The premise of buying a car that has been looked after by one owner since new adds enormous appeal to any vintage car. In fact, it can transform an otherwise ordinary car into something special, and that’s certainly the case with a specimen like this 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD sedan. The car was apparently ordered new as part of Mercedes’ European delivery program, and the long-term original owner drove the car overseas before it was shipped home. Right off the bat, you can tell it was ordered with specific intent, as that burnt orange color was certainly not sitting on dealer lots waiting for a buyer. Also, check out the period-correct blinds in the rear window.
The photo above presumably shows the first owner’s wife or better half getting ready to unload his pride and joy. I get it, however – you don’t want to maintain an old luxury car, and more likely, you don’t enjoy the driving experience of using a turbocharged 5-cylinder diesel everyday. The W116, however, is still such a handsome design, that I believe it’s the sort of classic you can justify keeping around for the occasional Sunday drive. The white-line radials are a nice touch, and I have to wonder if the front license plate comes from when the car was touring Europe.
Now, to be clear, this is a not a gray-market car, so you’re not getting the benefits of European headlights and bumpers, less crash protection, and fewer emissions controls. But, given this example was clearly looked after and kept indoors, the dash isn’t cracked and there’s no evidence of soiling on the carpets and upholstery. Like almost all W116s, the glove box door is sagging a bit, but that’s honestly the biggest flaw I can see. The genuine wood trim looks to be in excellent shape, and the OEM Becker radio remains installed in the center stack. The seller reports that the A/C doesn’t blow cold but all of the equipment remains installed.
You have to love this: the massive stack of receipts and other documents revealing an owner who was obsessive over tracking the history of his German sedan. The seller’s photos also show original owner’s manuals and other booklets confirming this 300SD has remained essentially unchanged since it was delivered new. The listing reports that if anything was out of sync mechanically, it went straight to the specialist shop for repair. This survivor sedan is listed here on eBay with no reserve and bids currently sitting at $4,135.
Clearly a woman’s garage, WAY too clean to be a mans. I think the price is a slap in the face to this lovely gal, who, by looking at the “terms”, is very well organized. The car? None better. M-B set the standard long ago as the best car in the world. I can only imagine she bought a new M-B. After you have one, not much else can compare. Diesel may be a bit of a deterrent, but M-B diesels were so advanced, they didn’t even smoke,, not like the old 2 cycle Jimmys. I’ve heard of owners running these on vegetable oil, with certain mods. With vegetable oil pushing $15/gallon, might want to stick with diesel. Wonderful cars.
The car is on auction, so no doubt its price will go higher. Was this car bought in Europe to US specs? It must have been since there’s no “Euro” bits on it. Clearly a nice automobile built when Mercedes still meant class.
Terry – the car is 100% US Spec! This Mercedes was made in Germany. Instead of just going on a train to a boat to another train to a US dealer, until recently, one had the option of ordering a Mercedes to your specifications, picking it up at the factory & driving it overseas for up to one year (tax free). Shipment back to the US was included in the price. There were designated drop off locations in Europe & then you flew home. 100% US specifications!
I bought a clean 1984 300SD for my wife to drive about 20 years ago, but she didn’t like it, I did. So, after a couple of years of changing minor things like the glow plugs and making adjustments, it ran better when I sold it to a young couple that were very pleased. I think it was for $4,500, good deal for them. It had only 130,000 miles, low for the 5-cylinder turbo. It had no rust in nice, if not perfect dark red color (Orient Rot in MB speak). And I did use vegetable oil as fuel when I could get it already filtered. It was not much different in price back then than diesel. Supposedly better for the engine though not quite as good for milage compared to diesel. It had a tempting fryed food smell too!
Yea. My ex FIL would get waste oil from the fish ‘n chip shops around the local towns to run his diesel cars. The stench that followed his cars was legendary. Family would keep their heads down in embarrassment.
Hey Howard, There’s a whole population of diesel owners in New England (that six-state region north and east of N.Y.), that regularly collect used cooking oil from restaurants to blend with diesel for a home-brew of bio-diesel. The only detriment of this type of bio-diesel, is that when someone’s 7.3 TD fueled by it goes by, it makes you want to head out for french fries. As far as the paperwork pile this owner has, I can dwarf it with my collections of records from my 1990 Bronco. I’ve owned it 01/91 and have collected records on everything. Stay tuned, it’ll be up for sale soon, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Just my $.02
I see that she still has the Mercedes-Benz published directory of North American diesel fuel stations, and the book with the exploded diagrams showing the part number of everything from the crankshaft to the plastic things that hold the trim on. Back then Mercedes would send you the parts directly,
Front plate is a German Zollamt plate so you could drive a limited time without getting German plates, then exporting it.
The last of the CAPS LOCK posters:
PLEASE IF YOUR NOT A SERIOUS BUYER DONT BID ON MY CAR
DONT THINK THAT YOU CAN BID AND WIN THE AUCTION THEN BACK OUT
WINNER OF THIS AUCTION OWNS THIS VEHICLE.
WINNING THE AUCTION YOU ARE ENGAGING IN A CONTRACT
SO PLEASE BID RESPONSIBLE
And please if you have a feedback score of less then 10 just send me a message through eBay and let me know your a serious buyer,if you don’t message me and you bid I will cancel and block you from the auction right away
Mercedes, used to send you a 100,000 badge every time you hit that number. Some of these diesels go over 1,000,000 miles!
I converted my hood emblem to the 100,000 badge. I want to stay in the loop on this jewel– and see how she fairs. I own an 84 Turbo Diesel Estate wagon that I have restored nearly everything on it–AND it has only 80 grand on the factory replacement engine originally destin to a remote power station in Alaska as backup for a power plant. ( square alcoves in valve cover if you are in the know). These cars are the viable cult classics for a distopian future. Not that I believe they will be necessary, but definately a good matching bookend backup for your remodeled bomb shelter. These older Mercedes are simply- long lived! Charlton Heston could have DRIVEN it out of the cave. HA!
I don’t know anything about these Mercedes, but I do recognize that this car has been cherished and cared for for decades. A few items to fix, but otherwise it looks to be in great shape. That table-full of documents is impressive.
Sellers says original paint- I see evidence of overspray and masking… This color fades pretty hard so could be just for that… but- buyer beware.
Lovely looking car. I love these old-school Mercedes-Benz Diesel cars. While I love the You Tube video of the car, I only wish I could leave a comment. Given the car’s condition, assuming the car runs and drives like it should, I’d be willing to pay around the $4,235 asking price.
The original paint on these was a Nitroceliouse based lacquer, It was VERY viable and strong. Of course, Reds–less so–yet still high quality. The clear coat was as well a higher grade. If always garauged the clearcoat would not necessarily have deteriorated, and may be amazing. To avert the Shangra-la syndrome, new buyer should also avoid UV.
My Dad had one of these – it was like driving a bank vault. Accelerated and handled as such.
The vehicle travels over railraod tracks as thought they are not there–due to hydro-elasitc self-leveling suspension. ( at least in my 1984) Yes, the superior-non-outgassing vinyl seats that also rarely tear cover an unfortunate selection of horse hair padding, and springs can be a bit bouncy. 40 yera old materials! yet the vinyl cannot be matched (on the seats) Door pillars- another story.
I remember seeing an older MB sedan like this with crank windows!
Who would own a car in Florida with a non-functional A/C? Why didn’t they fix it before the sale? I would bet it probably costs a bundle.
Probably because he starts all his auctions with an opening bid of $500, without a reserve. Repairing AC is expensive, it’s a gamble if he could make that money back. If I was him I wouldn’t either, especially heading into winter.
Steve R