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One Family Owned 36 Years Beautiful Original Rust Free Runs Great Low Miles W123 on 2040-cars

Year:1978 Mileage:160610 Color: is in very good condition
Location:

Hurricane, Utah, United States

Hurricane, Utah, United States

Absolutely beautiful, great running, completely stock and original, rust free, very well maintained, time warp, museum piece, barn find, low mileage example of a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300D that has been in the same family for 36 years. I even have the personalized ID Plate (see pics) that the dealer would run through his machine to bring up ownership and maintenance history. The father, Paul (who is recently deceased), sold it to his daughter in 2006 and she has finally chosen to sell it after long and hard deliberation. I'm the Ebay go-to guy among my circle of friends so she has asked me to sell it for her.

Here's some cute recollections of her early association with this beautiful Benz (more details below)...

"It all started in 1977.  My parents purchased a 1977, baby blue, Mercedes Benz, 300 D, from Mr. Ken Garff himself (Salt Lake City, Utah).  We only had it about six months when my sister was driving me from Wellington to Price, Utah , and rear ended a car that was stopped in the middle of the highway.  We had to have been going about 50 MPH.  In those days, we did not wear seatbelts and, yes, I cracked the windshield with my head.  The car was totaled.
 
So, the baby blue was traded in for a 1978, creamy yellow, 300D, from Ken Garff Mercedes located on State Street in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Boy was this one much better looking than the baby blue one.  My next memory comes from 1983 when we took the 2 hour drive to Salt Lake to have the car serviced.  I remember at that time there was much flooding in the area and they had routed the water down State Street .  It was a rapid river flowing right down the business district.
 
I was probably about 14 when my Mom asked me to move the car from the street into the driveway.  The driveway was narrow with a porch on one side and a drop off on the other; not to mention the boat had been backed into the driveway.  This made me nervous and I told her no, but she insisted.  I carefully moved the car up the drive, put it in park and thought I was home free.  As I let my foot off the brake, the car inched forward.  Remember the boat that was backed into the drive?  You guessed it. The car hit the hitch and bent the grill.  My little signature was forever imprinted.  I still have the grill hanging in my garage for posterity.
 
My parents moved to Idaho and my sister had the car for awhile.  In about 2006, I purchased the car from my parents as they were moving to warmer weather in sunny St. George , Utah .  The car was driven the first year and parked for a few years after that.  I moved to St. George in 2010 and brought the car with me.  Low and behold the A/C didn’t work and neither did the speedometer / odometer after being parked for so long.  With temperatures peaking at around 113 degrees, A/C was a must.  The part had to be ordered from Germany .  It took 3 months to get it fixed. I also requested the speedometer be repaired.  The only way to repair it is to re-gear or replace the entire cluster at a cost of about $500.00. I drove it to Price, Utah , to my son (an amazing diesel mechanic) to take care of the starting issues.  The car was driven back from Price, Utah , in May of 2013. The car has been garaged ever since.  I estimate the car has approximately 1,500 miles more than the speedometer shows at this time.
 
This car has so many family memories and I hate to sell it, but it is not doing the car any justice to sit. You have to admit it is a beauty."

The car itself is extremely impressive. Below is a summary of it's most recent maintenance (well within the last 2,000 miles)...

* New Glow Plugs
* New Battery
* New Tires
* New Alternator
* All New Belts
* New Primary and Secondary Fuel Filters
* New Air Filter
* New Water Pump
* Cooling System Flush
* Oil Change with Synthetic Blend
* New Wiper Blades
* New AC Controller
* New AC Expansion Valve
* AC System Evacuated and Recharged

I've had the pleasure of driving it several times and would not hesitate to drive her cross-country today. And by looking at the receipts (included), the odometer failed between February 9th and June 24th of 2011. Two round-trips to Price, Utah and several trips to work (a 2 mile round trip) before the owner bought a new car and that's all she has been driven since. I'm a car (and a diesel) guy and think the running gear is simply excellent. That's all there is to it.

The exterior is in very good condition. Paint is all original with no accident history. There is a tiny parking lot dent on the passenger side front fender near the very front. Very small amounts of surface rust are visible in several areas (see pics). There is no cancer of any kind to be found anywhere. Undercarriage and fenderwells are in excellent condition. All the trim is in place and in great shape. Please look at all my additional pics carefully to see how well she has aged.

The interior is in excellent condition. It even has the original Becker Europa II radio and it still works. This beauty has never been smoked in; ashtrays are spotless. Rear passenger door ash tray has a crack. Dash has several small cracks. Inner window trim has shrunk due to heat (we live in a warm climate). The headliner is beautiful, seats are beautiful, carpets are beautiful, floorpans underneath carpets are beautiful, door panels are beautiful, wood is beautiful, etc (see pics).

The only flaws (and they are minor) in addition to the odometer mentioned above (speedo works great) are that the cruise control and gas gauge do not work.

This is really an amazing Mercedes-Benz. I am currently on my 7th so I've developed a genuine respect for them over the last-quarter century. So many have been lost to rust and veggie-oil conversions that to find one in this condition (especially with the original radio and low miles) is a real treat. I hope she finds a home with someone who prizes her originality. Just my two cents. 

My name is Chris and I am happy to answer your questions. Please call me at 435-669-1470. I also have tons of pictures that show every nook and cranny in great detail. Send me your email address and I'll get them to you. And you may want to consider flying in and driving her home. That would be a blast and I'd be happy to help facilitate it. This sweet 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300D is located in the dry, desert community of Washington, Utah (a little over 100 miles north of Las Vegas). Good luck and good bidding.


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