Old Mercedes 300D Engine Reported Dead Pt. 5: Old Spence is Running Again but Is He Worth Saving?
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Old Spence Special sale click here: mercedessource.... But is the car itself worth saving? Watch the whole video, and then you make the call. Would you buy it yourself as is and save it? And how much $$ would you pay for it?
In 2014 I was at the Mercedes factory in Germany and they had one of these for sale with 200 km on it for $18,000. They just basically took old parts and built new cars with it. It was a brand new car I wish I had the money.
cool, they still do that? parts supply must dry up at some point
Yes, you should have bought it. They were about $12,000 back in the 80s.
Yup
I don’t think you m is what you’re talking about there. 300d s in the 80s when new was over 25k closer to 30k Amigo
Whether Kent choses to save it or someone else puts their hand up, this car deserves saving.
Compared to so many others I see around, this one seems most of the way there.
Since restoring a 300CD, I know how much work a W123 can take to bring up to standard. If there's truly no rust anywhere (other than surface oxidization), and it passes the compression test, then I'd say it's definitely worth saving! Best of luck!
Excellent comment
I would restore it as much as refresh it. Make everything work as it should and use it.
Here in Germany it would be a no brainer to save this one due to it's excellent body condition. Whatever is bolted on is the easy part.
I'd buy it as is, if the price was right. Would be far to expensive for me, if i'd be looking for somebody else to fix it.
In this condition it's fixable in the driveway - which is really rare here.
yes, roadsalt destroys these
Yes, Ken it is worth saving. The reason why I say this is because I had about 90% of these same issues with mine. It took time and research, but I was able to correct a lot over a years time. Now with you doing your wonderful videos the people will not have to go through all I had to do blindly. My vote is "Yes, all means!"
Yes, I am an MB mechanic in CA, and I absolutely believe that car needs to be saved. Yes, even with me paying the repair bills/doing the work myself!!
Thank you for the immeasurable ammont of knowledge about these cars that you share with us! Keep up the good work and content, we need more people like you in the old Mercedes world!
It's worth saving and I think that Kent saving and restoring it is probably "the best" way to go, because he'd do it right and could show us the restoration along the way.. you want a man of Kent's love for these cars and his expertise to give it a new life.. he already knows what the car needs. My 92 W201 had all the wrong hands on it in the beginning and I've suffered but have since recovered. Kent is one of the few who understand the art of these Gems.
I've been watching your videos for years and purchasing your specialist tool and genuine parts. Thank you! This car is in better shape than ANY of the W123s I've owned. My concern with these is not cosmetics, but knowing that the engine is *relatively* healthy with good compression, that the systems are *relatively* in good working order (brakes, driveline, 12v system, windshield washers squirt ok, at least the blower works for defrost in winter, etc.). I would pay $8-10K for a car that needed body work and cosmetic repairs, but that had the major systems gone through and at least verified to be acceptable for the next year or two before needing repaired/replaced.
Good analysis. Thanks.
I would say this is a good lesson. I've been doing the same thing with my 560SEC. Since these cars are no longer being made and they are so venerable and lasted this long, it will take another 30 years to wear out once it's properly sorted (with hopefully more frequent maintenance/replacement this time by the next owner). With your instructional videos, tools, parts, and resources Kent, a potential future owner could complete just about every item you went over in this video on their own. The next big hurdle would be a look under the car to examine the suspension--exactly what we're getting ready to tackle on my car.
Great to see the old girl back on the road with a bit of money spent on her! . My old man ( who was a car salesman in his day ) used to say, " If it has tits or wheels, it is going to cost you money ". Looking forward to your next video on "Old Spence".
Perhaps it's worth a "Rolling restoration" ? I agree Kent, it is a lot more fun having someone else do the work and enjoying it vicariously on UA-cam than having to do all the worm and take in all the expense yourself! Great series so far brings me back to Digby, what fun!
Argh those US bumpers 😬
Your channel so good, dear sir.
Thanks for everything.
I personally think the W123 Euro bumpers are ugly. They are just too skimpy for the car and the flat Euro headlights don't balance the body lines either.
I've been watching your videos for a long time and it was stumbling on them several years ago (I think close to ten maybe? I honestly can't remember for sure) that got me wanting a W123 to use as a daily driver. My only vehicle right now is my 35 year old Toyota Land Cruiser, so the economy of a turbo diesel Mercedes is very appealing to me, even with today's fuel prices in America.
My favorite model of MB...the W123 diesel will still be in fashion 100 years from now.
