Good Day to all..
Im going out tomorrow to look at a 1985 e190 2.3 8 V that was put into a decent garage 20 years ago and has not been touched since. I’m a car guy with some experience with a lot brands but not MB…
It’s covered up with junk and will take sometime to get a clear area to look it over. I’m planning on bringing a Battery, fresh gas ,tools etc…Is there anything like mechanical fuel pump or something to really watch out for before trying to start it? I’ll turn the engine over by hand making sure it’s free . It’s a five speed manual gearbox with 127,000 miles. Looks to be rust free and it did run when parked. He wants to sell it and has no idea of how much it’s worth. I’d like to buy it but as you know there’s risks involved and some work mostly by me I hope. Any thoughts on how much it’s worth and things for me to think about and look for?
Thanks KJoe

 

I would not start it there. Because you really need to drain all the gas, even undo the lines around the fuel pump and flush all the gummed up gas before you start it.
I would even use an air compressor at ~30psi to blow out all the gas from lines, FD etc. Basically you want to preserve all the KE-Jetronic parts without running bad gas thru the system.

I would buy it non running. A car with so few miles after nearly 40 years but has sat for 20 years will have many things need replacing and starting the car will not tell you anything.
Instead I would look for maintenance records, condition of the coolant/reservoir, pop the valve cover an look at the valve train for cleanliness, etc.
The visual inspections will tell you a whole lot more than starting the car. I once bought a cylinder head from a JY 5-6 years ago. It had 118K miles on it. Peeking under the valve cover told me all I needed to know. All the parts in there looked brand new. I wish I had the foresight into buying the whole engine. I would do so if I ever come across a car like that again. Unlikely. The car had visited the Benz dealership every so many miles up until 115K miles. All the stickers were there. So I would buy the car you are after just based on maintenance records an visual checks.

As for the manual transmission, it is not like an automatic. There really is not maintenance required before 100K miles anyway. And at that time it is just changing the fluid.
If the driver knew how to drive a manual, these manuals last forever. Even the clutch. I just replaced my original clutch after 210K miles of predominantly city driving. Not bad.

If you want to check for rust, look where the jack points are. If they are covered like the post '89 facelift models, pop them off and peek behind them.

For a car that sat for so long look for signs of rodent activity, even if it was in a garage. If a rodent was ever in the garage, it has made its home under the hood. Those critters even get into decent garages when given a chance.

Some of the advice here is pretty basic but, I would put more weight on visuals is what I'm advising.

I would budget $3K-$5K on replacing many aged parts like rubber, etc. Fuel Dist. may need replacing too as it has rubber seals in it and bad gas is not good for it.

Manuals are rare in the US, good luck with the purchase.

- Cheers

 

Oh, also inspect the brake reservoir and the power steering reservoir for cleanliness.

 

Thanks for your reply! I’ll do what you suggest and see if we can make a deal. He’s 87 and hates to let things go.. now if I can figure out how much it’s worth in this condition..any thoughts on what it’s worth?

 

That depends vastly in the condition visually. It can be as low as $1000, but up to $4000 IMHO. A car like that in super condition and running can be worth as high as $8000.
But remember you will have to spend $5K to get to that condition even if you DIY everything. BTW, your ability to start it in the spot probably does not change the price that much but can change the value from the owners perception.

For me, if the car had all the records (which it probably has from an older person) , and all the visuals are prefect for fluids, valve train, etc. I would pay $4000 for it knowing I will spend the >$4K to bring it up to perfect condition.

 

First question I would ask is why did he park it?

 

Great advise Dolucassi. I agree with Dolucassi to not start the car because what fuel is left is likely varnish which means that starting the car with varnish for fuel could significantly damage the fuel system. Be prepared to replace alot of rubber in addition to all of the fluids .If the car turns out to be in the decent condition Dolucassi described then it's worth saving. The purchase price and what you'll need to spend to get it back into good running order will still be less than what a car like that in good condition will be worth. This is especially true for the manual 16vs.