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Vehicle Description
W126 Mercedes-Benz 300 SD 5 cyl 3.0L turbo diesel
complete automatic transmission and cylinder head rebuild at 147k (45k miles ago)
regular oil changes and automatic transmission services
new brakes front and rear
recently aligned, drives straight
recent tune-up includes fuel filters, glow plugs and valve adjustment
has a plug-in block heater
has a power sunroof
plenty of tread on tires
I get 30+ mpg
but I'm told I drive like a grandmother.
No reserve. This is a 1982 Mercedes Benz 300 SD. It is a turbo diesel and has been well maintained. The odometer currently has 200,245 miles on it. However, ~45k ago the automatic transmission and the cylinder head were rebuilt by the dealership. I have the paperwork on that and it includes a valve job, timing chain and oil pump. So don't let the odometer fool you, this car is much mechanically much younger than its years. It drives great, has lots of power and holds the road nicely.
The Mercedes-Benz reputation is excellent, and the W126 is arguably the best car they have ever made. This car is a real head-turner and the paint is in very good shape. The body is clean and straight. The driver's side rear door had a small ding in it from when the previous owner's wife had to jump in the back seat as a tornado whipped past them on a road-trip through Wisconsin; the twister pulled the door too far open. As a result it opens a little farther than normal today, which is a very helpful thing when you're trying to load a piece of furniture in the back seat. Despite that, the door opens, closes and is aligned perfectly. There is a piece of chrome trim that is missing from behind the passenger side rear door. All the doors close with the legendary Mercedes-Benz bank-vault thud.
As I said, the paint is in excellent shape and holds light and luster all around, offset by the classic chrome trim. Given the car's age, there are a few dings and flaws and I have tried to capture them in the pictures. If you are not finding them detailed enough, email me and I will send you a whole slew of whatever you want to see. And there is NO RUST on the car.
The interior is also in nice shape, but not showroom quality. I am not a smoker. I have replaced the front seats (the interior is tan) with black leather ones. All eighteen or whatever directions the power seats go into work (I think it's really 6 or 8). The rear seat has a nice, long rip on the top where the sun has been beating on it through the rear glass--it's a Texas car--but the rip is not where you sit, so repairing it would be largely cosmetic. The rear seat (MB Tex) is light tan and as such it does not hide dirt or wear. But it is clean and quite comfortable. There are some minor trim pieces missing, such as around the ignition switch, the rear headliner, and a few cracks in the dash, but overall the comments I get are that the interior is in very nice shape. Again, I have tried to highlight the flaws in the pictures.
It is very sound electrically. All the power windows, seats, sunroof, blower fan, headlights, foglights work fine. There are no power door locks. The stereo is an Alpine CD player with front and rear speakers, and sounds great.
This car has been excellently maintained, with regular oil and automatic transmission fluid changes. A tune-up 5000 miles ago included new air and fuel filters a valve adjustment and glow plugs. I had a complete brake job done 8 months ago--everything new, front and rear. And I had the car aligned and had many suspension parts replaced (ball joints, control arm bushing, wheel bearings). There is a small power steering fluid leak (it's a hose, and has been leaking so slowly that it has not been worth fixing). The last time a mechanic looked under the car he was impressed at the overall condition (especially the suspension). Mechanically, this is a very sound vehicle. Along with the excellent maintenance and reputation, I would expect it to go for many more tens of thousands of miles. I would not hesitate to drive it across the country today.
I recently did drive the car from Washington state down to Texas, where it is currently registered. It has passed inspection here and has a clean title. It has a sunroof, however, the a/c doesn't work--I never needed it in Washington and have not bothered to get it looked at. The belt is hooked up to the compressor and doesn't squeal when the a/c is turned on so I am confident that the compressor works and it likely needs a recharge of freon.
This diesel is a perfect candidate for biodiesel or a grease conversion.
The terms of my sale are as follows: Buyer is required to contact me and pay $500 within 24 hours of end of auction to finalize the sale, or else I reserve the right to consider the sale incomplete and contact the next highest bidder or sell the vehicle elsewhere. The remainder of the sale price is due upon pickup or in one week, whichever comes first. Pickup and delivery are the responsibility of the buyer, but if you are flying in to pick up the car and I'm not at work, I'll try to give you a ride from the airport. I am selling the car locally and reserve the right to cancel the auction at any time. I accept paypal, cash and cashier's checks.
If you have any questions, or would like to come test drive the car before bidding, please email me and I will respond as soon as I can, or phone me: (512)592-0877. I may be more chatty in the evenings/weekends when I'm not at work.
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