Yes, worth saving. If I owned it the first thing to repair would be the motor mounts and the injector pump. Next would be the air cleaner and injectors. Would get the windows working and repair the seat. Then I would work on the exterior. Fairly confident that I could do most of the work and could rely on you for parts, special tools and how-to videos.
Definitely worth saving. I bought a W126 for $600. Took me a year and a half after work a weekends. Was an awesome car a saved original paint. I just couldn’t let it sit by 0:00 the lake rot and die at these peoples house.
👍
Man of the issues I have in my 1983 240D. I am 7 years in using it as a daily driver in the Houston area, and constant restoration projects. Mine has the exsact same issue with the windows. Its my next major endeavor. I think it is worth saving. It would be a long term project for sure.
All these cars are worth saving. No comparison between an 60’s-70’s-80’s Merc and a new car. In a time when new pickups are going for $75k, you can fix everything on this car and, drive it for another 500k, and still be money ahead. No one will ever build cars this good again, so anything rust free is worth saving. I’m about to install a bunch of your parts in my ‘90 300SE W126 5spd, and it will be my daily driver till I’m too old to drive. Then I’ll hand it down to my daughter who loves anything with a manual gearbox.
this series reminded me of the Digby series. I was horrified when I searched for that and it said 4 years ago.
Definitely wants saving Probably one of the most reliable but hard worked cars inthe world typical of the breed unloved but still keeps going not many modern cars could keep up 😊😊
Your videos are great. Thank you
Glad you like them!
I would ask myself what do I want? It looks like this car is salvageable as a decent runner for a lot more miles without too much expense, if you don’t want anything close to a restoration. Do I want to spend a lot, and work a lot to get it to a reasonable sale value to make money….probably no. Just my personal view 😊. Great video again Kent.
Currently have 6 W123 in my collection of 42 (mostly Rolls Royce/Jaguars). Everything listed as "broken" is really simple to fix (and very inexpensive)! . Yes, the fuses may correct most issues! This is a very nice 300D, just not maintained! The biggest expense would be the driver's seat, but if you replace the bottom cover with another color (and dye it), it would be inexpensive as well! The dash being that nice is a dramatic +!
I'm happy to see you have the car running again. You know how it is, once you start throwing time and $$$ at it where does it stop?
I would love to work on bringing something like this ( petrol or diesel ) back to life. Here in Czech Republic there were 2 "fintails" sitting for sale in the grounds of a double glazing small business in the middle of nowhere. But getting Kent's tools shipped + custom fees + VAT etc from America would probably make it cost prohibitive to buy the various bits needed. They were asking 15,000 euro ( about $16,000 ) for one, and 11,000 euro ( about $11,500 ) for the other one. Someone brought an "as new" condition fintail in black to a veteran car show and it really looked amazing
Love this Kent - sooo many of these still out there ;-)
I think that anything this simple and solid is worth saving. These new car now days are just too complicated. I'm not against computers on cars but I am against excessive computerization.
Yes exactly. These are the easiest cars to work on.
love your videos! I'd personally say that this 123 is totally worth saving but I know even if you don't do it yourself, you'd have a pretty good reason for not doing so given the DECADES of EXPERIENCE you have with the Tri-Star!
Well Kent. Being a proudly owner of a 1993 190D (2.0), and a Mercedes lover by nature myself, if I have the means I'd surely would restore and rescue her. Best wishes from Portugal 🇵🇹.
Hello from TEXAS!
Good engine and trans. No rust. Straight body. Definitely worth saving.
Old Spence is structurally sound, no rust and an engine that will be running well. To me this car could easily become "pristine" given that you spend some time and money on the interior.
If it was in Australia or I lived in your area, YES, I would take it on...he has such sound bones.
No joke, my boss won $20,000 playing craps at a casino in Lake Tahoe, 1977. Bought his wife a new 77 Mercedes 300 TD- I think it took all that money to buy it. I had a chance to ride in it a few times. Well made car, much different than the jalopy hot rods I had owned. Well made cars.
I think it's worth saving. I have a 1982 300D in better shape than this one, but needs a new paint job and all the underbody rubber needs to be replaced, including ball joints, engine mounts, subframe mounts, etc. Most of the parts, so far, have come from MercedesSource over the past several years. I'm also restoring a 1982 240D. I feel like if they run and if not rusted badly, then save'em!
What brand tires did you get? Michelin defenders no longer available, only decent ones are Generals and BF Goodrich, both expensive, el cheapos are not worth buying (China) . I personally would tackle this car as the body is fine and engine good. I have 14 of these right now so don't need another but if price is right would consider. I really appreciate all you have done to help keep these cars on the road.
I have great memories or these W123s and would like to have another. But, you do a great job outlining the details of expense of bringing these back to life.
