Good Morning! looking at a 1983 245 dl with 287K miles, stick, leather, but could not find a comparable base price. any ideas? the owner is asking for an offer

Just FYI... Unless the interior has been changed, an '83 245DL will have VINYL seats, not leather. Quick ID: leather seats have buttons at the tufts, vinyl do not.

Price is totally based on appearance & maintenance. A rustbucket that's been poorly maintained, this car is worth $200.

Pretty body, pretty paint, good records? A thou.

1. I expect someone selling to place an initial value on a car. I can't value another person's equipment.

2. It's all in the condition/ history/ records. Personally I'd be hard-pressed to pay $500 for a pre-86with those miles.
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a few 1985-92 240s & 245s - parts cars & drivers

yea.. it's really a subjective call... reciepts and such are nice, and of course overall condition, rust rust rust.

Check that engine wiring harness and use it as a bargaining tool... if the insulation near the gray plug at the firewall is disintegrating, I'd say that knocks about $400 off the cars value. And with that kind of miles, I'd not pay more than about $750 if the wiring is good, so... if the wiring is bad, that makes it $350

Some significant maintenance records would be nice though, and maybe up the ante a bit if the seller can prove they are done... clutch, struts, timing belt/water pump. Bushings would be a big plus. And feel for a potentially loose steering rack... those are some common issues that will cost you.

My '84 was only $100.. about the same mileage... By the time I had about $1500 into her.. (all but the wiring above, plus tires and windshield), it was solid. Now finishing up the wiring...

all said though.. well maintained, 500,000 miles is not out of the question. Maybe more on the original engine. So... definitely not necessarily a losing proposition to invest some money into it.



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-Matt I ♥ my ♂

Depending on condition, anywhere between $50 and 2000. I've often thought, and heard from others, that a relatively reliable driveable car is worth ~2k regardless. 287K is pretty friggin high. But if it's been totally pampered, you could get many more miles out of her.

$750 seems like a good starting point if it's driveable.