Loren and Max asked in another thread what was wrong with my '87 300D that would make me consider parting it out. I'm seriously thinking about putting it up for sale whole, but don't want to deal with Craigslist. (Maybe fleaBay wouldn't be so bad if all I had to do was deal with helping the buyer arrange shipping or pickup.) Regardless, I of course want to give the list first chance at it with a honest rundown.
I've had the car eight years or so and have all records since then plus some before. It's been extremely reliable and fun to drive all that time, but has grown steadily more fussy and demanding of my time. I don't have an indy nearby that I trust anymore. So I'm thinking about selling for a reason that'll be familiar to many listers---my priorities in life right now don't leave room for tinkering with a car every weekend in order to be sure I can get to work during the week. I need to buy some kind of boring but reliable transportation, and the only hobby vehicle I have time for is my old Honda motorcycle. The car is white with a two-tone gray and dark blue interior (see below), 221K mi of which I've put on about 50K, West Coast car always so no rust to speak of---it was originally sold in LA, I bought it in Sacramento, and I've lived in the Portland area since (where it rains a lot but we don't put salt on the roads). Pros: Engine is very strong, has 40-50K on a #22 head, pro installed by MBI Motors, one of the most highly regarded independent Mercedes shops in the west. The radiator and main hoses were replaced at the same time. Absolutely no head leaks or any lesser cooling system problems to worry about, now or in the future. All wear parts in the suspension were replaced when I got it by the same shop, and new 500E sway bars and new Bilstein comfort shocks were installed at the same time---the perfect combination of ride and handling as far as I'm concerned. The car drives as well as any 124 and is a great high-speed long-distance cruiser---it loves to sit at 3500 rpms at about 80 MPH (and gets close to 30 mpg doing so). Last summer I replaced most of the soft fuel lines under the hood. Has a decent upgraded stereo with 1/8" aux input and newer speakers all around. Windshield is a few years old. A/C blows very cold right now. I just flushed the compressor, replaced the manifold and receiver/dryer, and charged with ES-12. No electrical problems at all except for intermittent driver's seat switches due to cracked wires in the door jamb (the conclusive symptom being that if you open the door half way and hold it just right the seat controls work fine, but not when the door's closed). Cons: Doesn't have the original paint and the cheap white paint job that the PO put on it isn't a perfect match for the original Arctic White. A couple little dents here and there. If I were going to keep it I would take off the trim, Bondo over the dents, and get a new paint job done right. Right now it's a 20-footer more or less, depending how good your eyes are. There is one significant dent just behind the front right wheel, next to the rubber jack pad, where I ran over a curb slowly and then came down on the corner (so the car's weight pressed a dent into the sill). Not rusting, just looks bad. Transmission is getting old---I don't know if it's the original one but it could be. Takes a few seconds to go into R from N. Shifts a tiny bit roughly but that's probably due to vacuum (see below) Vacuum system is good except that the "small lift" recirc pod is shot--it's blocked off at the manifold behind the glove compartment, which doesn't do any harm. The center vent pod is just starting to leak a little. You have a choice between perfect shifting if you block it off, and slightly rougher than perfect shifting if you leave it attached, but plenty of cold air from the center vents. I don't know how long the A/C will last before the evaporator will need to be replaced. It's been an annual battle to replace leaky parts and recharge as long as I've had the car to get it working for the summer. If I were keeping the car I would do the whole dash R&R, replace the evaporator, heater core, and all the climate control pods. Has a block heater installed and needs it because half the glow plugs---the ones you can't get to without taking off the intake manifold---are dead. Again, another job I'd do if I keep the car. Plastic trim bits throughout the interior are cracked, cracking, or cracked off and gone missing (typical problem with cars from Southern California). The usual long list of little things that have been jury-rigged because I didn't have time to fix them right For the right price I would include a bundle of spare parts (spare ACC PBU, filters, fuel line, bulbs, a set of Depo Euro headlights, and lots of other goodies that I can't think of right now). The car's got chromed factory 15" pancake wheels on it right now with Dunlop all-seasons ready to be replaced... I also have a set of beat-up but straight 15" wheels with Blizzaks, a set of 16" CLK forged alloys with no tires in PERFECT condition, and a set of 16" 500E wheels in average shape (which won't fit any 124 but 1 _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
