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Thinking of buying '81 300TD Wagon

2K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  GaryL 
#1 ·
I have a chance to buy a 1981 300TD turbo wagon with 205k on it. It's been serviced regularly and has been in the same family since new. This is what I know is wrong:

1. Climate control has cracked circuit board - Owner has rebuilt unit to replace bad one.
2. Right rear passenger window switch bad.
3. Load leveler lines rusted.

What I'm told has been done in the last 1000 miles:

1. New pads and rotors.
2. Valves adjusted.
3. New wipers.
4. New fog lamp.
5. Cooling system flushed.

I've seen the car and it is extremely clean for its age. I haven't looked under it for rust yet, but I'm going Saturday to drive it and check it out more. This is going to be a good day because it is going to rain heavy around here for the next couple of days. Gives me a chance to look for leaks in the sunroof and windows. Not sure of the condition of the turbo or engine overall, but the owner still drives it now and then, so can't be all bad.

Anything I should look for that could convince me to pass on it? The owner wants $2500, but said he would take $2000 if I really want it.
 
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#6 ·
Be sure to check the wagon's hatch to see if it stays up- if not you'll need to replace the lift "shocks". Also check for rear suspention problems- with the hatch open start the car and leave it at idle- sit two heavy guys with there legs hanging out the back and watch it sag- then have someone give it a bit of RPM's and see if it raises to be back at the original level. Also check out when you drive it- it ought to be solid, and not drive like a bus in the back end.
William
 
#7 ·
Well, went to take another look at it today and drove it around for about 45 minutes in a variety of road conditions. It ran very well. The transmission shifts smoothly and it starts within a couple revolutions. No noticeable smoking. The idle seemed a little rough, but this may just be me because I'm not sure what they are supposed to idle like.

I'm not sure how it is supposed to ride or drive because I've never driven one from this era, but it seemed to me to handle quite well for a wagon. I was whipping around corners and tight curves without a problem after I got a feel for it. I did find the cruise didn't work.

It does have a very, very slight pull to the right, but this could be alignment, or a brake issue. It has a rather loud scraping sound coming from what we think is the right front wheel. It dimishes with light braking and goes away completely with hard braking. Brakes, rotors and calipers were just replaced not long ago, so I'm guessing maybe someone didn't put something back together properly.

Couldn't check the rear hatch because it was locked at some point and apparently a rod or something came off inside the door, preventing me from opening it. To check this I would have had to remove the panel, which is something I didn't want to do in the heat and humidity. This doesn't really concern me.

The auto-leveling doesn't work right now because the lines are rusted and leaking in one spot. The lines have been patched a few times and the owner said it does work, but he got tired of it leaking, so he disabled the thing. It was not sagging though.

There is some minor rusting under the paint in a few spots along the bottom and on the rear hatch. There is also some rusting under the car near the jack points, but it didn't appear to be extremely serious. About what would be normal for a car its age. No rusting I could see in the floor boards.

We've had some pretty good rains the past couple of days and I did find fresh water under the carpet behind the front seats. The owner says he knows it leaks a little, but can't find where it is coming from. He suspects it is coming in at the window seals. I thought maybe the sunroof pan might have problems, or perhaps the drains are full of crap. Plugged drains might explain fresh water there after a heavy period of rain. They may not be so plugged up that they stop light amounts of water.

I don't know, but it seems to be a pretty decent car for it's age. Going down the highway it ran great and was pretty smooth. You can definately feel it when the turbo becomes effective. It was of course a little on the doggy side till you got it going, but it also is a bit deceiving. While it doesn't 'feel' as though it is accelerating quickly, it was easy to find myself doing 60-70 mph without realizing it. It also rode just as good at 70 mph as it did at 30 mph.

It does have a few spots here and there on the carpets that are worn and the spare tire cover is faded, but I would pretty much expect that.

Overall, I suspect it would be a decent car that should last for a while, even if I didn't fix anything.
 
#8 ·
Many times, water in the car can be from a defective condensation drain, which is above floor hump next to accelerator pedal behind dash. It will flood the car in no time when running the AC if the water does not drain through the hole in hump above tranny.
 
#9 ·
Seems like the usual condition of a car that age, but with the repairs done the last 1,000 miles it seems like a bargain.

If I were you, inspect it thoroughly, show signs that you really want it so he'll give it at the lower price. Then if you do decide to get it, use the money you save to restore it. That's often the best approach with these cars.

Yes, there is a small drain under the center dash just above the hump. The small plastic drain usually gets worn with age and gives way to leaks. Easy fix, but make sure it isn't the only source of leaks.

Search around for "rust" "water leak" or "common problem" in the forum, you'll find threads other members posted about their experiences and how they dealt with them.
 
#10 ·
One thing I noticed was that when I took the cap off the cam cover there was some smoke puffing out. Wasn't a huge amount, but some. The link provided by karugs says there shouldn't be smoke puffing out of here.

However, I've never seen an engine that didn't puff at least a little smoke from here. Is this good or bad?

Like I say, it wasn't a huge amount, but it was steady.
 
G
#11 ·
Jrehm.

Some smoke is normal considering the
high pressure the engine runs at.

While it is idling, remove the cap
again and hold your hand about 3"
above the hole.
Hold it there for a minute if you
have oil dripping off your hand
it has to much blow-by and I would
leave it.
You could also remove the oilfilter
cover and look inside if you have
a river of oil in there then that is
not good.
A light coating of oil is Ok and normal.

But my guess is that it will be ok.

Louis.
 
#12 ·
Lou's W123 - 8/15/2004 6:32 PM

Jrehm.

Some smoke is normal considering the
high pressure the engine runs at.

While it is idling, remove the cap
again and hold your hand about 3"
above the hole.
Hold it there for a minute if you
have oil dripping off your hand
it has to much blow-by and I would
leave it.
You could also remove the oilfilter
cover and look inside if you have
a river of oil in there then that is
not good.
A light coating of oil is Ok and normal.

But my guess is that it will be ok.

Louis.
Would this "test" be any good if car engine is cold? Or should it be warmed to working temp then tested?
 
#13 ·
jrehm,

I bought a '81 300TD in March, off of ebay for $1750, and I LOVE IT. When I bought it, it had 225,000 miles on it, AC was not cold, cruise control worked intermittently and the self leveling suspension did not work. I too, had a bad window switch, but replaced it with a $5 unit from ebay. Otherwise it was in mint condition, inside and out. The problems I mentioned are fairly normal for this mileage. I say GO FOR IT.

Gary
 
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