1982 Mercedes-Benz 300D Turbodiesel (one owner, low miles)

If you are looking at this listing, you already know that the Mercedes Benz W123 series is one of the most well regarded automobiles on the planet and is often referred to as the greatest saloon car of all time. Made from 1977 till 1985, these durable machines came in a number of flavors, from coupe, sedan, and wagons, to myriad of gasoline and diesel options. Over 2.7 million examples were produced, and its safe to say that a good deal of them are still on the road. While calling these cars "million mile" cars is definitely cliche, it is no secret that they can go for untold distances. The top of the line diesel models came with the OM617 I5 Turbo Diesel mated to an automatic transmission. They are known for being tough, economical, noisy, and smokey. But the truth is that the engines are so well engineered they can run efficiently while still being out of tune with 300k miles on the clock. It's a rare sight to find a well maintained, low mileage example. Enter this car.

Purchased brand new in Ohio by a family friend in 1982, this car has been with them ever since. Ordered in 930 Silver Blue Metallic over Navy Blue MBtex, this 300D is a classic example of a classy car. The has been extremely well cared for and his lived its entire life in the same climate controlled garage in Lexington KY. The family has taken extensive care of the vehicle, with the husband choosing to do most of the service work himself. They couple even took a vacation to Sindelfingen, Germany to view the production of their car. Accompanying the car is a fully filled out service book that dictates all records of the vehicle up to around 130k (133k currently) The car was driven frequently until around 2010 where it has seen just monthly cruises since then. Unfortunately, the husband has passed and the wife decided it was time to part ways with a car that they have had since new.

Being a one owner garage kept car, this example is by far and away the nicest example I have had the pleasure of driving and I have driven over a dozen of them! It is rare to find an example with so few miles that isn’t some barn find or collectors piece. I definitely would want to keep this car, but I am planning a move and unfortunately don’t have the space. This car is all original and is definitely one of the nicest examples on the market.

Cosmetics

Exterior -

This car is in fabulous shape. The paint is excellent overall, with no fading or cracking. It could use a good buffing, but still has tons of gloss and shine. There a few small areas of wear of touch ups that I have taken photos of. The bright aluminum trim is in excellent shape and his a mirror like finish on all areas. The glass is in perfect shape. The lights are very very nice with no cracks or chips in the rear and great bulbs up front. The left side headlight bucket has a chip in it, but is clean otherwise, I have included a dirtier, but crack free example in the sale. The original grill had a few chips and dents, so I replaced it with a spare black painted grill I had. The original will be included in the sale as well. The factory 14in “Bundt” alloy wheels are nice and free of curb rash but could definitely use a professional cleaning. Michelin tires have good tread, but are older and it would be good to replace them in the near future. The US spec bumpers are very nice, but the rear bumper has scoring on the bottom half that I was unable to move, I have a spare bumper that is cleaner that I can include with the sale if so desired. The rubber seals and trim are very nice. Moist and free of cracks, the appear to have been replaced lately. The body itself is super straight and the car has never been in an accident. Being a 37 year old car, there are a few small bruises on the body that I have photographed. There is a small dent on the rear passenger fender, and there are a couple small scrapes and touch up marks on the rear passenger door. The car is free of any rot and rust apart from one small spot on the lower driver’s side air dam which I have photographed as well. Also the rear muffler has a couple tiny holes in it. If you stick your ear next to it you can hear it, but otherwise is a very minor issue. You can see the underside as well in the photos. The doors open and close with a solid thunk that is even nicer than my other cars and the door checks are still strong.

Interior -

The interior is a real treat and looks almost as good as it did when it left the factory. The blue MBtex seats have held up extraordinarily well and the back seat looks like it’s never been used. Even the driver’s seat has zero wear on it. The seats have perfect cushions and are not collapsed or lumpy in any way. The blue dashboard is crack free, which if you’ve been looking at these cars, you know that the nearly all are cracked. The wood trim is very nice, free of cracks and has good gloss. The interior is 100% original apart from a period correct Pioneer head unit that was professionally installed. Even the front to rear fader works. The switches and controls are very clean with just a bit of wear on the most used controls. The headliner is in great shape as well as the carpets. Unfortunately I was unable to source factory blue floor mats before the sale. The gauge cluster is very clean and nearly all of the interior lights work. The steering wheel shows zero wear. Every interior light works as it should apart from the light behind the climate control temperature dial and sunroof switch. Everything else works, even the lights for the shifter work! The trunk is clean and original apart from an extra layer of carpet. A spare tire and jack are present as well.

