I sold my 87 300D. It was a decent honest deal, the guy who bought it was an Army officer and a gentleman, a really good guy, heading overseas. He already owned one and the engine literally blew out last week at 370K.
I showed him every defect on the car and the rocker panel rust thing. We turned out to be good friends. I explained to him the thing about the aluminum head and surmised that was what happened to his. But he was a car nut like me and he wanted the car.

Well the other day I overheard a guy in the bookstore pipe up and say he was just in Germany. I heard him say "you know Mercedes Benz thats a real car! There diesels can cruise all the Day on the Autobahn at 100 mph and not even complain" and he knew he was talking about my 87 300D.

In a flash, I mentally took a look at my driveway. A dissasembled 85 300D. An old Volvo gasser, And a leased Corolla. And I shook my head, and I thought, "I never saw this day would come" I thought I would always own at least one old supercar to dabble on. 45 can stink, college tuition, mid life crises, missing hair and muscles, and now a missing supercar.

What happened to the sheared off bolts on the flex plate?? Were you able to get them out??

__________________
Bill Reimels
Now down to one:
1972 300SE 3.5 W109 (Euro delivery)

...............we all told you not to do it, that you would feel regret, that you were attached to that vehicle.............and.............what do you do.................sell it anyway.................now you're going to be miserable.................well..................you can always come up here and work on this one................if it will make you feel better.

Bill, I took the heads off with a grinder, but left little stubs. By grinding the heads off, the tension on the threads was relieved tremendously and by using visegrips on the remaining nubs, I was able to turn them very easily. Leathermang would have been proud. I'm looking for a second 85 300D.

Cheer up, their are plenty of W124 diesels waiting for a new home and gentle owner!

__________________
2006 BMW M5 "Heidi" @ 109,000 miles
2005 MBZ C55 AMG "Lorelai" @ 165,000 miles
1991 MBZ 300E "Benzachino II" @ 165,000 miles
1990 MBZ 500SL "Shoshanna" @ 118,000 miles

(On the hunt for a good used M103 engine as of 6/10/23, PM me if you have one to sell!)

well, maybe there will be a better one at a time in your future. But if you want to get depressed, read this eBay description:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4539933031&category=6335&sspagename=WDVW


FOR THE TRUE "DIESEL LOVER" !
1987 Mercedes 300D Turbo Diesel
4-Door, 6-Cylinder 124-Body/ Turbo Diesel. VERY RARE as only a few of these 124-Body, 300D Turbos were made for export to the US !

Color Combination: Blue exterior with Blue MB-Tex interior.

The body has ZERO RUST and is in MINT CONDITION.

A true "GEM" - this 6-Cyl., Turbo Diesel has been hand-crafted to mechanical EXCELLENCE by our certified Mercedes-Benz Technicians !

- New Engine and Transmission Mounts now provide this automobile with "better-than-new" handling and comfort. Silent as Silk while idling.
- New "front-to-rear" exhaust system provides the boost that allows this car to "FLY" down the expressway !
- New Blaupunkt Heidelberg CD-51 AM/FM/CD Sound System
- Fully Detailed with Mercedes-Benz Original Floor Mats and All-Weather Mats
- Complete "Hand-Crafted" Engine Tune-Up from one of the country's most experienced Mercedes-Benz Diesel Mechanics !

An automobile of this type, in this condition, is impossible to find - anywhere in the US !

152K original miles - but you'd n-e-v-e-r notice !. All power functions are working perfectly. Temp-control unit and AC are working perfectly. Car is VERY, VERY Fast !

Fly or drive to our location to view, inspect and be driven in this "once-in-a-lifetime" eBay opportunity ! A True Mercedes Diesel fanatic will know exactly how to appreciate this vehicle and it's performance characteristics ! A veritable STEAL for our "Buy It Now" price. Call or email - as always - for more details and to qualify to be approved to bid on this vehicle.

DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY

BRAND NEW BLAUPUNKT Heidelberg CD-51 Radio and CD INCLUDED ! This car has been executively driven and professionally maintained throughout it's life. The car is literally impeccable for this region and is a masterpiece of engineering. A rare find ANYWHERE and particularly in Chicago - this 124-body-style has long been the standard against which all 4-door sedans over the last 20 years have been modeled.. The body is spotless and shows magnificently. The paint is gorgeous and without blemish and the chrome is excellent. Please study the photos and judge for yourself !!!

The automobile drives wonderfully and is VERY, VERY FAST ! - Suspension and transmission shift perfectly and without effort.

The entire interior is BEAUTIFUL - and all power functions work to manufacturer's tolerances - strong in every area. Seats, doorpanels, rugs, console, dash, polished wood accents and headliner - all are presented in as-new condition.

Mechanically this 300D Turbo Diesel has 152K miles. Engine, transmission, brakes, suspension and electric features (including all power windows, sunroof, seats and cruise control) are operational and have passed our strenuous road test. The car rides and drives smoothly, effortlessly and with superior comfort.

This vehicle is both a rare find and a dream to drive. This 124/092 body-style, matched with the 6-Cylinder Diesel power plant makes this a vehicle to cherish and "keep".

Enjoy this opportunity."
(end of blah blah advertisement)

Whew, a dealer's description to be sure!
Doesn't say if it has a #14 head or not.
But there is some truth in what was said, some of it that is.
BTW, when did eBay start allowing best offers? Is that something new?

__________________
'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

I still miss my 300SDL with the 603.. but when I put my foot to the floor of my new E300 606.. It makes me feel alot better

I am in the same boat. I spent most of the winter getting my 1983 300d to run right while at the same time dealing with wife and two teenaged sons who just didn't understand why I liked the car so much. I gave in and put it up for sale about a month ago and now I have a buyer who plans to convert it to run on fryer fat. Maybe I will get lucky and he won't show up with the money.

Will find out soon enough if their expert mechanics can decipher the head number as i requested that information. Figure might throw a wrench into the works. Car seems to be european delivery as has trunk triangle. Anyone here going to steal it? These are the same clowns that cruise at over 140 mph on their secret road network if I remember and used to state secret modified engine etc. Paint seems to have problems but may be reflections. A guy has to wonder how they would respond if you asked to take it to dealer for a thorough inspection. Something tells me......

their expert mechanics might be a dealership, I suspect they may be affiliated with a dealer that takes these in on trade-ins. Except for that Adenauer, did you check out that $85,000 car? Where in heck did that come from?
I wish they didn't use the words "Hand Crafted" - the last thing hand crafted from Germany was cuckoo clocks made in the Black Forest in the 60's.
If its a #14 head offer them $4400 or walk away.
I note that there is one declined offer on record. Click on Offers and see.

Note that they said "dash, polished wood accents and headliner - all are presented in as-new condition" then take a look at the pic showing a heavily cracked wood console and point that out to them. I wonder what else they conveniently overlooked?

__________________
'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

That car would really have been a collector's item someday

Weren't you just asking about rust repairs a couple weeks ago? collector's item? don't think so.

Look at the bright side. Now you are on the market and every interesting car you see holds possibilities.

I think all you guy's have been fooled! Look in the EBAY sticky above.....This car is in there!

That blue 87 300D is from the con artist from Ill. Remember the 130 mph SDL, well this car is from the same crook. In fact, he listed this car several months ago and upon a close examination of the photos taken then, the interior looked worn out and was missing several parts including the cargo net behind the passengers seat. It's still missing, but it looks like he replaced the mirror remote knob and used Armourall liberally! The car looks like it got repainted too since his last attempt. This guy is a crook from what I have seen, and I doubt that car is worth $6500........if it is, mine's for sale, for $10K