Thank you very much!
This car is definitely worth saving. I've seen worse W123s being saved. Rust free W123s are the holy grail in the UK and the rest of Europe. I'm sure quite a few of these problems can be fixed without too much expense. I suspect missing fuses or corroded connections are the cause of most of the electrical issues. I remember Wheeler Dealers fixing up a W123 on a budget.
This would be a good father and son project. Teaching the young that it can be fixed iso junked.
If I lived in America, I would definitely buy this car from you.
Here in Quebec I would save it because it’s rust free, there’s plenty of them in junkyards rusted out but with good interiors because the sun doesn’t beat down on them too much. So for me it would be a relatively cheap way to get a rust free Old 123, if I was on the west coast maybe my answer would be different
As you say, it depends on the major mechanical parts being serviceable. Until then, don't know. Probably worth finding out though; the omens are good!
Without lookin underneath i would buy it cheap. 6k to make it correct ,parts and subbing out body work and windshield but its a labor of love.
Yes ! Keep restoring! Top video!!!
As long as it can be made to run well, cosmetics can be a long term project. It doesnt need 4 functioning windows to drive down the road.
I do think it is worth saving because my w126 had almost the exact same problems when i bought it for $1100 last year. Managed to fix everything, except the electrical. Left turn signal will not flash. 1 window rolls down.
It can be an enjoyable project for someone. A good car to own and use, and improve over time.
Hey, did you do the oil cap compression test, if it's ok and the body is ok, then maybe the car is worth saving. and maybe you're the type of person that if the interior is not perfect, but it's functional, you're ok with that. Than this car is for you. Or you feel like saving an old Benz, then this car is for you. So is the car worth saving? well is up to the new owner. I personally think if you can get the car on the cheap and work on it as you go. And maybe learn some new skills, it may be fun to have, remember it's not always about the money. Maybe it's your new hobby, I personally love to have something to tinker with, hey it beats sitting in a bar, and possibly cheaper too. So is it worth saving, I say maybe yes for serval reasons. Plus it's a cool old car. Thanks for the vid.
Is that the color of Berlin taxis? Here in Europe you need to run from some white (most of the cities), black (Brussels, Barcelona, premium services...), cream (Berlin and Germany)... colored vehicles becasue they surely have a huge amount of mileage that bould blow your mind, even if your odometer tells it has a lot, it will have a "lotter" more... and don't forget to add the uber vehicles to the city cabs... a urban licensed cab may do 40 to 60k miles per year but the app works and long travel can run almost over 100k miles per year...
YES! Please fix and let me know when you want to sale ir.
Depends on the price I would save that car. I saved a w116.
Yes absolutely still savable and a good project car for someone who wants to put time and effort into it!! If you restore it I’ll buy you a Diamond Crown Cigar!!🙂
Definitely worth saving We'll need some work .. Question what's the best way to get rid of grandma's basement smell Out of the car ??
Depending on the condiiton of the engine for rme it's definately worth saving. It's the usual story. If I had the money, yes I'd take it on. But I don't. Nor do I have my own shop with the lift and tools needed to work on it. So it'll have to be up to others I'm afraid.
Very much it's a very manageable amount of work and pretty easy what does need to be done
Personally for me I don’t have to time to wrench on this. I can also do basic stuff like change belts, valve adjustments, idle adjustment, replace injectors and glow plugs, but stuff like body work and motor mounts, I lost. Tail lights are easy, grill is easy, bumper rubber, door jams etc. I enjoy that! My opinion: whatever money you put into these cars, you’ll get it out and then some. These cars have only gone up in value. I see a lot of wrecked cars and people parting out their car. So parts are still cheap and readily available. I am confident someone will save it for sure. The bones are good. Transmission to be determined however.
I would pull the engine & Trans & junk the rest of it. I own a 98 E430 210 series with 45,000 miles & it's beautiful in every way. But trying to get parts for these older cars is terrible + ultra expensive. That's OK I've owned it for 23 years & it doesn't talk back like an ex wife. I got rid of her & kept the car ( SMART MOVE ). GREAT video sir. TMP from N.J.
See how the rest of the drivetrain is. If the drivetrain is all good, I'd save it and use it as a point A to point B commuter. Cosmetics can be dealt with whenever if you choose to do so. Rust seems to be a non issue with this one.
