you might need to change the glo plugs, fuel filter for piece of mind.

[pgagy]

Hah, that website rules! I love the '71 SEL. I'd feel like a Columbian coke franchise overlord driving around in that one. White suit, big collar sticking up, chest hair popping out and a gold chain and of course, a cigarillo in my mouth.

If anyone has seen the latest Top Gear episode, But they drive 1000 miles through Africa in ****** cars, and the best one is an 80s 230E, much like this one:

check these guys out too. french german guys in montreal that ship mint low mileage european cars. they actually have an 81 300SD in stock, but don't know what they're goin for, this was the orginal gangsta terrorist vehicle! lol! the heaviest sedan mercedes has produced i believe.

http://www.rvwestfalia.com/en/Stock.htm

hit english, and check stock, scroll down and you'll see a pic too.

oh yeah, around the wolrd 5 times?! that's crazy!! so check the suspension and predict which things could go wrong and source the parts so you know what your getting yourself into. you might need to change the glo plugs, fuel filter for piece of mind.