This clean 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300D remains in surprisingly nice condition for having almost 200,000 miles on the clock. That sort of mileage shouldn’t be any cause for concern given how long-lived the W123 chassis cars are. The color may look like “brown” to the untrained eye, but it’s actually Champagne Metallic Gold and it appears to be in excellent shape like the rest of the car. The 300D lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and between the proximity to Washington and retired service members, it’s of little surprise to see a stately-European car in a community such as this. Bidders have pushed the 300D to $5,100 here on eBay with the reserve unmet.
I don’t think a clean W123 will ever not be able to find a buyer, assuming it has been maintained to the most basic of standards. It is a very accessible car for the entry-level hobbyist to get into, but it also enjoys a dedicated following among fans of vintage Mercedes-Benzes and diesel engines alike. The diesel powerplants are extremely robust and still deliver excellent road manners, as the owner of this 300D likely already knows. While they are not fast, the turbodiesel W123s can more than keep up with traffic, according to owners who daily drive these modern classics. Seeing how rust-free this one is, I wouldn’t want to subject it to too much daily driver abuse.
While the MBTex interiors are famously hard-wearing, I’m still always amazed by how good they present even with close to 200,000 miles on the clock. The seller claims this 300D has been garaged its entire life, and you can certainly see that in the condition of the paint and fragile interior areas like the dash. While this car is seemingly destined to be a summer-only driver, it is a car you could take to work or to pick up the dry cleaning. The W123 may be perceived as a collectible these days, but it would be foolish to forget that these are basically used as livery vehicles in other parts of the world.
This is just to serve as a reminder that the W123 is a very versatile model, one that can be used as the unkillable beater or polished up and taken to the local Concours or Mercedes-Benz club lawn event. It is universally loved by enthusiasts for its subdued demeanor and ridiculously overbuilt engine and structure. With the mileage this one has and still being in sound cosmetic condition, it’s clear to me the next owner will be investing in a W123 that’s been loved, and that comes with an extra dose of rarity for a color you don’t see every day.
Has only served about a quarter of it’s service life. Upside: will be prowling the roads long after we are gone. Downside: Can be outrun in a drag race by a 36hp VW Transporter. Despite their limitations, they do get the ladies, as my wife will attest
I worked for a MB dealer and drove a new one from Wichita Ks to Austin Tx, 550 miles and they drive like a dream, rock solid and excellent mpg.
These are tough, i had an 85 wagon , the doors are among the most solid shutting doors, top 3, you feel like you are in a vault.
My diesel ran perfect for the 30k i put on it, i would start it on diesel, swap to filtered vegetable oil, swap back to diesel 2 miles before i got home( sure I forgot sometimes)
Safe reliable, kind of a Diva needing tweaking, but a very special rig, right up till i drove the 87 603.
According to the Ebay listing this is a leather interior.
I take exception to unkillabe, but maybe my experience is an exception.
I owned a ‘76 300D. Indeed it tracked like a train and was well balanced, good traction in snow for a rear wheel drive. It was also the only car I’ve owned, and I’ve owned about 24 in my life , that would cruise comfortably at the top of its speedometer range, which was 90 kpmI think.
Anyway, I never really drove it hard and it lost oil pressure and quit on me . Thrown piston rod I think.
Mercedes dealer was not helpful. The wrong sealant had been applied to the oil pan previously , it sluffed off and plugged the oil pump , thus the failure.
They would not cover the cost of repair.
In any event , the engine was rebuilt but it never was right and leaked a lot of oil.
On top of that, the thick undercoating Mercedes applied to the floor pan lost its integrity and moisture became trapped between it and the
floor. Just observing many of these 123’s up North, you see a lot of moisture inside the vehicles. It comes in through the heating vents as well.
I also never liked the automatic transmission, waited way too long to shift into second.
So that’s the rest of the story.
Still, when it was good, it was great , over all I loved the car.
Benz offered the OM617 diesel 5 cylinder for almost 60 years! I have owned three of them over the years. The last one was an ’83 300SD. I sold it to my neighbor 17 years ago for $1,500 when it had 238,000 miles on the clock. Many of these venerable old MBs have been known to clock over a million miles when diligently maintained … timely fresh “juices” and replacement of injectors and timing chain every 100K miles is critical. The only Benz made that has proven to deliver fuel economy, drivability, safety, comfort, … and AFFORDABLE maintenance costs that can be performed at home by knowledgeable DIYers!
Considering what $5-7 K will buy ya now…..this looks like a great deal.
Provided the Service Books are available.
Owned a slew of these and the wagon version. Incredibly reliable, great in town car, tje only downside is getting on the highway from a dead stop. A tandem cyclist has a better chance.