Can I have some advice please

[morven]

Hi there, I am new to the forum and I am looking for some opinions. I have been offered a 1986 300TE with 257000 miles on the clock. It has had two owners and a full service history, albeit not all MB. It has been unused and in the owners garage for almost 2 years but started today on third turn of the engine after charging the battery overnight.
The engine seems good with no smoke but a bit lacking in power and on the very short run I had in it I thought that it wasn't changing down on the hill although it did change down on kickdown. Could this just be the need of a good service having stood all that time?

The drivers seat has sagged a lot and will need the attention of an upholsterer. neither front window works, cruise control doesn't work and I'm not sure about aircon working.

The bodywork is in very good condition with only a small bit of rust on the top edge of one door.

The owner says he wants it to go to someone who will "cherish" it and has made an initial indication of wanting £1000 for it. It has no MOT but he has offered to get it pre MOT checked at a garage.

Can I have some advice from the fountains of MB knowledge on the forum and an opinion of what you think it is worth.

It would be a pleasure car for me with the satisfaction of tidying it up rather than a car for every day use, although the pleasure of driving this big 6 cylinder may overide that.

Thanks .. Colin

 

[David McConnell]

Colin,

Only advice I'd give is I think he is asking too much. For one thousand or thereabouts you can pick up a more recent similar model and one certainly with a great deal less mileage. If you want the car, I'd offer at least a couple of hundred less.

If you want to spend a thousand on a 300TE, which I would recommend doing (having recently done so myself), be patient, regularly check Auto Trader online (good search engine) and you'll find quite a few examples that would be a safer bet - examples where windows and gear box work as they should and mileage is some way less than 200,000.

I'm sure the one you are being offered is a great car, and I'm rubbish at technical/mechanical stuff so couldn't comment as to whether a service would fix the ailments you describe, but I do think its overpriced.

Good luck!

Good luck

 

[morven]

Thanks D McC
That is the way my mind was going but I just wanted someone elses opinion and from someone else who liked Mercs as much as I do. I had a 200TE from the same year but it was only 2 years old when i bought it, the big engine makes a fantastic difference. Unfortunately the days are gone when I can buy a 2 year old one!!!!!!

I think there is just too much wrong with this one and it is now a very tired old lady, which is okay but this started with me being under the opinion that he just wanted it to go to someone who would lavish TLC on it for years to come and that the fee would be nominal.

Thanks again I appreciate you taking the time to reply

Regards .. Colin

 

[sebastianforbes]

hi there colin

having bought an '89 300 te (275000 miles) in the last four months and with the amount of research that i did:

1) don't buy without a brand new mot.
2) don't buy without minimum 6 months road tax
3) don't buy unless everything works. if you want to argue over the cruise or ac then it's your shout.
4) don't buy rust or body damage

it sounds like the car is worth about £350 at a push. god knows what is going to break on it next. these things go for ever (and take a huge amount of abuse), but only if they work in the first place. better off waiting.

best of luck

sebastian.

 

[morven]

Hi Sebastian

I think that you are right, I hadn't been actively looking for one, so I didn'y have a feel for the market and curiously your figure of £350 is about as much as I thought it was worth.

Thanks for your advice.

Colin

 

[oggers]

Morven

I have a 1985 6 cyl 280TE for sale - full tax/MOT, 149K in good overall condition. I'll take £800. Further info and pics please feel free to e-mail mogden@voridian.com

 

[Impaler]

Morven

I have a 1985 6 cyl 280TE for sale - full tax/MOT, 149K in good overall condition. I'll take £800. Further info and pics please feel free to e-mail mogden@voridian.com

Is it a W123 or W124?

 

[oggers]

W123 - last of the line

 

[morven]

Hi Impaler

I have sent you a private email.

Colin

 

[Impaler]

Morven, the W123 is one of the toughest cars ever built (by Mercedes or otherwise). However, bear in mind that the 280 engine uses a lot of fuel (around 15 mpg).

 

[landrover]

scrap

It sounds a bit of a plug it may do as a dog kennal .but you can buy one of these a lot cheeper ..i have one . same model . 56k full history .£200 mot x tax.leather interior car was in south africa till last year . so no rust at all.. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:let me know if you are interested in it its for sale.................................................

 

[landrover]

merc for sale

i told you price £200 8 months tax 10 months mot 56 thousand miles silver in colour.black leather.just got an s class so it must go .to a good home.....

 

[stuarty40]

Hmm, looking for an estate car for my wife at the moment as the new alsation is getting rather too big now for the wifes kia hehe. I just got my first old merc at the begning of this year, a 260E 1987 and love it to bits. If it's true that you are selling a 280TE for £200, I would be most interested. Living in Erskine so not far to travel. Please email me at stuarty40@hotmail.com if it's still for sale.


Cheers Stuart

 

[squealinneil]

landrover

stuarty40,
Did you hear from landrover & buy his amazing car?
He's made quite an impression on another thread http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=30304#30304.
After buying & selling cars for a while now I've learned several things, two of which are: if it looks too good to be true it usually is, & if the buyer/seller starts off as a difficult butthole they continue that way & usually get worse. Good luck!

 

[landrover]

Got a car yet

 

[stuarty40]

Bah, there not a way to ban peeps like Landrover and his childish goings on?

 

[squealinneil]

stuarty40,
I'd just ignore this idiot. He's clearly seeking attention. Responding to him is just adding fuel to the fire.
On another point. I was under the impression that the schools in Scotland were superior to those in England, but landrover can't spell, punctuate or even string a few words together without howling errors. Am I wrong about the education system or is it a case of GIGO?