1979 Mercedes 300SD

Are you one speeding ticket away from losing your driver's license? Do you want to drive around town feeling like Idi Amin, nd/or do you have delusions of grandeur? Do you want to own one of the finest, ost durable automobiles ever made? If you answered yes to any of these questions, his is the car for you!
Is it slow? Yes, ut if you're looking at this ad you already knew that. You're also probably aware then that this vintage of Mercedes is what the company's reputation is built upon. The diesel OM617 engine is legendary, ommonly going 500k+ miles without a rebuild. As you will see below, he replacement engine in this car has barely been broken in. I've owned several fancy cars, ut I've come to realize that what satisfies me most is not necessarily speed or flashiness but build quality. This car is 37 years old now and almost all of the switches have NO free play whatsoever. There are ZERO rattles in the car. I bought a brand new Acura last year and it already has several squeaks and a loose indicator lever, mong other things. For sale here is an engineering marvel.
I am the third owner, hough the last one only had it a few months, ainly for the purpose of a cross-country trip. It started its life in the U.S. in Florida, nd spent most of its 37 years in Dallas, X. It may be one of the most loved and well-used W116 300SD's in America, ith FULL DOCUMENTATION of every bit of maintenance and care since it was new. It comes with the ORIGINAL WINDOW STICKER), howng a price of $26,786 with the DB-903 blue paint color and optional sunroof.
It comes with the original 1979 sales brochure/booklet, nd complete set of original Mercedes maintenance books.
It comes with what appears to be EVERY SINGLE RECEIPT for work done to the car from 1979 through today. It's two inches high, rganized by year. I'm not kidding. The vast majority of the work performed (all documented) on this car was done by Park Place Motorcars, he Mercedes Benz dealership in Dallas, X. He kept all receipts for leather refurbishing, indow repairs, /C repairs and eventual upgrade. . . all the normal things that these cars need over time.
The highlights:
In 2003, he owner decided to install a BRAND NEW OM617.950 engine crated from Germany, long with a transmission rebuild, oth performed by Mercedes Benz of Dallas. I have the photos, ocumented as if it was the birth of a new baby at the hospital. This work cost $17,500. At the time of the new motor going in, he car had 172,000 miles on it, eaving the current engine with just over 100K.
There is zero rust. Spending all of its time garaged in Dallas with dry heat has served the car well. The zebrano interior wood trim in the center console was refinished and is in excellent shape as shown in the picures.
It has an Alpine flip-front CD stereo system (Alpine amp hidden in the trunk and subwoofer where the first aid kit went on the back dash) that cost $2,000 in 2008 and still sounds awesome. . . now with a built-in input to charge and play your iPhone 5/6+ music or hear navigation instructions via Waze or Google maps. (do not have the original mexico cassette stereo/radio)
The color is a beautiful Mercedes DB-903 blue that I've not found on a higher-quality W116 SD elsewhere. There are very few dings, nd the paint is very good and aluminum/chrome trim on these cars are sweet. It's an eye-catcher.
The blue interior is overall outstanding. There are a few tiny cracks on the dash near edges/corners, ut you have to look for them. The leather seats are in great condition, ack and front. They are firm and comfy.
The state of this car is as follows:
• Four new tires (<2000 miles)• New glow plugs
• All interior and exterior lights work, ncluding trunk
• All gauges work, ncluding tachometer, lock, peedometer, ripmeter, il pressure, emperature, nd gas
• Sunroof works
• Vacuum door locks work, nd hold.
• Headliner is good, ith one tiny ½" tear in the corner. (could use a little cleaning)
• All windows work (electric).
• Cruise control doesn't hold speed. . . looking into whether I can fix this.
• A few small tears in the vinyl on the driver's side rear passenger door
• All seats were restored at some point and remain in very good condition
• A/C blows cool and has been upgraded
• Heat blows hot, hough not through the center console vents.
• Brakes are all good. Rear brake hoses were changed recently to satisfy VA inspection requirements.
• Engine is strong as a horse, ith not even a puff of smoke ever. No leaks at all. Starts like a champ even at sub-freezing temperatures and roars like a lion at 80mph.
• Transmission shifts smoothly as it is supposed to.
• Car currently gets 28 MPG around town, nd MPG appears to be improving after diesel purge. (Yes, t weighs 4,500 lbs and gets darn near 30 MPG.
Fantastic.)
• Original power telescoping antenna replaced with static one, ut still have it if someone wants to repair
• Wipers are new and work perfectly. Windshield washer spray works well.
• New front windshield rubber.
• New passenger door rubber gasket.
• New steering coupler.
• New thermostat
• Fresh automatic transmission oil and filter
• New center driveline bearing and rubber carrier.
• Horizontal zebrano wood trim below the dash has typical cracking in the clear coat only... wood itself is good. I've located replacements, ut honestly it doesn't bother me enough.
• Installed a new grill insert and grill strips... looks great. (see first pic)
• I have the original first aid kit, nd numerous parts/hoses/filters, tc. . .
• Fitted Mercedes car covers included, long with a box of extra headlight bulbs.
I had the car up in the air at Mercedes of Midlothian recently, nd the tech said it looked incredibly clean. He was impressed.
I have not added all of the $ documentation up, ut it has to be over $40,000 of documented ongoing upkeep and maintenance done to it since 1979, hich is peace of mind for you knowing that it has been properly cared for by an owner who absolutely loved it.
This W116 is the luxury model "S" of the old Mercedes diesels, nd is the predecessor of the bulkier '81-'87 W126 chassis 300SD, 00SDL or 350SDL that you see many more of. It's similar to, ut bigger/classier than the pedestrian W123's that you see everywhere, ike the 240D, 00D, 00CD and 300TD which continue to grow a cult following.
I drive the car daily. It is big, urly, trong and awesome. E-mail anytime.