Planning to buy 83 sd 260k ,one owner,good body and paint,power options working rusted out under window seal into trunk, front driver side frame rail at wheel well rusted,some recent parts{alt.,rad,master cyl.tires decent} might be able to get service history $700. I have not driven it yet.Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Rust is generally not a good thing. Structural rust is really not a good thing. I would take a really good look at the rusty frame rail. If it's bad, don't plan on doing much driving before you have to end up junking/parting out. If it's just surface rust, you might still have a decent driver on your hands. The rust into the trunk area is a bad sign, but if you're just looking for a beater you might be ok.

You want to check cold starting performance. It should start easily with one glow cycle unless the weather is well below freezing. Once it's running, check blowby by removing the oil filler cap and setting it back down on the hole. If it blows off, don't buy. If it dances a little, that's normal. If it just sits still, that's a good sign. Be alert for normal bad signs like coolant in oil and vice versa. Engine oil will normally be black even only a few minutes after a change. Trans fluid should be bright red. Normal power is a little less than modern gassers but it shouldn't be a dog unless the motor is ice cold. Shifting is sometimes a little harsh initially but should be relatively smooth after driving for a few minutes.

The vehicle should track and brake straight, without pulling. If it does, you'll be fixing either the suspension or the brakes. Clunks when hitting bumps and potholes are also generally a bad sign.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

If you have an independent garage in your area that is familiar with MB diesels, paying for a pre-purchase inspection is well worth the money.

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

thanks for the reply,I appreciate the info.the car would be a beater,I am in the car business selling Hyundai { I know, I know } a friend of mine sells MB. I worked there awhile It just did'nt work out,but I did develop a appreciation for MB. The friend had a customer ask him to sell the 83 for him, he was going to buy it himself until he saw frame.The car was sitting 2 weeks battery was dead temp. around zero but I boosted it and it started right up, ran a little rough but smoothed out.All fluids looked good, once it was running I tried all windows,locks,seats,heater,wipers,washers everything was working I could not drive it because it was buried in snow. I went back wed. night,it was the coldest night of the year so far and I could not get it started,but I did'nt know how to cycle the glow plugs at that time,I am going to try again Monday.I will try the blow buy test and drive it this time.The car is a one owner {older lawyer} and appears to have been well serviced.The rust on top of trunk opening is a small area and I am sure I could patch it and seal it.Its that rusty frame rail, but I figure if the rest is solid for $700 I can't go wrong for a beater.

Sounds like it's got some life left in it i would buy it for 700.00 depending on how the trans is

Well I picked up sd today, took for drive first, drove ok ,shifted ok,tried the oil filler cap test with car at idle it just danced slightly.Thank you for that tip ,drove 5 miles on hyway cruised along at 70 no problem, though did seem loud as if revving high, tach not working so I don't know for sure.Must be leaking somewhere interior carpets were soaked.Underbody looks clean.It's sitting in the carport right know with slow charger on.It did seem to idle fairly rough,car has been sitting for at least a month.It had no fuel,put in $30 on the way home {I could have swore it had half tank the other day ,maybe one of the techs with a diesel helped himself}Please reply with any info that might be helpful.