1987 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

300 SDL Sedan

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

WDBCB25D4HA291718

Salvage

Diesel

Mercedes, 1987 300SDL turbodiesel, 152,000 miles, midnight blue exterior/blue leather interior, recent restoration has been performed on the car with receipts available that document that $9,990.79 has been spent, the maintenance is up-to-date with synthetic oil used throughout, everything works, even the clock and outside temp guage. Nothing needs to be done to this car. Just get in and enjoy the drive. Details: Engine coded OM603 6 cylinder, turbo diesel. This is a 1987 300SDL W126 car with a 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine that has been driven 152,000 miles since new. We purchased the car from its owner in Stewart, FL 6 years ago. It has been driven mainly by my wife as her daily driver since then. It had approximately 114,000 miles on it when we bought it. About two years ago an unusual circumstance happened when my wife was out in the car. She stopped at a yield sign on her way home from work. Just as she was ready to proceed the driver in a pickup truck behind her jumped the gun and ran into the back of the car. It was nothing major. One of the taillight lense was cracked and part of the body by the license plate was dented. The pickup driver's insurance co. agreed to pay for the repair. The next day, less than 24 hours later, my wife drove the car to the home of one of her clients. She pulled into the driveway and parked just off to the side near the garage. While she was in the house the children's Nanny left, got into her SUV, and backed into the front of my wife's car, causing superficial damages but puncturing the radiater so that the car could not be driven. Because of the age of the car, the insurance co. decided after this incident that the car should be totaled. We agreed and immediately repurchased the car from the insurance co. As these two incidents only caused what you would consider "fender bender superficial damage and not serious internal damage, we knew that we would eventually restore the car back to a state that would be even better than when we first bought her. We stored the car as it was for a couple of years as we had access to another car from my brother-in-law's Mercedes collection. I mentioned to him several months ago that we needed to begin the restoration of the '87 back to its former pristine state and he agreed. That is when the restoration process began and the car is now indeed in better condition than when we purchased her six years ago. I think that the pictures speak for themselves. If you need any additional pictures, I will be happy to provide them. My brother-in-law took the car to his home in Jackson, MS, for a short period and titled it there and put MS plates on it. The current title is free and clear and does not indicate a salvage condition. I have since brought it here to Athens, GA, for the purpose of putting it up for sale. This restoration process has brought it up to near concours condition. It is in rock solid condition for its age. This car is more efficient and more powerful than the previous 5 cyl model. It gets very good mpg, ranging from ~24mpg city and ~30mpg highway. The last fillup, which consisted of mostly local driving, yeilded 28.3 mpg. It all depends on your speed and how heavy your foot is. This 300SDL can cruise with 75-90mph all day long no problem. It’s very advanced compared to the 5 cyl previous model . Exterior - The exterior has been been repaired from the fender bender incidents, thoroughly handsanded, and repainted by a custom body shop in the original Midnight blue color. The bill for this body and repainting ork was $4,739.21. It now looks like a brand new car just out of the showroom. The body is straight and being a southern car, has no rust issues. I would now score it 9.9 out 10, (10 being show condition). The front and rear bumpers are in great condition. The Michelin tires are in very good condition with approximately 50% of the tread left. The wheels are in excellent condition. Overall, the condition of this car is as close to showroom condition as it can be without actually being a new car. You will not be disappointed! Interior The interior is in blue leather. The leather seats have been treated with leather conditioner and are in excellent condition. The zebrano wood looks very good. The dash has been treated with protectant and has no cracks. The steering wheel is in very good condition and is not worn out. The radio has been upgraded to one with a builtin cd player plus an aux port for pluging in an MP3 player. The sound coming thru the speakers is excellent. Heater and AC work very well. The power seats and headrests, on both the driver and passenger side, move/work in all positions. The sunroof is working fine. The central lock works perfectly. The clock and outside temp work perfectly. Two keys are included. Mechanical After the body work was completed, I took the car to a certified Mercedes mechanic who has years of Mercedes experience and told him to do a major service on the car and fix/repair anything that he found on the car that needed fixing. Some of the work that was done was to replace tie rod ends, lower and upper ball joints, steering damping shock absorber, install new Bilstein shocks all around, install a new LCD readout for the ambient temp guage, plus numerous other genuine Mercedes parts. All restoration receipts are available and will go with the car. There is no play in the steering and the car tracks straight and true. Total cost of this part of the restoration was $5,251.78. This car has a very strong running engine. It starts up right after the glow plug yellow light is off, regardless of the outside temperature. The engine doesn’t smoke even on hard acceleration, no blow by when the oil cap is open which is a good sign for a tight engine. It idles smoothly and revs without issues. Oil does not need to be added between changes which, using the synthetic oil, usually happens between 5,000 and 7,000 miles. The transmission is in great shape and shifts in a very positive way. There are no oil leaks. The vacumn pump that is mounted on the front of the engine has just been replaced. My Mercedes mechanic recommended that this be done as the original pump has an enclosed bearing cage that sometimes comes apart letting the small ball bearings loose in the engine. He has several ruined engines sitting in his shop because of this. With the replacement of this pump with a new and improved version this engine is now in a truely bulletproof condition. The anti-lock brakes are very strong and smooth. Over all, the condition of the car is solid and it’s the perfect daily family driver. With this car you have the safety of driving a large automobile with lots of interior room that combines safety with econobox economy. The car has just been completely serviced with Amsoil synthetic oil in the engine, transmission, and rear axel. It is ready to drive tons of miles with minimal maintenance. This car is being maintained by an independent Mercedes trained mechanic who has years of experience in maintaining these cars. His name and phone # is available upon request and he has said that he will respond to questions regarding this car. The car is available for an independent inspection if desired. Mercedes diesel cars are famous for their long lasting qualities that carry them to 400,000 miles and beyond on the original engine. I have seen several of this model on Ebay with over 475,000 miles on them. The interior is extremely nice with absolutely no rips or tears anywhere. Everything, works including the clock and outside temp guage. The AC puts out very cold air; the sunroof operates quickly and smoothly; the windows all work; the radio and power antenna perform as they should; the cruise control works just fine; all lights work (even the little map lights, the lights at the bottom of each door, and the make up lights in the sunvisors). Everything works! The trunk is immaculate and contains a full size spare tire, and jack. The original safety/medical kit is also in the car. The Headliner is clean and tight. The owners manual and all original booklets are in the car. And remember -- a cheap, used Mercedes can be a very expensive proposition. This is not a cheap used Benz. It is a car with the maintenance up to date that is ready for you to just get in and start driving. I believe that there isn't a better used car available for the money! Then again, if you have read this far, you probably agree.