Mechanical

Mechanically, this car is a peach. The OM617 diesel engine has newer glow plugs and fires up instantly and doesn’t rattle, shake, smoke, or burn oil like many of these engines do. It’s quite quiet for one of these and has excellent power. Everything under the hood is stock and original apart from an aftermarket alarm which I have disabled. Even the hood insulation pad is in great shape. The car runs, drives, and stops extremely well and is by far the smoothest example I have driven. It has been driven only a couple thousand miles in the last ten years, so my mechanic and I have gone through it extensively. It has just had a fresh oil change (T6 Rw40) and oil filter, new fuel filters, coolant flush, new return lines, new air filter and mount replacement, new front shocks, new valve cover gasket, greased throttle bushings, front end alignment, rear greased wheel bearings, new window relays, and a bunch of small tweaks here and there. I also checked out a lot of the typical wear areas, and the car is in very good shape. The motor mounts, driveline rubber, flex disc, CV boots, and suspension bushings all have a ton of life left. The rear differential has good fluid, and doesn’t leak. This car rides extremely well, with no vibrations or issues. Everything is extremely original and works very well. The engine starts without issue, the power windows work well, the sunroof works, the rear defrost works, the climate control works, (great heat, car still has the original R12 air conditioning, which needs to be converted), the radio works, all of the gauges work (the speedometer works but is about 2 mph too fast according to Waze, and the fuel gauge occasionally will flop around by generally is accurate), all of the lights work, the transmission and shifter are smooth, the car tracks straight and true, the wipers work on all speeds, the cruise control works, the horn works, the power locks work, and the engine shuts off.

The Quirks

There a couple small issues benefiting an older car. Nothing is truly bad and these are all very minor things, but I am picky and I want to be completely transparent with the sale of this excellent car. First off is there is a small patch of surface rust on the front air damn, that is the only reason why this car is not rust free. The power vacuum door locks work but the system has a small leak. Occasionally if the car has been sitting for a few days, only the drivers lock with open when you turn the key. Give the car a few minutes to build up vacuum and they will all lock and unlock perfectly. The driver’s side key could be greased as occasionally it is a bit hard to turn, passenger side works perfectly. The passenger side sun visor is a bit crunchy, I’m assuming the foam as degraded a bit. The car had and alignment and tracks straight and true but the steering box has a little too much play in it, it's a very very minor amount, but it could be a bit tighter. The car could also use new tires in the next year or so. It is equipped with R12 A/C, so it needs to be converted to R134 to blow cold. The gas gauge can flop around a bit and could probably be fixed with a new fuel tank sender. There wheels are also a bit dirty and the whole car could benefit from a full detail. There are also the small imperfections in the body. The is also a third brake light installed that is not operational. The radio works very well but the on/off switch has been wired to the rear dome light switch. (The light still works when the rear door is open. I have a clean title and clean carfax

Overall 47 out of 50. (I’d rate my daily driver 20/50 haha)

Cosmetics - 22/25

• A few small dents, dings, marks

Mechanicals - 24/25

• A very solid vehicle that needs nothing to be enjoyed.

Final Notes

This example is one of the nicest on the market currently and definitely one of the nicest and lowest mileage in the midwest. Free of all the typically issues and having been extensively cared for, this example needs nothing. It just completed a 500mi road trip and averaged about 28mpg. I would not hesitate to drive this car across the country. It comes with a lot of service history, spare parts, and gets looks and comments wherever it goes. I am trying to be 100% transparent and will answer any questions. I have taken around 150 photos of all aspects of this car that I am happy to share, (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ianolivephotography/sets/72157701688760081) as well as a video of the car running and driving. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

I am looking to get $6,500 or best offer! Thank you for reading this huge write up! I'd also be willing to drive to a new owner within 300 or so miles. Lets talk!