Jaywalker

I just completed due diligence on a 1995 e300 turbo diesel. The AutoCheck was nearly clean, with only a report of the car being in a FEMA-designated storm zone as a warning. A local MB dealer ran the maintenance history for me, and it showed the car to be well maintained through the first 100,000 miles or so of its life. The body was in reasonable shape, with dents and only a few bumper rubs, and had no rust.

The next step was the mechanic's evaluation, which I present in full, as follows:

"W124.131
176,325 miles

Body repair done at rear.
Glow plug light inop until after start. This is an indication that one or more glow plugs could be bad & can be costly to repair.
Starter sounds weak, looks like an aftermarket part.
Front struts bad.
Left front power seat functions inop.
Headlight switch going bad.
Dash light rheostat acts up.
Center brake light inop.
Fuel leaks under intake manifold.
Right front seat headrest up/down inop.
power steering pump wet.
Low pressure power steering hose leaks.
AC compressor leaking.
Rear brake pads due now.
Differential mount worn out.
Differential vent plugged up.
Differential fluid dirty/old.
Lower control arm bushings weak.
Right trunion bushing has play.
Spare tire not good.
State inspection expired December 20008.
Headlight lends broken.
Left front door lock tumbler balky.
Brake pulse at highway speed.
Brake pedal feels soft, may be due to aftermarket pads.
Lighter inop.
Needs wiper blade.
Belt has small cracks, not bad though.
Steering fluid smells burnt.
Left transmission cooler hose leaking.
Front belly pan missing.
Front shift rod bushing gone.
Brake fluid dirty.
Engine temperature not getting to operating temperature.
Heater valve looks like it may be seeping."

After giving it careful thought I passed on the car and did not buy it. While some of the mechanical issues I could fix at my local hobby shop, others I could not. I suppose my greatest concern was that the car is not now street legal and hasn't been for 15 months, and it hasn't been cared for well before that.

Okay - my question is as a newbie: is this evaluation typical for what I should expect when looking for a W124, or did I make a good call? Asking price was $4500 US.

Thanks.

rivcal4life

Very good call.

There are much cleaner w124's to be had for that kind of money.