1979 Mercedes Benz 300TD Wagon

I am considering buying a 1979 300TD Wagon. It has about 123K on it. The body and interior are in excellent condition. I have not driven it yet. Is this a turbo or non-turbo diesel? Is there anything I should be looking for specifically? Does anyone know anything about this model year and engine?
Mr. Shiftright...any advice?
Mr. Shiftright...any advice?
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As good as these cars are, they have their little "issues". One is power....consider that you have around 85HP pushing around 3,500 lbs of weight. So you will have to learn to use the auto trans shifter with art and grace. If you just stick it in D and hope for the best, you may scare yourself on the freeway on-ramp. You have to be a bit aggressive to get the most out of this engine.
Another issue is the climate control system...there is a servo that often fails...so test the climate control system thoroughly. If you have the a/c compressor that is mounted high on the right (passenger) side of the engine, it will fail. It is called I believe a YORK and is pure junk. Don't even bother to fix it. If you have the a/c unit mounted down low on the driver's side of the engine, it is a Frigiking and is okay. But still, the servo that controls heat/ac can fail...it is connected to the dial you use to dial in the temperature you want in the car.
Be sure you use diesel fuel additives regularly and also get frequent oil changes every 3,000 miles. There are also a number of fuel filters that need changing periodically.
Other than that, it's just a matter of normal wear and tear as the miles pile up. You get around 25 mpg average city/hwy, and your engine will use oil, so keep an eye on it.
Last of all, be sure the car is fairly priced...sometimes people have a silly notion of what they are worth. Keep in mind that they are low and noisy, and that the turbo diesel models that are newer are more desirable and hence worth more than the older diesels such as this one.
They are asking $3,000.00 which doesn't seem unreasonable to me.
This car will see regular use, but won't be my primary vehicle. Given that it is 22 years old, my expectations aren't that it be an impeccable daily driver, but a reasonably reliable work car. Should I be concerned about the extremely low mileage on this car? Is a car that has barely been used likely to be troublsome?
I'll be able to drive it this weekend and will give you a full report. Thanks for the advice...
No reason why this car shouldn't be as reliable as a daily driver, and the price seems fair if the body is decent. If it's really near mint, you could sell it for more than that easily.
As you might expect with any 22 year old car, there were a few problems...the hatch does not open. The vacuum lock system is inoperable. The rear driver-side window does not open. The interior panel on the rear passenger-side door is loose. The window button on the rear driver-side door is loose. The climate control doesn't work.
That's about it. I was impressed and felt good about the car. I would have it looked at by a mechanic before finalizing the deal.
Based on this information, can anyone tell if this car is suffering from typical problems, or if it is prone to larger typical problems?
Thanks for your help.
The climate control is probably the servo unit but may be something worse. This could be very expensive, so heads up on that one. The door locks is a vacuum problem, shouldn't be too bad.
Just remember, don't go sticking a regular compression gauge into a diesel, or you'll get a REAL surprise!
Now if the car were DEAD for years, and you just stuck in a compression tester, well, then, sure, the engine is not up to operating temperature, etc.....but otherwise I don't know how it could change just by sitting. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just saying I don't know yet how it is possible.