Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

Mercedes-benz 300cd Turbo Diesel on 2040-cars

US $21,000.00
Year:1983 Mileage:149000
Location:

San Dimas, California, United States

San Dimas, California, United States
Advertising:

I recently updated with several additional pictures as requested.  Video available upon request...

1983 Mercedes-Benz 300CD Turbo Diesel.  This is a 123 series turbo diesel coupe with spectacular orient red color paint. This car will take your breath away. I get compliments every time I drive it. The paint is as close to flawless as you can get.  This is the only orient red color CD coupe I have ever seen and was told by the Mercedes-Benz dealership that it's very rare and was only obtained through special order from Germany. 
Coupled with the magnificent palomino interior it looks like it belongs in a museum.  This car would fetch a small fortune in Germany.  

I drive it to the donut shop on weekends and to car shows once and a while, then it's back in the garage, covered up.  As you may know these vehicles are known to run 700,000 miles or more if taken care of.   It's not very often you find one this nice with low miles that has been so well cared for.  One recently sold on Ebay for nearly 25k; it had lower miles, but I felt it was not as well kept as this one.  I have owned several of these 300's diesels over the years and have driven a bunch more of them. This one is by far the nicest one I have ever seen or driven. 

This vehicle is here in Southern California and spends it's life covered up in my garage. If you run the vin on this car, you can pull up the history - it's clean and I was told it was once owned by the Mel Gibson's pilot.  Interesting and true story.  There is no rust on this vehicle that I can find anywhere. Everything on this vehicle works like it should, everything!  You can drive it from Los Angeles to New York and back without any worries. It drives very nice.  It's as close to showroom condition as you can get. There are no leaks, drips or crusty oil build up under the vehicle like you see with so many of these old diesels. 

The positive elements of the vehicle:
  • Paint - Amazing orient red color, MBZ 501 - painted several yeas ago in Los Angeles and looks amazing.  I have a paint receipt for 11k.
  • Tires - New Yokohama rubber all the way around with the spare tucked away nicely in the trunk, with all the tools and emergency triangle right where it should be.
  • Interior - Look at the pictures and judge for yourself, just beautiful.
  • Dash - Stunning - again, just look at the pictures.
  • Carpet - Outstanding, no rips, stains or anything worth mentioning.
  • Seats - Solid, firm and comfy. Belts work real well. 
  • Vacuum system - I recently went through the whole system looking for a door lock leak that drove me crazy. Fixed it and replaced many of the connections trouble shooting. Works brilliantly now.
  • Engine - Running very strong. Like I said before, I have seen a bunch of these - you can tell in a second the owner(s) who just drove them and drove them. I recently went through the engine and adjusted the valves, performed a diesel purge, changed all the fluids/filters and inspected everything. It does not smoke; starts and stops immediately, and cruises nicely on the highway.
  • Transmission - Shifts like it should.  Re-buit several years ago in Los Angeles. I also just completed a full transmission service, filter and fluid as well as linkage adjustment. 
  • Rear Differential - Solid as a rock. No leaks or problems. 
  • Suspension - I have receipts for new Bilstein shocks, and a whole host of other things related to the front end suspension. Most of the suspension was gone through and you can tell by the ride immediatly.  
  • Brakes - New pads, fluid and rotors - stops on a dime with no pulling or surging of any kind.
  • Electrical - Everything works like it should.  Even the dash lights were replaced and you can see the gauges nicely in any lighting conditions.  The window switches are new and have no wear.
  • Sound system - It's really nice.  The old Becker is long gone but they were terrible anyway.  If you want one they are all over Ebay.
  • A/C - 134a conversion a few years back - Nice and cold on 100 degree days and blows out the center vents as well.  
  • Sunroof - Opens and closes as it should with no wind noise or water leaks.
  • Rubber around the car - Virtually no wear, really nice rubber. 
  • Glass - No cracks, chips or dings. 
  • Underside - Pristine, no rust.
  • Windows, horn, wipers, headlights, turn signals, defrost, cruise, antenna, gauges, heater, mirrors, etc. - all working - even the rear windows go up and down and rear defroster works.
Receipts for repairs - I have a stack of receipts - over $14,000 in repairs and maintenance have been done on this vehicle over the years, plus a ton of sweat equity - and it shows. The pics are hard to see, but I can provide a complete list of all the repairs and maintenance records. I do a fair amount of my own simple to moderate repair work. I don't trust or want to pay mechanics with something I can do myself. I use German parts and follow factory specs on everything I do. 

People say these diesels "run forever".  Well they do, but you have to maintain them.  This one could be parked at a dealer to show what the "pursuit of perfection" looks like after 30 years. 

In short, this vehicle will not disappoint.  I have a ton of money invested in it. I kept fixing things because I wanted it perfect. Now, I am over my head and the wife is fed up, so it has to go. I have too many cars and not enough money to support them all. 

Whatever you end up investing in this vehicle, you should get it all back as these coupes are sky rocketing in value. 

The negative elements of the car:
  • You may want to adjust the steering wheel play - It still has some adjustment left on the spindle, so you should be ok with a simple adjustment. The steering wheel play is not enough to bother me, but if you want it perfect, it's there for you to play with. 
  • Aftermarket dash cover and rear speaker shelf covers, (the fuzzy carpet kind) - If the vehicle was going to be driven and left outside, I would invest in those aftermarket covers to keep the dash and rear shelf timeless.
  • Cruise control - You may want to invest in a getting that checked out if it acts up on you. It was working intermittently awhile back, so I put it on my list to investigate. I tested it the other day and it was working fine. I may have fixed it inadvertently when I was cleaning all the connections and replacing vacuum lines. Keep it on your list until you investigate further.
  • Lube the antenna.  It was sticking a little awhile back, I lubed it and it's fine now. Something you may want to stay on top of as they easily stick when dirt and dust get in there. 
  • Stereo - It has a really nice Kenwood stereo, but the original Becker is long gone.  Some people like the nostalgia of having the Becker. They are all over Ebay, so it's easy to procure one if you want that. 

Special elements to consider:

I will pick you up at the Ontario,CA airport and bring you to the car if you want to fly in to see it.  If you purchase it with cash. I will consider reimbursing you for part of your airfare.  That is how serious I am about the condition of this vehicle.  Please contact me if you have any questions at 1- 909-233-4329.  If you are outside the United States, I will work with you to get the vehicle shipped. I will take a PayPal deposit of $500 USD within 48 hours after the close of the auction and require the remainder in cash or bank wire within 7 days.  The vehicle is being sold "as is" without warranty, expressed or implied, with no returns or refunds. I have done my best to describe the beautiful vehicle accurately. I can provide more information, pics or a video to raise your comfort level about this investment if you need that. I reserve the right to end the auction at anytime for any reason.

Thank you, 




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Auto blog

VW, Fiat, Mercedes could be CNG winners in Europe

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Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

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