1977 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

Sedan

5 - Cyl.

Automatic

12313012045993

Clear

Diesel

You are looking at my 1977 Mercedes-Benz 300D with 114,000 original, documented miles! This listing will be lengthy, and detailed to the best of my knowledge and ability. History This particular car was made on May 6, 1977, and It was bought new at European Motors which is now called Mercedes-Benz of San Francisco on July 26, 1977. It was maintained at Mercedes Benz of San Francisco until July of 1994. As far as I can tell, the people who owned it passed and it then went to St. Louis to stay in the family until I bought it in April of 2007 at 68,000 miles. How do I know all of this? Well, I had the Vehicle Master Inquiry pulled and cross referenced the dealer number to Mercedes-Benz' dealers all around the United States. I then called the dealership and had asked if they had any service records on this vehicle. Believe it or not, they did and were about to throw all of them away out of storage. I then proceeded to send the dealership a reproduction maintenance book and they totally updated the records in the book with the stamp from the dealership. This book is the only living proof of past and prior service before I took ownership...and quite frankly, it is quite impressive! so, the reason I am having to part with her is because I bought a Gelandewagen and dont have room for her in my stable anymore. Maintenance Since new, this car has been meticulously maintained since new. The only time I see that it has been done possibly by an independent is when it left San Francisco and stayed in St. Louis for a while. When I bought it, I made sure that all major and minor services went through the Mercedes-Benz dealership and if I did any do it yourself preventative maintenance, I used genuine Mercedes Benz parts and accessories. However, the only 2 things that are not factory Mercedes-Benz parts is the K&N air filter and the Nissen radiator. I decided to go with a Nissen because the top is metal and the Behr radiators are a hard plastic and twice as expensive. the papaerwork and the maintenance records shown below will show you the full and complete history and story of this car. All oil changes were done by Mercedes-Benz and they used a conventional Delvac 1800. Every other oil change, I had them change out the small O-rings on the filter stem to keep good oil pressure at all times. I adjusted the valves myself every 15K and replaced both fuel filters more than required by Mercedes-Benz. Here is some of the major work that I have done to this car while owning it: 70,012 Miles~ Valve adjustment, replace fuel filters, replace v-belts, replace glow plugs, new valve cover gasket, check timing chain and cam lobes for wear 85,015 Miles~ Valve adjustment, replace fuel filters, check v-belts, replace battery and battery tray, new valve cover gasket, check timing chain and cam lobes for wear. White lithium grease throttle linkage sunroof rails, trunk, hood, and door hinges, and power antenna mast. 87,310 Miles~ Replaced all 5 injectors and seals, replaced fuel return lines, replaced fuel filters, and bulk fuel hose with "impregnated" factory fuel hose. Performed compression test on all 5 cylinders, all okay. Ajusted the "T" motor mount under the car. 88,047 Miles~ Replaced head gasket, exhaust valves, valve guides, valve seals, cam sprocket, timing chain, chain tensioner, replaced intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, oil change, new coolant, changed glow plug system from loop style to newer style. Changed glow plug relay and wiring harness for glow plugs, replaced water pump, machined head and intake valves, valve adjustment, and re-greased throttle linkage, replaced both fuel filters. 110,013 miles~ Replaced front rotors, front pads, sensors and bled brake system. 111,470 Miles~ Valve adjustment, replace fuel filters, and checked all fluids. That's just part of it!. Since I have owned this car from 2007, here are the things that I have done maintenance wise to this car March 2007~ Replaced radiator, thermostat, all coolant hoses, fuses, power steering filter and fluid, fuel filters, driveshaft mount. May 2007~ Replaced lower ball joints, tie rod and tie rod ends, York Compressor and kept R-12, replaced high and low switches, replaced starter, upper control arm bushings, v-belts. August 2007~ Replaced Bosch auxillary water pump, fuel tank sending unit. January 2008~ LOF Service at MB Dealer and trans service and rear diff service. January 2008~ Replace front brake pads, sensors,RF brake caliper and all 4 brake hoses, replaced front shocks (bilsteins), and installed a block heater, replaced fuel filters, replaced power antenna. March 2008~ Replaced motor mounts. April 2008 Replaced both flex discs. May 2008~ Replaced brake booster, master cylinder, grommets and brake fluid reservoir. Bled brake lines and flushed system, drained fuel tank, replaced all fuel hoses and fuel strainer under fuel