1982 Mercedes-Benz

300TD Wagon

Automatic

wdbab93a1cn009352

Diesel

1982 MERCEDES WAGON 300TD TURBO DIESEL WAGON It’s time to downsize my fleet so up for sale is my 1982 MERCEDES 300TD DIESEL WAGON. Also included is a UHAUL HITCH. Presently it’s not installed but I can show you how – it’s easy and only takes a couple of hours from start to finish, including the wiring harness. The wagon also comes with an installed and functional Golden Fuel Systems vegetable oil system – paid $762.50 when I purchased it in 2005, still have the original receipt! This system is the style with a heater for the veggie oil in the stock tank plus a plastic, 3-gallon auxiliary tank for diesel in the rear cargo area. If you’re not familiar with GFS, this system allows you to start up on diesel and once the engine is warm switch over to the stock tank - you are running on veggie. I don’t notice any difference in power or mileage, just the peculiar odor of fried food coming from the exhaust. People give you strange looks when you’re filling the tank from a jug of oil, but sure beats paying $3.00 or more per gallon! If you would like more information on GFS check out their website: http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com THE GFS OIL SYSTEM, EXTRA PARTS AND UHAUL HITCH ALONE ARE WELL WORTH MORE THAN MY STARTING PRICE! Just to make anyone interested aware, the engine in this car is actually from a 1981 wagon of the same exact model and has 20,000 more miles on it than shown on the instrument cluster. I purchased that car in 2005 and drove it every day on vegetable oil since without any problems, other than the usual mechanical issues and maintenance not related to the vegetable oil. Last year the body of that car was too far gone to continue driving. A friend of mine had this 1982 that his engine quit working in and we couldn’t get it going again. So, we pulled the motor out of my ’81 and dropped it in this body. It has been my daily driver to and from work (15 miles one way) every day since we did the swap last fall. The transmission is the one that was in the ’82 when we started. All through the swap we could not find any difference at all between the two motors. So, here’s what doesn’t work on the car. This car was built during the first Reagan administration, so yes, there is some rust. The fuel tank level sending unit is broken. Wires inside the unit are broke and I never bothered with replacing, just keep the tank full. The power antenna doesn’t work but the radio works fine. When we swapped the engine I put in a new block heater from Performance Products but for some reason unknown to me it quit working a few weeks ago and I haven’t had the time to figure out why. All of the glow plugs and circuit work so it’s still starting, just a little rough now that it’s getting cold. Presently the AC does not work since we had to disconnect the lines during the engine swap. The compressor is from the ’81 and it worked before but started burning fuses from time to time. I don’t know what it would take to get the system working properly again, I think the previous owner was having trouble with it when he was driving it. My view was, I’m the only one driving this car and it’s almost 30 years old, how much do I want to spend on replacing parts for cool air? Someone else may have a different opinion, that’s up to you. There’s also some small leaks in the vacuum system but the door lock actuators work (several of them are new and I patched some leaks in the lines to get them to work). Now, also included with the car will be a trunk full of extra parts that were scavenged off of the ’81. (Think of one of those infomercials that say, “But wait! Call now and also receive…”) I’ll put together a complete list and add to the listing later, but included are door window motors, regulators and glass, external lights, interior electrical switches, speakers, exhaust, wheels, and the UHaul hitch that bolts on under the rear bumper – purchase price of the hitch was $329.99, still have the original receipt from that 2006 purchase as well! I have done almost all of the maintenance and repairs on this car myself and have done a pretty good job of it if I do say so myself. (Hey, how many people would drop an engine in a 30 year old car and then drive it every day? OK, someone might do that with an old muscle car, but this is a German grocery-getter!) All right, here are the disclaimers. I am not in the business of selling cars so there is no warranty. This is my personal, daily driver and selling it to make room in the driveway (there’s only two driving adults in my house, we don’t need four vehicles). I will guarantee that this car will start and run so you can drive it home but beyond that you are on your own. (I’m not a jerk so, yes, if in the extremely unlikely case that you don’t get even a mile down the road before the planets align and cause a cataclysmic event, creating a tear in the space-time continuum that reverses internal combustion processes in your locality and thereby stopping the engine I will lend you a helping hand.) The car is being sold as-is and preferably where-is but we can negotiate arrangements to deliver if need be, for a fee depending on how far away from me you are. Feel free to call me at 570-573-8602 if you want to come look at the car, take it for a drive or have any questions. If I don’t answer, leave a message and I will call back within a day. Preferred payment method is good old U.S. cash. Winning bidder must make reasonable effort to contact me within 24 hours of auction end and final purchase transaction completed within 7 days of auction end. Thanks for looking and happy bidding! Update Dec 9: added picture of hitch to be included with car, will inventory extra parts to be included and update by this weekend. Update Dec 11: OK, there’s been quite a bit of interest. Thank you to everyone that has been looking and asking questions. Before things get serious, please let me state for the record that this car is not in showroom condition. I would rather lose a potential buyer now than have someone win the auction expecting that they were getting something in mint condition, refuse to buy, give me negative feedback and then go through this all over again. The weather was nice enough this afternoon that I could put the car up on ramps and give the underneath a good inspection. I found a couple of holes that have rotted through from rust that I did not see before. There appears to be enough solid metal that a competent body shop should be able to repair. Just for reference, when I bought my ’81 it’s underbody was in worse shape than this one and it cost me $475 to get it fixed. The driver side is in pretty good shape but the passenger side is in need of some attention (typical of these old 300 series Mercedes). The front-passenger jack hole will need to be rebuilt. Up top everything appears solid, even the hood mounts and drain areas. Unfortunately, Mercedes didn’t know how to build a body that would last as long as their diesel engines. Overall I would say the condition of the car is good but will need some love if someone wants to continue driving it, especially in body work. Here’s a list of the extra parts: UHaul hitch Rear suspension control valve, nitrogen cells and new fluid Power steering box and hoses Aftermarket roof rack cross bars New filters (fuel, power steering, veggie oil) New brake hoses Window motors, regulators and glass Windshield wiper motor Various electrical and vacuum components Exterior door trim (shown to be missing on the driver’s side in the pictures) Driver’s seat OEM Speakers Lights Console trim panels Auxiliary fan Door checks Aftermarket radiator overflow tank (better design than the OEM) Grill with ornament Climate control unit (doesn’t work properly but may be rebuildable) Vacuum reservoir Radiator AC Condenser Exhaust and three wheels (not pictured) Plus a bunch of other odds and ends Except for the climate control unit, all of these parts were in good working order when I pulled them off of the ‘81. I kept the control unit because the core charge when you go to buy a new one is quite expensive. I pulled the power steering box because although it has some wear, still has plenty of life left in it and these are VERY hard to come by. Thanks again for looking. If you’re really interested in the car send me your direct email address and I can send you some walk-around videos showing the car and its bad spots.