1987 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

300 D Sedan

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

WDBEB33D0HA286369

Diesel

Great Value, Great Diesel For sale is a smoke-free 1987 Turbo Diesel Sedan in excellent mechanical shape, well-maintained by a Mercedes Diesel enthusiast and owner of several Mercedes W115, W123 and W124 diesels over the years and still young at 240,000 -- (See Note Below). This model has the powerful and peppy Turbocharged 6-cylinder OM 603 Engine with original uncracked head with good compression and runs quieter than any other pre-1990 Mercedes diesel I've seen or driven. The interior is in great shape, the paint is in fair shape, with zero body rust. The car was a California model and then a Southern car, so it survived without any rust, but with some fading paint. It also has a few small acorn dents in the hood and roof, but nothing large or major. After listing locally, I had the car inspected at a local MB dealer and it got a clean pre-purchase report, except for a failing brake master cylinder and leaking transmission cooler. I replaced the master cylinder and flushed the system and put in a radiator donated from a parts car to fix the tranny cooler, so according to the dealer it is free of major mechanical problems. The car came to me a year ago in rough shape and I've put in lots of work to make it as mechanically and aesthetically top notch as my budget will allow.Nearly New Tires (about 6,000 miles on the tires);Replaced severly cracked dash from a donor car with an immaculate dash;Removed old MB-Tex seats and door panels and installed power leather seats wood-trim panels and the locking center console unit from a 1994 Gas model;Overhauled A/C system, installed brand new compressor and put in new old-stock R-12 with oil compatible with R-134a or R-12 (so the future owner could add any amount of R-134a or R-12 they want, if necessary);Overhauled all the brakes -- New Master Cylinder, New Rotors and pads (front and back), flushed brake system with Synthetic DOT4 fluid;Replaced faulty aftermarket tape player with new JVC CD stereo;New Injection Pump Delivery Valve Seals;New auxilliary DC/USB power ports in the glove box;New Serpentine-Belt Tensioner/Dampener;New "porcupine" variable-speed blower resistor and climate control rebuild;New headlight wiper motors and blades with bright Xenon headlight bulbs;New radiator and heater-core rubber hoses.Replaced stock yellow tail lights with smoke-clear late-model tails;Regular diesel purges and filter changes;New (now one-year old) battery;Lots of other small odds and ends.The car drives amazingly well, with the transmission shifting very smoothly. The turbo kicks in right on cue and strong. The engine is in excellent mechanical shape, burning little or no oil and able to get 30-35 mpg on longhaul trips -- I recorded 32 mpg (A/C on) and 34 mpg (A/C off) on a recent trip from Kansas City to Minneapolis. Around the city it's usually in the 25-27 mpg range. I've always run Mobil 1 Synthetics, presently using the MB Spec 0W40 European Car Formula with a hot 1.5 bar from the oil pump, showing the kind of good shape this car is in, mechanically. Occasionally I've run a mixture of cleaned or virgin veggie oil and diesel (summers) or Biodiesel. The stock fuel heater allows one to mix up to about 50 percent veggie oil in during the summers without any problem, and the added benefit of an engine that's nearly as quiet as a gas engine. On Biodiesel, the engine also runs nice and quiet as well. All told, it's a great car, I'd love to keep, but have to part with for school. Because I need to at least be able to afford some bills for school, there a reasonable reserve price. The Buy-it-now price is a very reasonable $4,000 -- still well worth it for this mechanically sound, rust-free, very comfortable and economical car. To have be both mechanically-sound and a head-turner all it needs is a shot of some fresh paint. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have, or give more details. I would prefer that you arrange to come to Kansas City, MO and pick up the car, or arrange shipping. I would, however, be willing to make arrangements if you wanted me to deliver the car to you which would cover my expenses and transportation back home. Hopefully that I'm willing to drive the car to you (even to one of the coasts), if you'd rather, will inspire some confidence about it's excellent condition. Mileage Note: There is a discrepancy on the vehicle report showing over 200k miles. When I purchased the car, the last owner informed me the speedometer had stopped working and he put in a temporary working model to pass inspection in Kansas while he had the original repaired. He figured it would not be a problem, because he thought the mileage exempt. Unfortunately, the inspection officer recorded the 230k number as accurate. The original speedometer, repaired and now in place reads 161,000 and while it is not completely accurate, since it was out for repair, is closer to the actual number than the 230k number. Pedal wear, engine performance show it to be much better than 230k, but I've listed it here at 240k to be more than honest about the car. Car is also listed for sale locally, so I reserve the right to remove this listing before the end of the auction and sell it locally. Thanks for bidding!