1984 Mercedes 300D

[Otis Nice]

POSTING FOR A FRIEND. My buddy loves this car, but needs a good truck or tractor for the farm. Feel free to contact him via the ad. He's asking $5,000 OBO.

 

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I'm the 2nd owner, bought from the family of the original owner after he passed. It is a very original, unrestored car, complete with original documents, data tag, etc.... I bought it in 2007 when it had 111k miles on it, and 6 1/2 years later it has 159k, so it doesn't get driven much. The intent was for this to be my daily driver for the next 30+ years -- which I'm happy to do (I don't want to sell it) -- but our needs are different now.

 

Good: Mechanically its hard to imagine a better car. Because it had sat in an Upper Arlington driveway for several years before I bought it, and long-term reliable use was the goal, I replaced a lot of stuff early on. Brakes (complete, not just pads or rotors), various suspension pieces such as control arms and tie rod assemblies, ball joints, etc... Other stuff has included a partial exhaust, tires, belts, window switches, transmission linkage, I can go on and on.

 

The body is very solid. There was a rust spot on the passenger side door about the size of a dime when I bought it 6 1/2 years ago, and its now the size of a quarter. All body panels are straight. The upholstery is very nice. Other than what is mentioned below, everything works -- sunroof, original Becker radio/cassette, fog lamps, all fan speeds, etc...

 

Bad: The A/C doesn't work. There is some paint fading, particularly on the hood. There are two cracks in the dash. The body is far above average and pretty darn nice. The antennae no longer retracts, even though the motor runs. A couple of the faux wood trim panels have fallen off and/or cracked.

 

This is a very clean, solid, low mileage example of one of the best cars in the world. Its been said that there are more of these cars (W123, with the 617.xxx engine) with over 1 million miles on it then any car ever made. They just go and go. In addition, the 1981--1985 models were the last of the finest with the much more desirable turbo diesel (1985 California models had catalytic converters installed, leading to several issues... this car is not one of those). I've gotten 30+mpg out of the car on trips if I stay off of the pedal, but I routinely average 28-29mpg while maintaining normal highway cruising speeds. Speaking of fuels, this engine is one of the most tolerant of fuel quality power plants ever made. The forums are full of stories of guys who have ran out of fuel, ran down to the local hardware store, mixed up some concoction of brake fluid/denatured alcohol/various oils, etc... and the cars will run. Not that you would want to do this, and certainly not long term, but its nice to know you could if you had to.

 

This car in particular was delivered from Ed Potter Mercedes Benz -- and the tech who did the pre-delivery inspection in 1984 is the same tech who worked on the car during its ownership with the original owner -- and is the only one who has worked on the car since I've had it (Brian Niday, of Niday Automotive in Powell).

 

Again, I don't want to see it go. But the reality is that it is not as suitable for our needs as it once was. I am open to offers, and to trades. I have over $12k in the car, and while I know its not worth that, I also won't give it way.

 

I am open to trades. We started a farm and I need a real truck. I'm looking for a 1st gen 12V cummins, '89-93' preferred, 4X4 mandatory, I don't mind high miles if well maintained, and I don't care about the body at all. Would also consider V-10s, again 4X4 is a must. Other needs are a tractor. I'm partial to at least an NAA series Ford, if not an 800 series. Diesel is a plus too. Precious metals is a huge plus.

 

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