1979 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

Coupe

Diesel

Automatic

12315012003864

Clear

Non-turbo

Up for sale is our beautiful 1979 Mercedes 300cd "Betty". We're the second owners and have had her for a little over a year; unfortunately we need something practical at this time and hence we have decided to sell Betty. We are hoping that she will go to another classic car aficionado, preferably someone familiar with the legendary Mercedes w123. At this time, Betty does not need anything; she is ready to serve her new owners faithfully as she has served us and her original owner for the past 34 years. The original owner was an older lady who drove Betty around in SoCal; following, Betty then went to Northern CA for about 15 years (owner’s daughter), and finally moved back to Hollywood, CA. Visually, Betty is one of the better looking Mercedes coupes; the silver metallic on blue interior is arguably the best combination for the W123 Mercedes. The paint shines nicely; however, there is a small spot on the hood where clear coat is peeling – but this is hard to notice. The jack points are solid with absolutely no rust; there is no rust on the undercarriage/sub-frame either. There is however slight surface rust on the rear wheel well (pictured) which appears to be caused by clogged drains in the rear. This rust is not terminal, and can easily be fixed / painted by a good body shop at a reasonable cost. Betty’s interior is in good-excellent condition for a car of this vintage; this is partly due to her spending majority of her life in a garage. Her seats are firm and hardly show any wear, while her headliner is in average condition, but importantly does not sag anywhere nor does it have any rips either. There are 2 slight cracks on the dash; this seems to be common with the blue dashes. You can easily buy a dash pad if it bothers you; however, the cracks are not bad as she has been indoors mostly. All accessories work, including the odometer, which is an important aspect of buying a Mercedes diesel, as in many cases the odometer gives up so low mileage is not necessarily a reliable indication of a good car. Betty does not have an A/C anymore (removed by original owner); additionally, she has a manual heater control to bypass the troublesome automatic climate control. In the past 18-months, Betty has had the following maintenance performed; some by the original owner, and some by us (most recent first): § New tires & wheels balanced § New water pump (OEM), thermostat & fresh coolant § New oil cooler lines (OEM) § Replaced cheap CD player with original Becker Mexico radio § New alternator, water pump & power steering v-belts § New style fan blade (9 fins) & new fan clutch § Rebuilt brake booster & new brake master cylinder § New style glow plugs (pin replaces old loop style) § New Vacuum pump (OEM) § New hood pad (OEM) § New fuses and new Viton fuel lines § Valve adjustment & measured chain stretch § Transmission filter & fluid change § Rear end fluid change § Regular oil changes & diesel purges As you can see, all the major aspects of owning an older Mercedes diesel have already been addressed. The original owner informed us that her daughter had rebuilt the transmission while she drove the car in San Francisco; however, she was unable to locate any receipts. In driving Betty, the transmission shifts flawlessly, and overall it does appear that the transmission has been rebuilt recently. The original owner’s daughter also ran a blend of bio-diesel (refined pump quality) in Betty; however, we have run mostly straight dino diesel during our ownership with some cetane boost. The OM617 starts up with ease even in the colder La Crescenta mountain mornings (35 degrees ambient temperature); an indication the motor is healthy with plenty of life remaining. Oil consumption is around ½ quart between oil changes. Overall, this is a fine example of a nice useable classic Mercedes and we are confident the new owner will love her as much as we have. Please feel free to ask any questions or to come test drive her. On Mar-01-13 at 17:39:49 PST, seller added the following information: A couple of items I forgot to mention in the original listing (including responses to questions):Betty does not drip any oil, but there is some slight seepage around the oil pan gasket; was not a priority as it is purely cosmetic. I do have a new oil pan gasket which I will provide - the replacement is farily straight forward for the average DIY and can be done during an oil change.The idle speed adjustment knob does not work; the cable end is broken at the throttle linkage. I have a new idle cable whcih I will provide. Also not a priority since she starts right up without it, and we usually let her warm up for about 5-10 minutes before actually driving her.I do not know what the exact degree of stretch was when the mechanic inspected the timing chain. If this is something that bothers you, then you should seriously consider replacing the chain/tensioner/guides as a preventative measure (no use in just doing the chain, as it is typically the guides that fail). However, the more critical mileage related item was the vacuum pump (already replaced) as this can easily destroy the engine.Engine oil is Lubro-Moly Touring High Tech 15w-40 Diesel Oil available at most Napa and Lubro Moly dealers. However, I am quite certain it would run just as efficiently on any other diesel rated oil. Thanks! On Mar-03-13 at 11:28:22 PST, seller added the following information: Please note this is a 300cd non-turbo DIESEL mercedes. For some reason the "fuel type" under description says Non-Turbo, and eBay will not allow me to revise the description as there are already bids on the car.