My Custom 1980 W116 300SD Project - Page 7 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Squiggle Dog · #91 12-20-2010, 07:05 PM

Here are the seller's email responses (commentary is in red):

Scott,

This car is ready for you, come and get it.

Yes, a Black 1980 300SD, tan interior. Don't have the VIN handy at the moment. Car runs and drives fine (what about the bad transmission?). Just drove it up from San Francisco where it had been sitting in storage for several months (I had seen this car advertised in different Oregon cities for a couple of years, and the paperwork I have for the car shows nothing but Oregon addresses for repair work for the last decade. I don't believe for one moment the car was in storage, either). Had zero problems on that 600+ mile trip.. was smooth the whole way up, even over the passes. Body in good shape, no rust or dents (A lie, car has dents all over, especially the driver door, and there is some rust). I don't have space to store it, and intend to have this car sold by Sunday.

First come first serve.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Scott

I did get your voice message. Thanks for calling. To be honest I am a bit reluctant (I guess dishonest people are not trusting), because I have been burned by No Show craigslist responders before, recently. I also have a guy who looked at the car today but was only willing to offer me 1,000. I told him I had to get back to you first. I will take 1,100, but no less (no room for negotiation) as I have already lowered the price 500.00 (He actually raised the price $500. The last time I saw it for sale it was listed at $700!). You must promise to show up Sunday in the daylight hours.

As for the vehicle, the body is flawless (Are you joking? It was obviously in a wreck as the front end parts didn't line up and the fender was repaired and repainted at some point. The trim was bent up, too), beside the previously mentioned clear coat peeling up (yeah, that was worth mentioning). The interior of the car is in very good shape (it was in terrible shape, showing extreme wear and abuse; almost every interior piece was damaged, sunburned, torn, and needed replacement). The heating/air control button cluster needs to be remounted to the wooden bezel, and is currently loose fitted in place. The rear seat is mis matched color, it is blue (and too small). The CD player sometimes won't play burned CD's (the speakers were ripped out and the CD player wouldn't even turn on). Also, the original front floor mats are missing, sad really, because they are such nice fits in these cars. The rear driver side door only opens from the inside. The sun roof and two passenger windows are working. The door locks are intermittent, suspect a leaky vacuum system (I doubt they have worked in over a decade). I was told by my mechanic that this is why the blower motor won't always engage (blower motor was dead), and also why the transmission shifts are off (the ad never mentioned a bad transmission). He was going to charge me $400 to fix the vacuum system.
The drive line, flex-disks, drive line yoke, rear axles and rear differential are all brand new (This was the biggest lie of all. All of these parts were original. The flex discs were cracked, frayed and ready to give out. The axle boots were cracked. All other parts were rusty and old looking.). The engine and turbo are strong (the turbo was seized and non-working). The transmission is good (But what about the late shifts? The transmission really was worn out and needed rebuilding.). The suspension and front alignment are A+ (the steering was bad and the alignment shop told me that the alignment was way off).

Can you promise to be timely on Sunday?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I rode the train, then the bus, to Eugene, Oregon from Tacoma, Washington (a 6 hour trip done for the second time that month when I looked at another car that I passed on because it was a scammer and I had to spend another 6 hours returning). The seller met me at the bus station with the vehicle running and said he was in a hurry.

I quickly looked over the car and though it looked way rougher than I had expected, I figured I was going to repaint it anyway and I had spare interior parts. At least (so I thought) the mechanical parts were all good and I was thinking of all the money in new parts I was getting with the new master cylinder, differential, axles, etc. I also didn't want to go back home empty-handed again, so I gave the guy the cash.

Here's the kicker--the guy didn't even have the title! I did get it eventually after months of begging.

I brought a bunch of CDs to listen to but the CD player wouldn't turn on and I noticed that the speakers were missing. I noticed right away when I drove off that the transmission was having issues and the car lacked the power that my last 300SD had. I couldn't hear the turbo at all and when I was on the freeway the engine was loud and making rumbling noises.

The seller sold me the car with an empty fuel tank and I wasn't even sure I was going to make it to the fuel station. The temperature gauge started to go up as I neared the station and once I got off the freeway the transmission wouldn't shift out of third gear.

I filled the fuel tank at the station and after the car had cooled off a bit I checked the coolant level--there was none in the reservoir! So I bought some coolant and it was one-and-a-half gallons low! I couldn't see any leaks.

I started up the car and it wouldn't shift out of second gear. I couldn't get the car to go up past 10 miles per hour, so I pulled off of the road and noticed that the vacuum line to the transmission had fallen off. I pulled a piece of hose off of another vacuum connection and reattached the line. I was really starting to worry if this car was going to make it back to Tacoma. But, the car finally shifted and I was able to make it the rest of the way home.

After I got home I looked at the brake reservoir and noticed it was almost empty. I put in brake fluid but it ran back out. I started checking out the car and discovered that it was totally trashed and all of the parts that were supposed to be brand new were in fact in need of immediate replacement.

The seller's response to this was:

Strange. I checked the coolant level last weekend before showing the car and it looked mostly full, or at least I thought it was.
Paper work on the car will be @ DMV in the morning, keep an eye on your mail for the title in the next two weeks.

