Thinking about another 116

[1980sdga]

I have my semi-beater 300sd which I've put a lot of miles on so far.  I'm thinking about spending a little more $$ (Maybe $5000 or so) to pick up another 79 or 80 300sd for a daily driver.

I was leaning towards a 126 because there are more of them available and they are newer.  But I love the purity of the 116.  It's just so friggin' solid for a 30 year old car with 220,000 miles on it!  The 617 motor is also pretty sweet. It just seems like such an honest old plant!

I think I could live with a low mileage example as a daily driver.

Any input?  Anyone want to talk me down?

[Big_Richard]

W126's are in my opinion just as easy to work on as w116's. The drive is more refined and modern but they also introduced the modern era of easily breakable plasticy interiors.

Surely you cant consider loving us and then leaving us so quickly - the w116 in primo condition has alot to offer 

[1980sdga]

I'm keeping my 1980 SD but it needs some more work to be really dependable.  The problem is that with the SD's (Which I'm sticking with) You only have 2 years worth of116's to choose from.

I was considering a 300SDL with the 3 liter 603 but I think I need to stick with 617. Plus, I'm learning about the 617 and it doesn't seem that intimidating.  I'm going to adjust the valves and change the timing chain when I get to the oil leaks.  I've already tinkered around the interior quite a bit and am getting familiar with it. I assume 126's are pretty similar as far as door panels, dash, etc?

There is a 79 posted for sale on this site but the guy who posted it doesn't seem to be a regular.  NJ is a long way from Ga.  But I'm willing to travel and the wife is on board with the endevour    (I hope it doesn't end in DISASTER! Some things I pull do...)

I'm mainly looking at Fla. Nice examples seem to pop up from time to time.

If I had decent, dependable AC I could live with one.  I travel for work a lot (Usually about 600 to 1000 miles a week) and I've driven the benz about 800 miles so far. The weather has been nice so AC isn't an issue and I can tell you that it is a SWEET RIDE to soak up the miles in!  Needs a cupholder and nothing else.

Currently down for a voltage regulator...

[1980sdga]

I found one with less than 100,000 miles. No sunroof (good), super interior, everything works, service records, etc. Owned by a wealthy guy who seemed to have every niggle addressed as soon as it popped up. It's a 1980SD.

I'm gonna jump on it. $4500 may seem a little steep for such an old car but it probably has more life in it than a new $20,000 econobox.

I'll still have my 220,000 mile 1980SD to satisfy my tinkering jones    I figure it would cost me about the same to bring the high mileage car up to the same specs as the lower mileage one...

I'm really looking forward to driving a low mileage example!

[Big_Richard]

Nice,

Pictures please 

[WGB]

I hope you get it - it is always better to pay for better condition up front.

Bill

[1980sdga]

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/classic-car/1980-Mercedes_Benz-300SD-433056.xhtml?conversationId=198626

This is it. It's owned by a snow-bird who used it when he came south for the winter.

This is the outfit that is selling it for the guy:

http://www.pineridgeimports.com/index.html

The guy said that they are selling it as a favor for the guy because they've done all the maintenence on it for years.  He went over the records and said stuff like window regs., window switches, seats re-done, oil changes, AC service, etc.  He also said that the IP was replaced with a reman. 2 years ago.  I thought that sounded sort of weird for such a low mileage car??

Any input?  I'm going down there on Tuesday and if it looks OK I'm driving it back to Ga 

This is going to be my DD...

[1980sdga]

No input on this one? 

[Big_Richard]

looks like a very straight original car. low mileage is always a bonus.

Thats the kind of thing id be looking for if i had the room for an SD 

[Casey]

If you don't want it, I do.  I wish I had the cash in hand right now.  A 1980 300SD in good condition is my dream car, and this looks like a great deal.  I definitely think that it's worth the money for something with lower mileage and better-maintained than saving $1000 for something that needs $5000 worth of work to get it it to the same condition.

The only one I've seen lately with <100,000 miles is listed at $8,000, and is a fairly hideous orange color inside and out.

I want this car!!

[1980sdga]

I got a plane ticket and I'm going down there on Tuesday, cash in hand    I hope it's a good one because the expense of going down there is gonna make it hard to walk away...

[Big_Richard]

Make sure you take it on a thorough test drive.

[1980sdga]

I guess I'll do some WOT runs, check the trans shifting, get it up to operating temp and just generally kick the tires.  It'll be about a 500 mile trip home.

I've gone a ways to trailer a car home but this'll be a new experience...

[jbrasile]

1980sdga, it is not unheard of to have an injection pump replaced even at mileages under 100k. My sister's 300CDT had 69000 miles when she bought it from an authorized dealer many years ago and they replaced the IP at the time in order to fix a rough idle problem.

The main thing to look for is making sure the transmission is in good working order, that all the vacuum operated systems are ok, that the a/c is working properly, well you have an SD already so you kind of know what to look for.

I can't open the auto trader page to look at the pictures but what would concern me the most would be why a car with less than 100k miles had seats re-done, especially since they are most likely  to be MB-Tex and we all know how durable that material is.

Go slow and access the car's condition objectively and with a keen eye for every single little detail. If everything looks good, go for it, at less than 100k on the odometer you have decades of good service ahead of you!

Tks and good luck,

Joe

[KenM]

Good luck with it man, as the saying goes, 'there's nothing more expensive than a cheap mercedes'

more pics..