I am surprised the AMC show "The Walking Dead" hasn't broached this subject yet. They still show them starting up gas cars after 3 years. Even if the battery was good, the gas would be going bad (volatiles evaporated, leaving more like diesel). But, they try to be fairly true to the comic book, so that author may not have known.

You can push-start a 1982-85 M-B 300D, but you do need to get it to ~35 mph (i.e. harder than a manual). I am not sure about 1985 CA since it has the later 700.4xx tranny. Many automatics could be push-started long ago. My 1964 & 65 Chryslers are like that. Chrysler dropped the rear pump which allowed that soon after (1966?). The M-B trannys are a fairly old design so apparently still had a rear pump. If can park it on a hill, no need to worry about the electrical working. But, better to get a manual tranny.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans