nice 115 300D

[bluebenz]

Hello!

I posted this on another forum too.

I found this very nice 1976 300D for sale. One original owner, 60000 miles, full service history, never winter driven, no sunroof, everything works including blower fan, no accidents, original paint perfect, interior perfect, mechanically perfect (so says the owner). Talked to owner who seems knowledgeable about old MBs. Apparently starts real well even when cold and runs perfect. Driven 1000 km per year in last 10 years.

Car is stored in dry heated garage (with small heater inside the car too) every winter. Never driven in rain.

Car is located 700 km from my place (in Canada).

Really like that body style and also love the fact it has no carburetor!!!

Asking price is hefty although I'm sure I can negotiate!

Very hard to find a 115 300D in such good condition, except for one on ebay that didnt sell cause reserve not met at $12000!

I will get a ppi and have a compression test done, I read it should be at least 290 in each cylinder. Anything else to check for?

I have a driven a turbo diesel 123 before but never a normally aspirated 300d.

If everything is really as perfect as stated what would be a reasonable price?

Thanks for your help, any input is appreciated!

[300SDog]

I like to know ownership history specially on time capsules like this. Did the seller own it these past 10 yrs? Who had it before him or is he the original owner? Maybe a retired doctor? The guy better be 80 yrs old otherwise that kinda low miles makes no sense. I mention doctors because they never rack alot of miles. Basically ye wanna know why so little mileage - general rule says NEVER believe the 5 digit odometer.

Any fluid changes done in the past 10 yrs? Anti-freeze breaks down causing blocks to crack and condensation makes muck of oil. That 1000 km per year x 10 sounds like BS too. Unless he's got large collection of classics in heated garage storage and runs coupla tanks of fuel through each or em annualy, showin he knows what he's doing. Then ask him if he attends classic car show circuit, good sign if he does.

Meanwhile assume its gonna need rubbers, susp bushings, motor mounts, flex discs etc... $5 - $8k tops says me, given its 'special interest' car status as oddball of the 5cyl fleet. But i should qualify this appraisal by sayin 4-spd sunroof 4cyl (gasoline or diesel) pre-73 w115 is better vehicle in my personal opinion.

[bluebenz]

Same original owner who bought the car in June 1976 at an Ottawa Mercedes Benz dealership. He has maintained the car religiously since new. Tells me it's a 2.

[nhdoc]

Based upon your description I'd expect to see a price of $7K-$10K on it. Be aware though that these are VERY hard to sell for over $5K. They just don't command a premium for low miles and there are a few around in nice shape which go for less money than that. Buy it if you like it but don't buy it expecting it to be trouble-free or expect to make any money on it when you go to sell it. In other words, commit to it, understand that it will require continued ongoing work and will probably land up costing you as much as a new car would to keep it between depreciation and maintenace. Also, those NA 5 cylinders with auto trannys are SLOW. Not so bad in the 0-40 speeds but from 40 on up you wait a while to see 70. And if you run A/C time it with a calendar.

[todds]

I'd take one of these over a 4-cyl personally. The 5-cyls were smoother than the 4's and they lasted forever even when Turbocharged! A non-turbo inline 5 benz diesel's gotta be one of the most durable engines ever, right? I can't imagine the fuel economy being that much different, better low end torque would benefit a taller rear end gear too, though I doubt they used one. That said, the kind of money you're talking about seems way out there to me. They aren't THAT much different than any other old benz of the era in similar models. I suppose you could say, a rare car in rare condition commands a premium. Whether that premium translates to easier ownership or better value is debatable.

[nhdoc]

Having driven both models I can say that the 5 cylinder A/T 300D in the W115 is about the same as the 4 cylinder 240D with a manual tranny. It is a little peppier than the 240D A/T but not enough to make a difference 95% of the time.

Any of them get you to 40 MPH or so relatively easily but merging onto highways on an uphill grade is a challenge with any of them. That's where you hope the folks in the right lane can read you are driving a DIESEL and cut you some slack for pulling in front of them at 45 and polluting their air with a stream of black smoke.

I learned to drive on a '74 240D with an auto and drove that car for several years so I can say this...it teaches you patience and to appreciate the value of the turbocharger but it is not impossible to drive one safely, just a little scary sometimes.

[todds]

cut you some slack for pulling in front of them at 45 and polluting their air with a stream of black smoke.

Haha, I remember those days, my experience with the diesels was a 240D 4-spd. I really liked the car, but it was pretty ugly "with some ah, brown ah, rust coloration" and a giant dent in the front right and diesel was cheaper then. If that is the case, I certainly wouldn't pay that money for one! I really dug the shifter and clutch on that car and paying extra for an auto with about the same characteristics doesn't seem worth it to me. All-in-all while the "D" was one of my favorite beaters, the finny is probably the coolest car I've ever owned. Did they make 300D 5-spds?