Less Than A Grand For A 1980 300D… Good Deal
I need a second car for getting to and from work. All I really need is to drive within a 20 mile radius of my home the majority of the time, with a handful of trips in a 80 mile radius. The car I came up with is this:
A co-worker of mine has a 1980 Mercedes 300D with 115,000 miles on it. It needs some work done on it– the gas tank needs to be taken off and cleaned (fungus growth- it sat in a field for a lot of years) and apparently it had issues starting last winter- we’re thinking glow plugs. He’s a mechanic and is willing to do the work, put in those parts, and sell me the car for a little less than a grand. The body isn’t good- a lot of rust. The interior is OK… cracked dash, but ok condition. I’m not a Mercedes, or even a car guy, but it seems like an OK deal. Is it? Anything I should be concerned about?
I’m read about these engines… they seem bullet proof. All I need is a reliable car. Would this work well? And again, is this a good deal? Thanks!
When I said starting was an issue… if you sprayed Ether in it would fire up fine. It always starts though.
Forgot to mention… my friend is not a car mechanic, rather an aircraft mechanic. He’s not a mercedes expert… so I don’t think he’s trying to ‘rip’ me off (I will talk with him about what both of you have said either way)… but the answers you’re giving I’m taking to heart at the moment. I’ll take more imput on this, and hopefully a website so I can read up on this fungus issue. I doubt I’ll get it… but I would like to know more. Thanks.
What expert says
There are 3 Responses to “Less Than A Grand For A 1980 300D… Good Deal”Keep looking! Mercedes are expensive to repair because they are hard to work on. Fungus in the tank means fungus in the injector pump, and that can’t be done by the home mechanic, needs a white room ($1,000 +). Bad rust means you may never be able to sell the car when you’re done with it, except to a junk yard. Diesel fuel is about 30% more expensive than gasoline, here. Any added fuel economy is gobbled up by this. Find a smaller gasoline car (Japanese). Ray
If your “friend” is a mechanic and wants to sell the car, it is NOT a good deal. I’m not surprised that he’s willing to do the work, he doesn’t want to put any (more) money into the car. It probably needs a new injection pump, and that will cost you at least $2,000. You would be a lot better off buying a second-hand Toyota for $2,000.,,,,,,,,,a Mercedes with issues is not a good deal!
Buy that diesel and run wvo.The money saved will buy a Adistco engine and trans.