Got my first car! 1980 300cd - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

derburger · #1 03-17-2007, 02:33 PM

I've

Been looking for about a year for the perfect one... found it. It's a 1980 300cd with 122k miles, all of the service history. Garaged since new, leather interior in excellent condition. It looks and runs great, I'm very happy with it. This forum has been a great help with figuring out what goes wrong with these Mercedes and how to fix it. With my car, the servo is broken, the A/C works but the heat does not. If you have a servo for a 1977-1980 300d, let me know. I also have to put in a new shifter bushing, which came with the car. I'll find more things to fix when I drive it more. Here are some pictures of it.

GRIESL · #2 03-17-2007, 02:38 PM

Oh my gosh, dude, you picked up a beauty! Curious, what are the symptoms you're experiencing with the shifter bushing? Do you hear a rattle from the stick? Is shifting sloppy? Thanks, and welcome to the forum!

derburger · #3 03-17-2007, 03:02 PM

The seller said it might pop out of gear if the bushing was not replaced, a new bushing came with the car. The car shifts smooth and on time, I don't hear a rattle.

JimmyL · #4 03-17-2007, 03:13 PM

Very Nice!! I wish my leather was in that nice of condition. [and that color

]
You can get electronic servo kit for around $600 bucks. For a "keeper" like that, I wouldn't hesitate.....

winmutt · #5 03-17-2007, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyL

You can get electronic servo kit for around $600 bucks. For a "keeper" like that, I wouldn't hesitate.....

I will probably second that. The only week spot on these late first gen W123's is the Chrysler designed climate control

.

PSSSSSSST. Forget the bushing stick a manual transmission in it. You'll never be happier! I just upgraded a 617.952 to manual. The donor was a euro 617.912 and the torque it had off the line was fantastic. Combined with a lighter load to make up for the lack of hp it would be quite a sporty ride indeed (for a 27 yr old diesel coup). Despite what people will say about the lack of power compared to say the 560, I seriously doubt the mountains would be any more fun. With a stick and alot of low end torque you cant ask for more.

gatorblue92 · #6 03-17-2007, 04:51 PM

thats a nice first car!

Austin85 · #7 03-17-2007, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winmutt

I will probably second that. The only week spot on these late first gen W123's is the Chrysler designed climate control

.

PSSSSSSST. Forget the bushing stick a manual transmission in it. You'll never be happier! I just upgraded a 617.952 to manual. The donor was a euro 617.912 and the torque it had off the line was fantastic. Combined with a lighter load to make up for the lack of hp it would be quite a sporty ride indeed (for a 27 yr old diesel coup). Despite what people will say about the lack of power compared to say the 560, I seriously doubt the mountains would be any more fun. With a stick and alot of low end torque you cant ask for more.

Any pics of the upgrade? I would be interested to see what the console looks like now with a stick; and the floor where you added a clutch....

I am also looking at possibly picking up a 300CD auto & the sound of it bieng converted to stick is cool. Aside from installing the manual tranny- can you describe what is needed to install the workings for adding a clutch pedal?

Did you do this as a DIY or bring it to someone? If you bring it in to a good indy what would I be looking at in labor...??

thxAA

..

Austin85 · #8 03-17-2007, 06:41 PM

Hey St. Louis; That is an awesome 1st car.

It is an unusual color combo. I do love the redish interior......

Buy your filters & parts from Phil & Roy......

....

derburger · #9 03-17-2007, 09:15 PM

Will do, I've got a few things on a list already, (oem brand) oil filters, etc filters, antenna mast, key master. I'll do a Diesel purge soon also, but this is the fastest non-turbo I've driven already. The locks/ignition are sometimes hard to turn or won't turn at all, I have to jiggle the keys a little bit, keys are probably worn or something. Vacuum locks work, it's a cool feature when they do.

mespe · #10 03-17-2007, 09:39 PM

My Old 300SD (now in car heaven) used to give me a fit every now and then to turn the key, wound up being the steering wheel lock, I just crimped the end of the ignition part that locks the steering wheel (the part that pops out when the key is removed) so it wouldn't lock the steering wheel and worked fine since then.

spugeddy · #11 03-17-2007, 10:20 PM

I didn't have any luck finding a locksmith to cut me a key for my 85. I had to order through dealership, and wait like 5 days. I would recommend that route...

Love the coupes. Mine wasn't that complete when I bought, had only cosmetic issues... Do you mind me asking what you paid?

Mine had 210K on it and I paid $2500.

Quote:

Originally Posted by derburger

Will do, I've got a few things on a list already, (oem brand) oil filters, etc filters, antenna mast, key master. I'll do a Diesel purge soon also, but this is the fastest non-turbo I've driven already. The locks/ignition are sometimes hard to turn or won't turn at all, I have to jiggle the keys a little bit, keys are probably worn or something. Vacuum locks work, it's a cool feature when they do.

derburger · #12 03-17-2007, 11:07 PM

I paid $5000 for it. I was looking for 6-12 months for a very good example of the w123 that wouldn't need too much work. This one had a near perfect interior and exterior, garaged, low miles, all service records, nice color combo, so I snagged it. It needs a few little things to make it nice (although the servo isn't little). I'll get another key from the dealer eventually, but I'll spray (silicon or lithium or wd40?) in the locks to see if the keys work better.

TheDon · #13 03-17-2007, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatorblue92

thats a nice first car!

totally.. its in perfect shape.. I'd get some classic insurance on it just incase a bird poops on it

nhdoc · #14 03-18-2007, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derburger

I paid $5000 for it. I was looking for 6-12 months for a very good example of the w123 that wouldn't need too much work. This one had a near perfect interior and exterior, garaged, low miles, all service records, nice color combo, so I snagged it. It needs a few little things to make it nice (although the servo isn't little). I'll get another key from the dealer eventually, but I'll spray (silicon or lithium or wd40?) in the locks to see if the keys work better.

Try using lubes specified for locks - mostly they are graphite based. The thing with locks is you don't want any lube that leaves behind residue that attracts dust. Graphite is a powder lube and has been used in locks forever. DO NOT use lithium grease in a lock, that will surely leave residue. I buy powdered graphite in a little tube at the hardware store...that's the best kind.

On my 300CD the only solution was a brand new key from the dealer. All of the old keys were worn sufficiently that the locks took jiggling to work. With the new key and a shot of graphite they all work fine.

That's one nice example of a 300CD - you paid a fair price for it too...if you keep it nice you could put 100K miles on it and still get close to what you paid for it when you sell it.

spugeddy · #15 03-18-2007, 09:06 AM

I love mine. If you need parts post a thread on the parts section and look every couple of days for new parts posts.

I have had mine 6 months now, and did the same thing as you...looked for a long time. This one turned out to be great.

There is a lot of good information and opinion available on this site. I haven't found one better...

Keep us posted...

Quote:

Originally Posted by derburger

I paid $5000 for it. I was looking for 6-12 months for a very good example of the w123 that wouldn't need too much work. This one had a near perfect interior and exterior, garaged, low miles, all service records, nice color combo, so I snagged it. It needs a few little things to make it nice (although the servo isn't little). I'll get another key from the dealer eventually, but I'll spray (silicon or lithium or wd40?) in the locks to see if the keys work better.