tank. July 2008~ Replaced tires with Michelin Destiny tires (195/70R14) @ 84,723 miles. August 2008~ Sent head unit in and had all gears replaced in odometer (10 mile discrepancy from when the odometer broke) LOF at MB dealer (technician noticed head gasket having small coolant leak). September 2008~ Replaced fan clutch and upgraded from a 4 fan blade to a 5 fan blade. November 2008~ Replaced rear muffler and muffler clamps. July 2009 A/C service, recharge system with R-12. November 2009~ Replace V-belts, glow plugs, alternator, battery, hazard relay, wiper relay, pre glow relay, new radio deck with mp3 usb plug, replace all 4 speakers with Pioneer and Kenwood speakers, fuel filters. November 2010~ Replace front rotors, pads, sensors, replace fuel filters, and bleed brake system. Exterior The exterior of this car shows that since it was new, it has been parked outside and that the sun has definitely taken it's toll on the paint, the seals around the glass. As you can see from one of the pictures, there is a cancer that is on the front left fender of the car and the fender would have to be replaced when it goes in for new paint. The rear edges of the wheel wells show slight signs of corrosion, i'm sure just due to age and a possible drive time in St. Louis. the paint code for this car is 172 which is Anthracite Gray Metallic, and this version of this car was a deluxe version because of the chromed vents on the hood, power windows, A/C, and power sunroof. Before I decided to sell my car, I went to the Mercedes-Benz dealer and purchased $1,300.00 worth of seals that naturally need to be replaced when going to the body shop. I had planned on taking it to the body shop and having all of the glass, moulding, carpet, seats, and everything taken out and going all the way to bare metal, and re-spraying it right without having tape lines. I have decided to not do it, but to include the seals with the car so that the new owner can have it done.Interior The interior on this car is surprisingly clean. The interior color of this car is called bamboo. The seats are of the famous MB tex and are in great shape. The drivers seat could probably use a refurb as it has some sag in it due to age. There are no burn marks, holes, or any signs of neglect, but it seems as if there is a 2"rip right dad smack of the front passenger headrest. The loop style carpet , I think, needs to be replaced all the way around, especially due to the windshield seal losing its seal around the A-pillar and water coming into the floorboard, with a result of the carpet deteriorating on the front and rear left side. The wood on the dash is average. the one piece of wood that surrounds the climate control tends to pop out at times, but thats it. The power locks on this car do not work because I'm sure the actuators need to be rebuilt. Cruise control does not work, and never really had any intention on fixing it. It would have been a different story if it was a turbo diesel. The A/C blows Ice cold and it works as it should. Sometimes I have to press the exhaust button thad then the front button to get max airflow out of the front vents because of a possible vacuum leak? It's not a big deal though. The right rear and left front window do not operate. This tells me that it is not a fuse, because when you put a fuse in, it blows.....therefore, there has to be a short in the wiring from the drivers side door to the window switch in the console. The sunroof works as it should except when it's cold outside....tends to slow down quite a bit. The rear window defrost operates from the switch, but only 4 lines work in the glass...typical for this age.Mechanical The engine on this car is super strong! It has had all of the maintenance done on it as it should and more! As soon as the technician at the MB dealer told me about the seepage on the head, it went right into the shop and it was fixed. And since it was torn down that much, I might as well have done the added work, because, eventually, it was going to go some time or another. Since this car sat outside for so long, the elements took it's toll and caused a lot of things to become brittle...ie, the weatherstripping, belts, hoses, and with it having only 68,000 miles when I bought it, it was somewhat of a red flag for me because these cars are meant to be driven and not sat around. Anyway, this car will take off in first if the kickdown switch is pressed, and it has no problem with lag since it has a K&N air filter and the fuel filters are changed as often as a baby's diaper. The shifter bushings were also changed or added when I bought the car, and the car shifts as it should. However there is a very small seep in the transmission. I was told that is a seal that cannot just be replaced. It is a seal that has to be replaced when the transmission gets overhauled. So, I keep a magnifying glass on it and make sure everything is good to go. I just can't justify spending $3,000.00 on rebuilding a transmission when its not broken