1985 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

Sedan

3.0L inline 5 cylinder turbo diesel

Manual

WDB1231301A079561

Clear

Diesel

This auction is for my 1985 Mercedes 300D Euro-spec. This is neither a show car nor a project car. It is just a solid, über-reliable driver. In fact it was my daily driver from April 2011 until about three weeks ago. I was ready for something newer, and recently I happened to spot a sports coupe on a local lot that I had to bring home. But this is a good, solid car that I expect to run indefinitely. The W123 chassis Mercedes diesels were the epitome of build quality, longevity and reliability. They were absolute tanks. This 300D was originally sold in Europe to a U.S. military officer stationed there. He became so attached to the car that he eventually brought it back to the states with him. He had the car federalized (modified to meet U.S. standards) at the time of importation, so it became a privately, but legally, imported vehicle. I have the original paperwork related to the importation. I bought this car in 2007. At that time it still had its original transmission, which was a four-speed manual, and original engine, which was the normally-aspirated variant of the OM617 diesel. So it was mechanically akin to a U.S.-spec 240D, but with an extra cylinder. Still, the non-turbo OM617 engine was only rated at 77HP in this car, so it was pretty slow. I found a good used turbo OM617 engine and swapped it into this car, along with a 5-speed transmission from a parts car I had. I also had the flywheel surfaced and installed a new clutch while everything was apart. I also installed a new Nissens radiator from MercedesSource. As for the transmission swap, the parts car was also a 1985 300D Euro, but with a 5-speed. It was a low mileage car, around 106K, but had been rear-ended a little too hard to be repairable. So I brought the transmission, shifter, shift linkage rods, and driveshaft over from the parts car. The driveshaft swap was necessary because the 5-speed tranny is longer than the 4-speed. I still have all the original parts, including the engine and transmission. Why Mercedes never offered this specific drive train in this car is a mystery to me. I have put around 30K miles on the car since the conversion and find it much more enjoyable to drive. The manual transmission has none of the adjustment issues of the vacuum-modulated automatics in the U.S. cars. With an overdrive gear in the tranny, engine noise at highway speeds is greatly reduced and it conserves fuel. And the turbo engine provides ample power for cruising in the taller gear. The thing that made the Euro-spec cars attractive to me is that they had less powered accessories than the U.S. cars. This one nearly has manual everything and is an absolute exercise in simplicity. Even the sunroof is manually operated and is easily opened and closed with one hand. The only powered accessories are a couple of vacuum-operated locks and the side mirror on the passenger side of the car. The front passenger door and the trunk both lock and unlock with the driver's door, whereas the rear doors have manual locks. (I don't believe this was unusual for the European models.) Originally there was also a vacuum pod for locking the fuel filler door, but it was leaky, so I just removed it from the circuit. I've never had any problem with attempted theft of fuel. In my view, simplicity in vintage cars is your friend, because the simpler the car is, the less potential there is for things to go wrong. That lowers operating costs and also means you spend more time actually using the car, vs. working on it. Some of the common trouble spots on the U.S. cars include: automatic transmission, electric motors for windows/sunroof, and the automatic climate control system. This car has none of those features. The good: The car runs and drives very well. It feels solid at any speed. It had a professional front end rebuild by Precision Autohaus in Nashville within the last 10K miles. The car does not leak oil or fuel. It burns a little oil but not an excessive amount, and this is not unusual or cause for concern. The cabin has no odors or leaks. The air conditioning and heating systems work. The engine never even comes close to running hot, even in 100 degree weather with the air conditioning running full blast. All the glass in this car is original and in excellent condition. The dash has very little cracking. The only thing I can think of that doesn't work is the powered side mirror for the passenger door. It has stopped working since I've owned the car but I have not attempted to investigate. The Bad: - because this car was originally sold and used in Europe, it did have some rust underneath, although it wasn't terminal. I made repairs using fiberglass cloth and Hirsch's Miracle Paint, which I got from MercedesSource. MercedesSource recommends this method of repair for the type of work I was doing and gives some practical reasons for it on their web site. Since I had no plans to restore the car to new condition, I opted for this method. I followed their instructions for prepping the body and doing the work, and I've been completely satisfied with the way it has held up. The work is a couple of years old now and it hasn't deteriorated at all. There was some rust in the floor pan, in the outer lip of the left rear fender well, and in the outer corners of the body panel beneath the front bumper. - because of the engine swap I was unable to reinstall the engine shock absorbers on the turbo engine. The W123.130 chassis (this car) only had the non-turbo engine, which used different mounting arrangements for the engine shocks. Likewise the mounting points on the chassis are different and don't line up with the turbo engine. So I had to leave them off. However, the only time you notice any difference is when the car is sitting still and idling. There is a little vibration but it's nothing dramatic. Once you start driving it disappears completely. Also worth noting, I have a 1981 Mercedes G-wagen with the same OM617 diesel engine, and it did not use engine shocks at all. Sedan buyers expected a little more refinement, which is understandable. - the shifter is a little sticky to shift into first gear, but it is minor and is really not an issue at all once you learn a little technique. - the driver's seat cover has started to tear, in the center of the seat cushion. It has been like this for a while and is not changing rapidly. - there is a small tear in the headliner, over the right rear passenger's seat. It is about an inch long and is pictured. - a small amount of water can leak into the trunk in a heavy rain, but the amount is small enough that it just sits in the plastic liner on the right side of the trunk, where it is trapped. I'm talking about a few drips, not a flood. On Jul-30-12 at 18:08:27 PDT, seller added the following information: Update: Just wanted to clarify, the car does have power steering and brakes. On Aug-04-12 at 13:20:12 PDT, seller added the following information: Update (8/4/12): I have just finished some additional maintenance on the car to ensure it is in top running condition and is ready to drive anywhere. I adjusted the valves, changed the oil and installed a set of freshly-rebuilt fuel injectors. The valves didn't need much adjustment, as I did the last valve adjustment in November. I think the old injectors were pretty tired though. The car is peppy and running as smooth as silk! I took it out on the interstate and ran along for several miles at 75mph, with the A/C running. It ran cool, smooth and strong. I also noticed that I can floor the accelerator now and do not get any smoke at all out of the tailpipe, at least none that's visible in the rear-view mirror. There was a question about whether I had ever checked the engine blow-by by removing the oil filler cap with the engine running. I had not, but I just did that check too, and took a video of it as well. You can view the video on youtube. ebay will not let me post the link to it for some reason. Just go to youtube and search for the title "Mercedes diesel blow-by check". The video is 32 seconds, posted today, 8/4/12. (There is no discernible blow-by.)