Nice thread. Seriously, just send it. Good for you for taking it on the road trip. I've had my '81 300TD for 12 years now. It has done 3 800 mile round trips to Aspen, 2 in winter, and 2 vintage motor scooter rally trips towing 3 vintage motor scooters from Tucson to Colorado Spring to Aspen and back and then another one to Pasadena.

Last Spring we drove our '80 300SD from Tucson to Crested Butte to Portland and back.

100% trouble free... no. Anything close to a full on mechanical trantrum and breakdown... no.

These cars were designed to be flogged on the autobahns and they are (noisy) dreams on the highway. Enjoy them.

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Mike

1980 300SD
1981 300TD
1998 E320 Gasser Wagon
2000 SL500

Why would you stand on the roof of your car? Seems like a good way to make more work.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

for sure




Awesome. I hate to admit, but when i bought this car, i planned to get it running properly and try to make money off of it. (which i soon learned would be impossible considering its condition)

Im completely in love with it now. Couldn't pry it away from me.

I plan to replace a lot of the suspension components, get the a/c working, fix some of the door molding, some obvious other minor repairs (straighten the window regulators, fix the sunroof to where the wind deflector does not have to be manually pushed down, etc etc) but other than that- i just plan to drive, drive, drive. *maybe* repaint it a long time down the road

I love my E63 but for trips it almost seems silly compared to this...

-Tires wear out very quickly
-Always worrying about it getting hit by someone
-More wear and tear on parts that are exponentially more expensive than w123 parts


And honestly, with the low profile tires and sport-ish suspension factored in- the 300d makes for a more comfortable traveling car.

Obviously im lacking many super nice creature comforts in the 300d (Distronic cruise, adaptive high beam, cooled/heated/massage seat.

But something about hopping in that 300d is so much fun. I haven't even been putting a lot of miles on my E63 lately which is good in a sense

I have a new appreciation for these things. And with this forum being so active- that helps a lot.


I made it a point to only stand on the sides, away from the sunroof area in an attempt to not damage any of that. It seemed to support me fine

Wouldn't try it on a new car

The trip pix are nice .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

It’s a $400 car, I would’ve cut the whole top off myself.

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1981 240D Four on the floor, Orient Red over Parchment, bought with 154,000 but it's a daily driver and up to 180,000 miles, mostly original paint and all original interior.

Stuck in soft sand: If no tow or other assistance is available, one thing that can be tried is letting out some air from the back tires until you've only got about 20 psi or so. This spreads out the down force of gravity acting on the mass of the car, so that more sand is required to support the car, and the tires are less prone to sinking in soft sand. Best done BEFORE the rear tires are buried in a hole in the sand, and as soon as you realize the rear tires have lost traction.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

I live in a Ghetto and in the late 1980's some local kids got a hold of a Heckflosse (? SP ?) and lopped the roof off, collapsed the suspension then cruised 'round in it for four Summers........

A shame as it had been a really nice car with perfect paint and was silent, no rattles , smoke etc. .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

At least you didn't drive at the edge of the surf w/ salt water splashing under the car, like TV ads in the 1970's. I wonder if those cars were later sold as new on dealer lots. I grew up in FL when you could park on the beach. Lots of neophytes would walk down the beach, not thinking about high tide coming in. At least these cars don't have all the sensitive electronics like the new ones.

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

Some tips for a long ride: Loose-fitting breathable clothes will be your best friend, though you won't win any fashion awards. Also, get a decent pair of sandals and wear them with thick breathable socks. Another good tip is to start early and figure out where you will spend the night by 5 pm. also, avoid urban areas if you can, especially around rush hour. If you find yourself getting tired/mesmerized by the road, don't be afraid to pull off the road and take a short nap. I usually don't like traveling by car, and go with dbauskunft.com, but for the times I went on long road trips, these tips helped me a lot.