And:

Sorry to hear! I am by no means a mechanic, and just have to trust what I am told. It breaks me to think of the 2,400 I gave trackside auto to fix it. Damn!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, this is my experience with purchasing this car. I really wish I had been able to find a better Walnut Brown W116 300SD with sunroof and had avoided this clown, but like I said, it was the only one I could find in the color I wanted (or at least it used to be that color) and with a sunroof, so I jumped on it. If I was not so picky on the color and/or wanting a sunroof then I could have gotten a much better car for the money, but I knew my options were limited and I am surprised I was even able to find one. In the end it will be worth it because I will have exactly the car I want, but it would have been nice to have dealt with an honest seller or at least had room to negotiate the price.

Squiggle Dog · #92 12-20-2010, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

... you're a tad bit of distance from me, but there is an 80SD in the PNP in charlotte... it's got saddle interior in awesome condition... I didn't notice if it had a sunroof... it was JUST dropped off today, and already the IP, and a few injector lines, and injectors are being pulled. it should be complete tomorrow, if you are looking for something from the car...

Wow, I could use the seat skins if they are in good condition and tan vinyl (perforated center sections and piping not important as I have some nice brown ones that I am going to splice in to make two tone seat skins). I'd also be interested in the back seat if it's rust-free or close to it, with good pads. It would be a pain to ship, but they could go through Greyhound affordably. That's if you don't mind taking the time to pull the front and back seats and then remove the skins from the front seats. Otherwise, I'm not sure what else I would want.

Squiggle Dog · #93 12-21-2010, 05:33 PM

I would like to install one of these custom zebrano wood instrument panel covers (available here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tachoblende-Tacho-Mercedes-W-107-R107-SL-SLC-Zebrano-/250523796231?pt=Autoteile_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item3a5461c307 ):

Also, my center console wood is going to be sent off to Heritage Woodworks to have the holes cut for the front seat heater switches.

Squiggle Dog · #94 01-14-2011, 09:49 PM

Look what showed up in the mail! I thought I would never be able to purchase something like this. It doesn't have the hole for the clock adjustment knob as shown in the auction. I guess I could drill it but I'm afraid of chipping the finish. I asked the seller about it and maybe they can send one with the hole in it.

Aquaticedge · #95 01-14-2011, 09:50 PM

very nice

WANT '71 280SEL · #96 01-14-2011, 10:46 PM

I really like that. I don't speak German. Do they have that in burl? I wonder if it might be too much wood, though...

Best Regards,

David

Squiggle Dog · #97 01-14-2011, 11:03 PM

Yes, they do!

http://cgi.ebay.de/Tachoblende-Tacho-Mercedes-W107-W-107-SL-SLC-Wurzelholz-/360171222326?pt=Autoteile_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item53dbe0b536

The person I talked to spoke English. I used a translator program just in case. Shipping from Germany took 3 weeks.

Your interior could look like this: http://forum.w116.org/mechanicals/pics!/

Quote:

Originally Posted by WANT '71 280SEL

I really like that. I don't speak German. Do they have that in burl? I wonder if it might be too much wood, though...

Best Regards,

David

Doktor Bert · #98 01-14-2011, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squiggle Dog

I would like to install one of these custom zebrano wood instrument panel covers (available here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tachoblende-Tacho-Mercedes-W-107-R107-SL-SLC-Zebrano-/250523796231?pt=Autoteile_Zubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item3a5461c307 ):

Also, my center console wood is going to be sent off to Heritage Woodworks to have the holes cut for the front seat heater switches.

That is worth more than my 300SD....

Squiggle Dog · #99 01-15-2011, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doktor Bert

That is worth more than my 300SD....

Haha! I think your 300SD deserves one. I am going to love mine when it is completed.

Doktor Bert · #**100** 01-15-2011, 03:20 PM

How much was that exactly?????

Doktor Bert · #**101** 01-15-2011, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WANT '71 280SEL

I really like that. I don't speak German. Do they have that in burl? I wonder if it might be too much wood, though...

Best Regards,

David

My German is probably pretty bad these days, but let's have a bit of fun!!!!!

(phone ringing)

Hallo? Ich bin verärgert über das Holz, das ich von Ihnen kaufte. 259,00 Euro und dort ist kein Loch für den Taktgeber!!!!

Was ist los???

newtodiesel · #**102** 01-15-2011, 06:59 PM

I would be too!

Squiggle Dog · #**103** 01-15-2011, 10:10 PM

Ha! Yeah, let's see if I get a response in the next few days. If I chipped or split the wood trying to drill out the hole I would scream! I suppose I could have a woodworker drill it, but for what I paid for the thing it really should be plug-and-play...

The cost was $388.92 with shipping, plus a $66.93 core (refundable on return of old part). So yeah, quite a bit of money. If I had bought the entire housing in zebrano then the cost would have been double!

I'm going to either have them send me a new part (at their cost, I send this one back), or have them refund me however much it would cost to have a woodworker make the hole.

Squiggle Dog · #**104** 01-16-2011, 01:15 PM

Here is their response:

Dear Scott,

thanks for your email. We really regret that you have problems with the item. Please try to drill the required hole by yourself. But it is recommend to take advice from a carpenter.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen/Best regards
Ihr Eris-Car Team

Okay... then what happens if I chip it?

bgiovan · #**105** 01-16-2011, 11:30 PM

Doh!