1982 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

turbo diesel

Automatic

WDBAB53A7CB001489

This beautiful 300CD has been in California since it originally sold in San Luis Obispo. I bought the car in 2009, and made many improvements so that it can continue to be a daily driver. Even though this is a 30-year-old car, it's exceptionally clean and free of oil leaks. She starts and runs great, shifts beautifully, and has plenty of power. This is my second car, which I love, but I've decided I want one car only. This ad includes 24 photos, but I have many more I can share when you request them. This 300CD is one of the few remaining turbocharged coupes in such nice condition. According to the Diamler Global Media Site, Mercedes-Benz manufactured only 8,007 turbocharged 300CDs, made exclusively for the American market. About the Exterior The exterior of this car is beautiful. The previous owner had it painted to match the original Astral Silver Metallic. The body is straight and free of dings. Keeping in mind that this is a 30-year-old car, it shows some signs of age, particularly with some of the rubber trim. I did, however, replace all window and door seals, which make the car quiet on the road and free of water leaks. The chrome looks like new. The car has no visible rust. The previous owner, however, had two small areas of rust treated and repaired. One area is at the front end of the hood on the driver's side. And the filler used for the repair created a hairline crack in the paint (see photo). It's minor, but you should be aware of it. The chrome-plated Bundt wheels are lovely. Up close, they show some signs of pitting, but are in beautiful condition. They look especially nice with the Bridgestone Insignia SE200s, which have fewer than 6,000 miles on them. About the Interior The black leather is in fine condition. It shows signs of wear, but it's durable, smells good, and still looks great. The removable center wedge in the rear seat has a small tear in the leather. But with the wedge removed, the rear seat looks more sporty, and less bench-like. Also, the upholstery stitching at the bottom of the driver's seat detached from the frame. Still, all the seats are very comfortable for long road trips. The rear side panel on the drivers side has some damage at the top where it meets a chrome molding, and doesn't fit flush with it (see photo). It's not terrible, but if you're picky, you might want to consider replacing it. I'll include an extra panel that I was going to have reupholstered, but it too has its own issues. The air conditioning blows cold, and the heater and defroster blow hot. The automatic temperature dial, however, doesn't work. If that matters to you, you can consider buying either a new or reconditioned climate control unit. I'll include another unit and related parts I purchased to test and narrow down the issues. The vacuum system doesn't hold a vacuum two hours after turning off the car. This doesn't present any troubles, except that the passenger door and trunk won't lock or unlock automatically. Instead, you need to manually lock or unlock them. The sunroof and windows all operate, and so does the power antenna. The wool Berber carpet is in good condition. I recently bought black Berber mats made specifically for these W123 coupes. Overall, the interior is clean, looks nice, and has that familiar scent of a Mercedes-Benz from when they were built to last. About the Drivetrain The engine always starts right up, and runs beautifully. I replaced all rubber fuel lines with Viton® fluoroelastomer hoses, which handle biodiesel and petroleum diesel fuels, and any combination of the two fuels you choose. I had the transmission completely rebuilt less than two years ago. It shifts perfectly, and has many years of life remaining. I also had the front and rear main seals replaced, along with some other seals, because I'm very picky about oil leaks. In addition, I replaced the two rear axles, the two rear shocks with Bilsteins, and the rear muffler. See the following section for a complete list of repaired or replaced items. The disk brakes work well, but squeak especially when they're cold. I replaced the pads, but I think sometime in the future it would make sense to have the rotors resurfaced to eliminate this issue. Complete List of Repaired or Replaced ItemsFor all these repairs, I've spent more than $6,000. This is a strong, mechanically sound car. Front and rear main seals, oil return tube and seals, water pump, timing cover gasket and seal, oil pan gasket, and belts (September 2009 at 228,457 miles) New Bridgestone Insignia SE200 tires (October 2009 at 229,412 miles) New Viton fluoroelastomer fuel line hoses (for biodiesel and petroleum diesel fuels), as well as the main fuel filter Rebuilt transmission, and new rear Bilstein shocks (July 2010 at 232,020 miles) All window and door seals (except for rear window), and new black Berber carpeted mats (July 2010) New coolant hoses and radiator flush (May 2012 at 235,744 miles) Considerations for Repair or ReplacementAfter repairing all major components of the car, we're left with some minor, non-critical issues. Brake rotor resurfacing to eliminate common squeaking with these cars Automatic climate control unit, which commonly has issues with automatic settings Vacuum system to investigate loss of vacuum within a couple hours of turning off the car Rear interior panel on the driver's side Cruise control modulator, which doesn't hold a steady speed Driver's door: opener stop needs rivets welded to frame (this makes a loud click when opening and closing the door), and the door pillar has evidence of rust repair (see photos for these issues) Passenger front fender molding has a bad retaining clip Rear window molding doesn't quite fit right in the lower left corner Before You Bid I'm happy to discuss the car with you. It's important you understand the details about the car, so that you have no surprises when you take delivery. I've tried to give a complete description of the car as I know it. You can contact me through eBay.