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  #1  
Old 05-20-2009, 08:38 PM
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Location: Tolar, Texas
Posts: 21
New to Mercedes - 1985 300SD content

Hello all,

Just thought I'd give you all a little introduction. My name's Christopher and last week I purchased a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300SD from a family's estate. (The PO recently passed away.) Its Silver with Red/Maroon interior, MB-Tex I think is what you call it? Not sure.

Anyway, its a pretty clean car, no dents/dings, no tears or cracks in the interior. And only 127,512 on the odometer. Has every maintenance records since new. I just took it to the Dealership here in Fort Worth yesterday and had an inspection done.

It needs a waterpump, motor mounts, belts, and rear Axle boots. Other than that, she's tip top. Runs wonderfully, and so far, I'm in love.

I come from the Volkswagen world of Scirocco's and Rabbits. So I'm not completely unfamiliar with German ingenuity. However, I will note there's definitely something about M-B thats different from everything else I've played with. This thing feels like a tank. Nothing rattles, or shakes. The quality definitely feels solid. I'm thoroughly impressed.

Without further ado, here are some pictures.











All that said, thanks for looking. I appreciate any tips or recommendations to maintaining this fine vehicle. And I hope to get to know all of you better.

Kind regards,
Christopher Thomas
DFW-Texas


Last edited by Keebler64; 05-20-2009 at 08:43 PM.
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  #2  
Old 05-20-2009, 08:48 PM
79Mercy's Avatar
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Location: Florida
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Looks great!!! Welcome to the fourms
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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg
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  #3  
Old 05-20-2009, 09:01 PM
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Location: Sonoma Wine Country
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Barely broken in! Welcome to the forum. There's a wealth of information here. Most questions have already been answered; the answers can be found with the search function and if not, ask us--someone will know.
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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
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  #4  
Old 05-20-2009, 09:05 PM
83 300SD
 
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Location: Shawano, WI
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Nice car and welcome. Looks a lot like my 83 300SD except my interior is blue.

John
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2002 F250 powerstroke with Plantdrive WVO conversion
1983 300SD 190K miles ,sold
2006 E320 CDI
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  #5  
Old 05-20-2009, 09:50 PM
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Location: Lathrup Village, Michigan
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You did very well. I've had 2 '85 SD's.

That one is very nice indeed.
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Michael LaFleur

'05 E320 CDI - 86,000 miles
'86 300SDL - 360,000 miles
'85 300SD - 150,000 miles (sold)
'89 190D - 120,000 miles (sold)
'85 300SD - 317,000 miles (sold)
'98 ML320 - 270,000 miles (sold)
'75 300D - 170,000 miles (sold)
'83 Harley Davidson FLTC (Broken again) :-(
'61 Plymouth Valiant - 60k mikes
2004 Papillon (Oliver)
2005 Tzitzu (Griffon)
2009 Welsh Corgi (Buba)

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  #6  
Old 05-20-2009, 10:07 PM
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Absolutely gorgeous! I'm drooling over that car. Outstanding acquisition!
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84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012
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  #7  
Old 05-20-2009, 10:12 PM
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Thumbs up

Nice, I have an Astral Silver '85 SD too. My SDL has that maroon interior also.

That's leather, not MB Tex. Time to condition it big time. Leatherique is best, look for it online. It lifts the crap to the surface and helps the leather grain best.

Get some tint ASAP too (as well as a windshield reflector for when parking in lots/outside in general), summer is coming and it's awful for interiors due to the heat and UV.

Nice score.
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I'm not a doctor, but I'll have a look.

'85 300SD 245k
'87 300SDL 251k
'90 300SEL 326k

Six others from BMW, GM, and Ford.

Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty.
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  #8  
Old 05-20-2009, 10:17 PM
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Location: Clarkston MI
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Nice find. That thing's in good shape. If you're a DIYer, all those things listed are fairly straightforward and can be knocked out pretty quickly (coming from a novice, you should have full confidence).

I'm with Hitman...in DFW, the sun will wear out your ride quickly, so get some tint to protect the interior - it's in good shape now.

Welcome to the forums...forget all your other sources for info...you'll not have any trouble finding your answers with the lovely search function.

Enjoy.
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  #9  
Old 05-20-2009, 10:26 PM
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Dieselsüchtiger
 
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI
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Beautiful car, mine is the same color exterior but I have the beige/mushroom interior. 127k....amazing. And its the 1985 so it has the lower final drive, awesome!

That car will run for a loooooong time if you treat her right.

Welcome to the forums!
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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Last edited by pawoSD; 05-20-2009 at 10:31 PM.
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  #10  
Old 05-20-2009, 10:33 PM
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Posts: 263
Very nice car indeed.

May I ask how much it took to pry that away from the estate?
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86 300 SDL - Vesuvius

96 SL 500

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  #11  
Old 05-20-2009, 10:48 PM
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Cruisin on Electric Ave.
 
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Location: La Conner, WA
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That does look like a nice car! As with VW, you'll want a proper repair manual to see how to conduct repairs properly. The W126 is a big step up engineering wise from a Mk1 VW, I liken it to a Mk1's engineering level x 4 :crazy:

-Jason
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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
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  #12  
Old 05-20-2009, 11:06 PM
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Location: Tolar, Texas
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Thanks all for the warm welcome.

Did all '85 300SDs come with leather? The guy at the dealership thought it was MB-tex, (granted he was my age and I didn't get a feeling he particularly knew much about my car, or diesels for that matter.) When I said, well, it feels a lot like leather, he said, "Mercedes had a company specifically design a Vinyl to feel and act like leather. So its really hard to tell."

And if thats the case, I should probably remove the armorall that was applied by the detailers, yes?

I'm familiar and confident with most automotive principles, as well as mechanically inclined to do most of the work myself. However, for the sake of record keeping and resale value. Wouldn't it behoove me to take it to a certified shop to maintain its value? Or is it beyond really doing that at this point? With my '02 VW Jetta TDI, I did all the work myself because I don't think they'll ever be considered true classics, nor be worth much in the future.

However, these old MB's, while still readily available. In 10-15 years, they seem like they'll be rather collectable in good condition. This question primarly pertains to the water pump and belts and generally most work that has to deal with the mechanical longevity of the engine. Brakes, CV boots and regular maintenance items are a no-brainer of course.


Again, thank you all.
Christopher
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  #13  
Old 05-20-2009, 11:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mowoc View Post
Very nice car indeed.

May I ask how much it took to pry that away from the estate?

I got it for $2500, seeing as how the A/C needs to be recharged and the rear window regulators didn't work.

EDIT: I hope its not a faux pas to disclose my purchase price.
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  #14  
Old 05-20-2009, 11:19 PM
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Beautiful car. You definately got a good deal on that one.
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  #15  
Old 05-20-2009, 11:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keebler64 View Post
I got it for $2500, seeing as how the A/C needs to be recharged and the rear window regulators didn't work.

EDIT: I hope its not a faux pas to disclose my purchase price.
You should be ashamed of yourself. Really, really ashamed. You stole that beautiful automobile! As was said, "great score".

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---
1959 190b, totalled
1968 220D, sold
1969 230/8, sold
1980 240D manual, gave away at 300k (stupid me)
1985 190D 2.2 manual, gave away to a youngster
1989 300CE, sold when I retired - major regrets
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