1983 300SD

After engine compression and the front suspension the other aspects are rust and body repairs.

If the interior is clean it sounds like a very good price to me. I own an '80 300SD w/ 110K and I sure wouldn't sell it for $3,500.

110K miles? What's up with that? I thought I had the lowest miles, with mine at 120K :) BTW, I've seen ours in excellent condition selling for around $6K.

6K. That's about right for a clean one, no rust.

My '80 is Ivory / Tobacco Leather - bought 5/80 - European Delivery.

Great car, I've replaced the lousy OEM climate control with the new digital retrofit so it has no weaknesses.

Rust.

Look at the bottom of the rear windscreen, open the trunk, look around taillight anf the underlip of the trunk lip near where the key goes in there. If the rear windscreen is cloudy at the bottom sides water has got in and it probably didn't stop there.

Make sure all the electric doo dads work.

Check for clucnks, thumps and wirrd noises. The idle should be noisy as hell. A quiet idle means new injector tips. Test it for 15 mins at highway speed. Check tires. Shocks. Interior wear? Do all 9 interior lights work? WHat color is the coolant? How were the oil changes? Filters last changed when? Tranny filter? How loose does the steering feel?

There's a mushroom shaped shutoff valve on the rear of the injection pump.

You need a new one.

Suspension. Check the bushings, tie rods, shocks. They make a huge difference in how the car handles and rides. The bushings and shocks deteriorate with age and various metal bits can get bent from potholes and rocks. Also check the steering box. It's a $1,200 item all by itself. Check air conditioning, meaning the compressor etc. Check the weather control system separately. That is a low-mileage car and the engine and tranny should be in fine shape unless they have been horriby abused. But it is also a 23-year old car and everything made of rubber or plastic should be checked out.

1981 300SD "Der Klunker" ex-Pimpmobile.