So, the rod bearings are constantly putting and pulling tons of job and a few slams of a loose mount are capable of destroying them?? Some odd physics there 🎉
We are not talking about a few slams. And there were effectively NO mounts. We are talking about thousands of slams. You would have to sit in the car and feel how violent it was before I changed the mounts. I pulled a OM617 Diesel engine apart that has this same neglect. Spun one rod bearing and the rest were hammered,
wow you cleaned the engine good
If I had the money and lived in the area, I would buy it with the new motor mounts. I have recently bought a different car and my finance is still recovering from that haha.
What would be the cost of everything as far as parts are concerned?
Kent you sure are a Donut Connoisseur 😎 Ole Spence forever!!
Worth saving! If only for the journey of figuring it all out- thats all the fun of it
Good one.
I guess the guestion is what kind of condition you want to save or restore it, like brand new (expensive) or just drivable, road legal condition with maybe some cosmetic issues (reasonable price).
At least it's not dead car anymore :)
I'd save it
Yeah safety items like brakes suspension redo but leave seats and rug
I'd say that Old Spence here is worth fixing and keeping on the road as a daily driver. Cosmetic issues - who cares? Electrical issues - annoying but most of the time, they don't keep you from getting from point A to point B, Fix them as you go. If it starts, drives, and stops reliably, it's a good vehicle to me. This car looks solid compared to some I've seen here in New England, and is in better shape than some of the vehicles I've daily driven. Rotten/crashed vehicles are the worst to work on - this car looks to be neither. I'd drive it!
I would save it mechanically. I have never had a lot of money and my old minivan is mechanically sound but cosmetics leave much to be desired.
Suave it Kent.... Get him back to its lively years... The car deserves it.
Yes I would save it. I have already saved one 1983 300D.
I’ve had several W123’s. Love them, so off course it should be saved ❤️ I have saved several myself and it’s worth it. The W123 are in my opinion one of the best models Mercedes have ever produced 😃
I totally agree!
It's not done wearing it out, but it's not for someone who can't overlook superficial blemishes
I wish I could find a w123 here, in New England in that condition, for cheap money.🤤
Worth saving. Even if I bought it. I have an 84 and an 85
With the FL , RR window isn’t it a relay ? I’m pretty certain the same issue in in 190s was the relay ran like an X
I think you’re trapped …
.. once you have a body with no rust and have determined the engine is in good health you got yourself trapped into restoring that car.
This car would be a good candidate for a rolling restoration.
any running engine mercedes diesel engine is worth saving they are really starting to take off as diesel swaps for jeeps and things
Absolutely it is woth saving.
"Is he worth saving?"
Yes. 🍷🗿
Old Spence could use some donations if you feel that way...
@@Mercedessource I'd love to, sir. Really.
But unfortunately, living in another country plus being broke as hell complicates things. 😅
But if I had the coin, I would. Any W123 is worth saving, even more with the good ol' 617 under the hood.
Well worth saving, I’ve restored a lot worse on W123/124 to be honest
Hello hello from New Jersey
Not sure that it is worth saving it with what you shown and high mileage. Seems all fixable or swapping seats, etc., but how much time and investit is worth to do so…hummm…not sure. Also, with the high mileage, there are bearings, suspension and so on. Beside being a Kent with lots of spare parts and knowledge…really not sure about saving it…
Indestructible W123👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Save it
@mercedessource. i have a 1978 benz 280E just like this but gasoline. had to change my waterpump thought i had to remove the crank bolt, also didnt know it had a bunch of washers behind it. i had found 3 didnt know there was 4z is this engine suppose to have 4 washers or am i ok with installing it with 3? the bolt did tighten up and ive checked and there is no gap or loose washers behind it
SAVE IT!!!!!
Basket case… high miles… what is that actually worth?
What is the car worth in this condition? I'm from Germany, turbo's are very rare here...
Save it please!
I will start a GoFundMe account. Are you willing to chip in some cash?
pls save it, it deserves it ...
How much for it once the repairs are done????
Haven't thought about that yet. I bet there are quite a few viewer interested though.
It's solid would be a nice driver
So, you drop $3000.00 and you have a pretty nice and reliable car, and you are not into it for heartbreak money.
This is a tough one. Ten years ago these showed up regularly at Pick-n-Pull. With some time and patience, you could replace everything you just showed us. Now W123's show up worse than this 300D and are already stripped of some parts. You have to do your own wrenching. There are a lot of hours required to save this one. Maybe it should become a donor car not a rebuilder.
That is the way I was leaning, but surprise... watch the next video
True. Ebay is the only place i can get parts for cheap. None of the wrecking yards in the south sound have them. Only 1 in seattle but i bet it was picked clean.
It’s worth saving, cosmetics or not
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
😎👍
Nah let it go. There's better color combos and condition.
Save that thing! I’d buy it from you. Cosmetics and all.