83 300D mercedes turbo 5cyl 40.000 miles on new block, in &out very clean car, is $4.000 too much money?

Question

mercedes dealer ship replaced the block for free due to their mistake, motor and turbo now has only 40.000 miles on it, factory black paint and inside is leather tan,w-sun roof,, on a scale of 1 to 10 this car is a 8. smooth and clean top to bottom no rust, owner has all the paper's , and say's it get's 36 MPG on every trip, the drive line and speedo says 260.000, but the new motor is a plus yes or no? prev owner very service minded person,loved the car but got a new mercedes,he say's $4,000 is what it will take to buy it, no less, i want a quality car to drive for many years, is this too much money for that type of car? simple machine's with no computor 's in my mind is a good thing' tell me what you think, remember this is a very clean car never painted before and there is really no need too,mercedes make's so many different models i really don't know whats best and what is bad, just want it to last.-- thanks for your help.

Answer 1

36mpg is actually not at all out of the question, though you'll probably get closer to 30 or 32mpg.

With good maintenence history and an original engine, this car would still fetch a few thousand dollars- with a new block it's certainly worth $4000. As far as parts being "looney tunes" high, that's not really true unless you have a very rare model or catastrophically bad luck. Yes, some things are very expensive (Injection Pump) but most things that typically fail are on par with any other import car.

At 260,000 you may be looking at a transmission in the next 40,000 or so if it's still original. It's unlikely that it'll just stop working, it'll slowly start showing it's age with slower and slippier shifts. A rebuild will run anywhere from $1500 to $3000 depending on the hourly rate in your area. The special thing about these cars, though, is that once it's replaced it'll last another 300,000 miles.

With regular maintenence, unless you drive a tremendous amount, this could last the rest of your life. $4000 isn't really all that much compared to $25,000 for a new car that'll /hopefully/ last 200,000 miles. The safety and fit and finish of the new cars can't match the older Mercedes either.

Answer 2

That's a lot of miles, 260,000, regardless of what the engine has on it. The price of $4,000 isn't outrageous but it's pretty high for a car with 260K.

Also the claim of 36 mpg is nonsense. Don't believe it.

I'd say you should have the car thoroughly examined by a Mercedes shop to see what is worn out. As for driving it "many years", keep in mind that statistically this car's useful life is already over. It's already lost an engine, so what's next?

I think the 300 turbo diesel is a good car (I used to own one) but it's not "simple" and fixing it is not going to be cheap.

So I'd say if you want a fun old car to play with, great...but if you think you're going to get years and years of trouble-free service with a car with 260,000 miles on it, that's just not realistic.

Have you played with the climate controls on this car? The AC really sucks and the temperature controls are quite tempermental. Make SURE the heat and AC work!

I'd offer $2,500 tops for it but if you really have to have it, and it checks out and passes with flying colors, you might be okay. They are good sturdy cars. Just remember, if you lose a transmission or some other major component, it's best to walk away and not sink money into a car like this.

PS: Figure on 20 mpg city and 26 mpg highway--that's much closer to the truth.

PPS: Oh, see if the cruise control is working--they are often faulty.

Answer 3

With a new block and a full service history, I'd pay that price in a New York minute. One in that condition is probably worth twice that!

About the only thing you'll lilely have any trouble with is the sunroof. When they fail, they go out in grand style, virtually always in the open position and when it's raining of course! Repairs are expen$ive.

Other than that, stay on top of the maintenance and you'll have many years of good motoring ahead.

Answer 4

260,000 is alot of miles on the chassis, but it sounds like a good deal. Where is the car from? $4000 is a good price. We just got a 1971,220 , with no computers, for$ 2500, 117,000 miles, no rust etc. New block sounds good. We have a 1974, 240D with new block and it is running fine with 105,000. A neighbor has a 1980 diesel with a 500,000 mile badge.We also have a 1959, 220S that is a show car and got first in class at the last show.

Answer 5

Benz is a great car. Engineered like no other, built to last, great to own. Also very high cost to maintain, parts are looney-toons high and at $4K -- I'm not so sure you are getting that great of a deal. One thing for sure, you will save thousands and thousands vs any new car and if you really want it then don't give a rats-@ss what anyone else thinks. Your money!
Hint: install a water separator (in addition to the factory unit). This is the weak link with the old Benz oilers.
Good luck.

Answer 6

Clean Bedroom: 24 x 7 Cleaner Car: @Weekends M.

Answer 7

that is the gratest deal i have ever seen on a mercedes, buy it as soon as you can iand it will work out for you.