Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

95' needs "sorting out"

3K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  Trawlercap 
#1 · (Edited)
https://bend.craigslist.org/cto/4666623939.html

"clean car ran great now just don't start don't no why just have to many cars must sell"


Not able to post a photo. This kind of classified catches my interest greatly. I am unable to pursue at this time. If it is not too theoretical (I want to do this in the future) what steps or cautions would a guy take?
#1 visual inspection (of course) walk away if: rust, abuse, flaky paint, obviously a beater.
Stay on for further inspection if it looks like something worth taking on.
How do you guys priorities fall? Engine health? Oil leaks, oil in coolant? Milky LO? Trans is a mystery except for fluid
Smell, level.?
I am being called for work here (I am driving a boat)

How out a "how to pick a dead W-124 and find a diamond in the rough"? Series of how to's?
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
transmission test, when the car is fully warmed up and has been driven a few miles.... full stop on level ground, foot off brake, and put the transmission in reverse and count how many seconds.... any more than 1-2 seconds, and that transmission is on its way to needing at a minimum a B3 clutch pack, and really, should get a fully rebuilt tranny, which will cost about $2800 installed if you use a rebuild from SunValley or PeterSchmid.

frankly, I would take this car to a trustworthy mercedes specialist, and pay them to do a full PPI. there's a LOT of little things that can add up to many $1000s. flex disks. differential mounts. suspension bushings. head gasket. wiring harness. ETA.
 
#3 ·
Used Cars

Hey, Jack!

I'm not the EXPERT on the W124's, but I want to weigh in on this topic. :teach: I've purchased hundreds of vehicles at auction and from private owners. In almost every instance there was work to be done to refurbish each of these vehicles. No one sells a running and inspected vehicle(except dealers). There is always something hidden that can be difficult to expose, and I doubt the present owner will reveal such flaws.

IMHO the MB products, IN GENERAL, are always rebuildable, no matter their present condition. The only true killer of these products is rust. These are not "other brands" where the value will never be there, no matter how much money you pour into them. And the key word is really VALUE. Cars are horrid investments, but if you personally want to invest in a product that will pay you dividends in terms of quality and enjoyment, the MB products deliver.

There are experts who know every nut and bolt on these products, and they can give you very specific items to be aware of when looking at these units. What I want to impart is the idea that you shouldn't be too afraid of taking a leap into another MB vehicle, IF it meets your personal standards, such as appearance and overall drivability. So what if you end up with a $10k investment in a vehicle only worth $2-5,000? You can easily lose that kinda money on the purchase of a NEW(ER) model vehicle, no matter the brand. People that claim Merc's are too expensive, require expensive maintenance, and are excessively problematic, are just ignorant, paranoid, and fearful of their ability to make decisions. I've said it before, MB's are special cars for special people. There are "other brands" for those other folks. :devil

These older MB vehicles are money in the bank as far as I'm concerned. :shit not: And if I like the overall "feel" of such a vehicle I say do it! It's not like you are in the business of buying and reselling these cars, is it? An example of how crazy I am, I'm chasing a '79 W116, that I really don't need, nor do I have a place to store it. I just WANT it. Look at how many of these forum members have multiple Mercs as an example of the insanity. :eek

My personal priorities in a vehicle purchase: :nerd

1. Drivetrain. Fluids are the blood supply of the moving parts, and offer color, texture, and odor for inspection. Brakes and shocks are expendables, so expect to change them($1k). Inspect as many moving parts as possible. Use any CEL issues to your advantage.

2.Interior. Common sense dictates that the condition of the interior speaks volumes about the rest of the vehicle's condition. The interior is your living space, make certain it is livable.

3. Exterior. This is what people see(and judge you by), and if it's ratty, you can spend a fortune making it nice. As you inspect the exterior with the seller, TOUCH every single flaw you notice, don't say anything, just touch it. This technique will save you dollahs when negotiating! Open and close all the doors, windows, trunk, hood. Look for leaky seals. TOUCH every flaw. Play with the sound system, including the CD player if equipped.

4. Electrical. If everything lights up properly, and the ignition works properly, you are probably safe. If you notice any makeshift wiring, especially trailer hitches, make certain you can easily make those repairs.

5. Drivability. Start the vehicle, turn off the radio, windows down. Let it idle, do a look see under the hood as it's warming up, LISTEN!! When it warms to operating temps, begin by driving figure eights very slowly in a parking lot, both directions. LISTEN!! Feel for pulls and ticks in the steering/suspension/drivetrain. Hit the road at the speeds you normally drive, including highway speeds. LISTEN!!

6. Let the seller sell the piece. Listen to what he/she has to say, sometimes they will accidentally reveal something that you need to know. If they toss you the keys and expect you to "figure it out", that is usually a red flag. At that point I'd defer to an inspection by a MB specialist, if you think it really is a decent vehicle, but you don't trust you knowledge and instincts.

7. The deal is the deal. People buy the deal, price matters. If you feel the cream puff is overpriced for the condition, do another walk around with the seller and touch all the flaws, this time estimating the cost of repairs. Ditto the interior flaws and mention possible repairs to the drivetrain, given the mileage, etc. If you feel the known transmission issues can save you $2k off the top, mention it. You don't want to steal the unit, but you certainly don't want to leave money on the table.

The bottom line is... no two vehicles are alike, each one is unique, and judging their quality is an art. It's what speaks to you that matters. If you know your way around a specific model you can even buy a vehicle sight unseen, given you ask the right questions. I have found few sellers that will outright lie when asked a specific question. They may be vague, or say "I don't know." in which case you can safely assume there is a problem in that area. :(

Jack, you know what it takes to keep your present Merc on the road, you are not a true newbie. When I see forum members say they inherited a piece, or bought a "good deal", and then immediately state that they never owned a MB, or worse yet any "furrin" car, I cringe. I think you have a good handle on this situation, knowing what to look for in a general way, and I'd trust you to make a purchase or inspection in MY behalf with MY money. And if you do find that you experience problems down the road, you seem to be in a financial position to make the needed repairs. Good Luck, and get that boat back to shore, and get out there and spend some dough before winter sets in! :thumbsup:
 
#4 ·
This kind of classified catches my interest greatly. I am unable to pursue at this time. If it is not too theoretical (I want to do this in the future) what steps or cautions would a guy take?
If you value your time, read into as much of the ad as possible. Someone who posts an ad with mispellings and poor grammar doesn't give a very good impression and usually is as meticulous with the car as they are with the ad. Add to that modifications to the car (in this case clear corner markers instead of stock markers). In most cases, when someone who knows enough to doctor a car up for photos says they don't know what's wrong, they are probably lying.

If you have large blocks of available time, then you can run down as many cars ads as you care to. The magic formula for a diamond in the rough is that it is a genuinely well preserved car with solid history that is down as a result of a problem(s) you can either fix or have fixed economically. There are loads of threads on what to look for on a W124.

And one more thing is Craigslist. The odds are against you finding a good deal on CL. I'm not saying they aren't there, because they probably are. You just have to wade through a lot of crap to get to the good when you are looking at CL cars.
 
#5 ·
^1+ Excellent Advice!




If I had a thousand USD I could spare, I'd be all over that particular vehicle. Offer him $7-800 cash, sight unseen. Worst case, that unit needs everything, what $5k? If you decide to part it out(unlikely), you'd get 1/2 of your cash back, I'd think.

It sounds like a kid with no spare cash to keep it running. He probably had to replace the plugs and wires, realized how (if one more thing happens to this car...!) and now it stopped running. The misspellings are what you get in 2014 from the MTV/gamer, public schools, generation, the millenials(I even see a lot of it from form members). Mom and Dad certainly don't want to keep it up or store it for him, it needs to go, and go now. "Get a Focus like all the other kids!" Mom

Check it out, and FAST! :nerd IMO it looks clean on the outside, compared to what I bought for 3 times that money(mine ran like new, though). BTW, my 94 E320 has clear turning indicators, and I'm certain it's factory stock.

You'll have that piece running the weekend you return to port. Call the dude and find out what he's done, and simply buy the parts you'll know you'll need to sort it out. It really cannot be that broken, can it? :confused:

The worst experience I ever had buying a vehicle that didn't run... I got it running and drove it home in front of the sellers. Very bad of me! :devil
"I thought you told me that car wouldn't run again, Herman!" Wife
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trawlercap
#10 ·
My 300SE wouldnt start yesterday either. I was out of gas, ignored the fuel warning lamp too long....

SL500 wouldnt start either, I left the headlights on for a week......

lots of stupid reasons cars wont start.

You chould easily get this running, ask some questions about how it ran, what happened when wouldnt start, what part he replaced already.

If interior looks a decent as exterior your on to something here.
 
#11 ·
Not only is the seller punctuation challenged, but he now has too many cars......you'd think he would have known that before buying in the first place!? :crying
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top