Questions about a 300TD
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If it is "pristine" then it is a good price but with such low miles it may some attention, dried out seals and hoses, crusty fuel tank, etc... Cars should be driven regularly but maintained to keep them working as designed. Hope to see pics.
Yeah my grandmother had a tuneup done on the car about 3-4 years ago replaced all hoses, fluids...not sure what else cost her $10k which was a total ripoff. So motor should be in perfect condition and needs nothing.
I will try to post pics when I acquire the vehicle.
$10k from a family member? No way.
It's a bit of a high price to ask for one of these. That said, for the low miles it *may* be a fair asking price especially considering wagons go for higher prices. However, you're then looking at condition. Everything ought to be in near perfect condition and that includes all of the mechanicals. I would get a thorough mechanical inspection and be very picky about paint, body damage, etc. You might want to have a Benz specialist as these cars are unique and many mechanics may not be experienced with the types of issues you may encounter.
With that said, you can expect to do quite a bit of work on replacing leaking rubber seals as you start to put miles on it.
Dkr.
Unfortunately, with the low miles that really doesn't mean much.
My bet is that within 10,000 miles you will have at least 3-4 oil leaks that turn up as well as signs of seals wearing and air leaks. These will come from age and stress on the vehicle. You just won't see them until it gets regularly driven.
Dkr.
"I agree I am sure some things will show up down the road but that could happen to any old car."
That is why people prefer to buy the Car for $2-$3K and have the other $7K left over to buy new parts with.
As the other Members mentiond there a lot of Rubber Parts on these Cars.
In particular 34 Year old Oil and Transmissions Cooler Hoses can cause a catastrophic losses.
Squashed Motor Mounts can cause the Power Steering Belt to cut through one of the Oil Cooler Hoses.
Cracking Flex Discs on the Drive Shaft when they fail have been know to rip the tail end of a Transmission apart.
Even a rubber part that sits on the shelf for 34 Years is going to loose elasticity and deteriorate to some extent.
Both the Front and rear Control Arms pivot on the elasticity of the rubber Bushings.
Notice that none of the above stuff has anything to do with the looks of the Car.
What I would do is let Grandma advertise the Car for Sale at $10K and see what happens. I bet it does not sell and the price ends up being lowered.
I think $5K-$6K is more resonable and either of those would be too high for me.
That is why people prefer to buy the Car for $2-$3K and have the other $7K left over to buy new parts with.
As the other Members mentiond there a lot of Rubber Parts on these Cars.
In particular 34 Year old Oil and Transmissions Cooler Hoses can cause a catastrophic losses.
Squashed Motor Mounts can cause the Power Steering Belt to cut through one of the Oil Cooler Hoses.
Cracking Flex Discs on the Drive Shaft when they fail have been know to rip the tail end of a Transmission apart.
Even a rubber part that sits on the shelf for 34 Years is going to loose elasticity and deteriorate to some extent.
Both the Front and rear Control Arms pivot on the elasticity of the rubber Bushings.
Notice that none of the above stuff has anything to do with the looks of the Car.
What I would do is let Grandma advertise the Car for Sale at $10K and see what happens. I bet it does not sell and the price ends up being lowered.
I think $5K-$6K is more resonable and either of those would be too high for me.
It also depends on what you're trying to do with the car.
If you're planning to buy it as a garage-queen or show car, then by all means do so.
If you're going to use it as a regular driver, you would probably be better served by one with 180,000 miles that had been regularly driven and well-maintained.
If you're on a budget, it's probably not a good idea to put $10K into it as there are a lot of age-related issues that will pop up that would have already been taken care of by a previous owner had the car been driven.
Dkr.
If you're planning to buy it as a garage-queen or show car, then by all means do so.
If you're going to use it as a regular driver, you would probably be better served by one with 180,000 miles that had been regularly driven and well-maintained.
If you're on a budget, it's probably not a good idea to put $10K into it as there are a lot of age-related issues that will pop up that would have already been taken care of by a previous owner had the car been driven.
Dkr.
I wasn't thinking really motor/transmission issues more body and interior. So glad I asked about issues.
After discussion I am actually just going to act like a broker since my aunt doesn't want to deal with the hassle of selling it and dealing with people. So basically see what is the most I can get for this.
Now like I said it had an extensive service done on it within the last 4 years so many parts were replaced at dealer to make car safe around 4 or so years ago so I will check all the receipts for what was done. For over $10k I would hope it was more than just some fluids and radiator hose changed...
I am going to take some photos I hope this afternoon I will post them.
Thanks guys for all your help.
After doing some research on these car I might look for one 5k model down the road.
After discussion I am actually just going to act like a broker since my aunt doesn't want to deal with the hassle of selling it and dealing with people. So basically see what is the most I can get for this.
Now like I said it had an extensive service done on it within the last 4 years so many parts were replaced at dealer to make car safe around 4 or so years ago so I will check all the receipts for what was done. For over $10k I would hope it was more than just some fluids and radiator hose changed...
I am going to take some photos I hope this afternoon I will post them.
Thanks guys for all your help.
After doing some research on these car I might look for one 5k model down the road.
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