just to replace a seal. As you can see from up above, the front brakes have been re-done and the bearings did not need to be messed with...they were fine. The Antenna motor has been replaced with a newer version because when I had the car washed at the MB dealer, they failed to lower the antenna and busted it off. It did more damage than good and I bought a new motor and MB installed it and had to rewire everything from the back of the radio to the trunk. The antenna works as it should and goes up and down every single time.Tires The tires on this car are as close as I could get to the original factory tires that were on this car when it was new. They are the Michelin Destiny, and they were put on as stated above. The tires are at about 50% life and I have them rotated and balanced every 5-6,000 miles. Wear on the tires seen normal except the front left looks as if there is more of a wear on the outer lip than any of the other ones. I have the car aligned regularly at MB and inspected all the time underneath with no news of needing anything replaced. The spare tire in the trunk is still the original Michelin tire when it came from the factory. The tire jack and tools are all there and are complete. There is even the factory tire tag that is still attached to the valve stem. The trunk is clean, still has the original factory rubber mat as shown in the pictures and even has a carpet that has been made for that car that is from the previous owner.OverallThe car is in really good mechanical shape. the only downside is that it needs to go to the body shop to have it brought up another few notches. I have already bought the seals, so that right there is a savings of $1,300.00 Mind you, these seals come straight from Mercedes-Benz...they aren't knock off aftermarkets. The car is a 10 footer, and people like to see it go down the road because of the original hubcaps, and the neatness of it being old school.Books and Records The records on this car is extensive! As you can see in the pictures below, the records are quite detailed and are exactly what and how a Mercedes-Benz should be maintained. Also included is an original magazine advertisement for the 123 chassis in 1977, and an original sales brochure that came from the dealer in 1977. The car also comes with the original owners manual and all of the tags that came with the car when it was brand new. the only thing I do not have for this car is the original window sticker when it was new. I also have a owners manual that is in German for a 123 car but not specifically for this car. There are also warranty and emission control manuals for a 123 chassis but is for a 123123VIN, which I believe is from a 240D, and is not specific to this car. However, the maintenance booklet I have for this car is what really counts because of the dealer service stamps. I have the owners manual for the Sony radio as well as the radio tools and the remote control that is still in the packaging. I also have the factory Mercedes-Benz Service Manuals 1 and 2 and the Haynes manual. I will Include with the car as well.Shipping Shipping for this car will be the sole responsibility of the purchaser. I will gladly assist in helping with finding a shipper for you. OR if you plan on coming to Dallas to drive it home, please let me know, and I will be glad to pick you up at either Dallas/FortWorth International Airport (DFW) or at Dallas Love Field (DAL). If you would like to have an independent inspection ordered, I would be glad to drive it over to one of the local Mercedes-Benz dealerships at your expense. Actually, I encourage it! I feel that I have told you everything in as much detail as I can and the books and records back that up, but I want to make sure there is no buyers remorse, and I have been backed by a Master Certified Mercedes-Benz technician.PaymentOnce the auction ends, I will require a $250.00USD deposit via Paypal to show serious intent. The rest of the funds can be either paid by cash in person, or a bank wire transfer or by Paypal with 3% added for the Paypal fee. Disclosure I feel that I have disclosed as much information to you as I possibly could about the car. The car is 34 years old, and it is now a classic. It shows signs of wear and tear and it is not a Concourse car. Therefore, the car will be sold "AS/IS-WHERE/IS" and no warranties are implied. Once the car is out of my possession, I hold zero liability for the vehicle and it is the buyers responsibility to have the vehicle insured as required for the buyers residing state. If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to call me on my cell phone, 214-325-3147. However, I do not give you permission to contact me for solicitation to list my vehicle with your company. Don't waste my time or yours. Thank you for reading all of this, as I know your time is valuable as well, I just wanted to paint you a picture, and be as honest as I could. Good Luck! On Sep-29-11 at 16:50:59 PDT, seller added the following information: