Might be looking at a Euro 300D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Jim Dandy · #1 05-20-2004, 01:12 PM

A guy I work with told me about a diesel W123 Mercedes on a small lot out in podunk nowhere. I called a little bit ago and the owner told me it's an '82 model 300D turbo with a four-speed standard shift and manual windows and sunroof. Does it sound like a European model or could it be someone's half-assed conversion? The car has 185K miles and the A/C compressor is locked up. Asking price is $1750. It's not too terribly far away from me, so I might take a little drive to look at it tomorrow morning.

Any comments or suggestions?

boneheaddoctor · #2 05-20-2004, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim Dandy
A guy I work with told me about a diesel W123 Mercedes on a small lot out in podunk nowhere. I called a little bit ago and the owner told me it's an '82 model 300D turbo with a four-speed standard shift and manual windows and sunroof. Does it sound like a European model or could it be someone's half-assed conversion? The car has 185K miles and the A/C compressor is locked up. Asking price is $1750. It's not too terribly far away from me, so I might take a little drive to look at it tomorrow morning.

Any comments or suggestions?

Its likely to have cloth seats if its European too. And have manual climate control panel instead of automatic climate control.... basicly 4 verticale sliding levers and two round knobs.

and I think the center panel is black instead of wood on the Euro modles.

#3 05-20-2004, 02:01 PM

The Euro 300D's were not turbo. It could be that it is not a turbo, but the salesman thinks it is, or it is a converted US Car.

A Euro car does not necessarily have cloth interior although it is common. The biggest identifier of a Euro are the short bumpers. The front bumper will not have a rubber strip that goes all the way across. It is in two pieces with the license plate mounted directly to the bumper in the middle.

It depends on the trim level as to whether it will have black or walnut dash trim. There are more trim levels in Europe than in the US.

Regardless of whether it is a Euro or not. If it is a converted car but the conversion is done well and the car is in good shape, it would be an interesting car to have IMHO.

Good luck,

Jimmy Joe · #4 05-20-2004, 03:30 PM

Sounds like a neat car to me.
I wish my stuff was manual, then it would work

Post a pic!

boneheaddoctor · #5 05-20-2004, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy Joe
Sounds like a neat car to me.
I wish my stuff was manual, then it would work
Post a pic!

Not the same as a 123 but I'd like a 5 speed in my '79 300SD W116, but I stand as much of a chance of that happening as I do winning the lotery.

Jim Dandy · #6 05-20-2004, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LarryBible
The Euro 300D's were not turbo. It could be that it is not a turbo, but the salesman thinks it is, or it is a converted US Car.

Well, I called the guy back and quizzed him some more. The car is marked like it's a non-turbo 300D, but the owner SWEARS it has a turbo engine. We'll see.

Rick Miley · #7 05-20-2004, 03:54 PM

Could be a Euro car with a turbo engine swapped in. After 20 years or so, people have done a lot of things with these cars.

#8 05-20-2004, 04:49 PM

I have an 81 300D parts car (wrecked) an it is a Euro non turbo. I have been using parts from it on my 78. Little difference. I have checked and almost all of the mechanicals are same as US versions. Should be a great aquisition with that manual tranny.
And yes, it does have cloth seats, roll up windows, and a manual sunroof.

sixto · #9 05-20-2004, 06:29 PM

Ask for the VIN. That will tell you if it's a Euro.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

lietuviai · #10 05-20-2004, 10:10 PM

I have a option list for US W123's from '82 and it says they were available with velour seats at a cost that was almost as much as leather. Was that the same cloth in the euro cars?

#11 05-21-2004, 09:01 AM

My two Euro cars and the others I've seen don't have Velour. It is much different. Actually unfortunatelly different because I have not been able to locate the Euro cloth to repair my drivers seat with.

The cloth that I've seen in the Euros is a stiff, very durable fabric. I'm not a cloth person so I don't know how to describe it.

Have a great day,

Jim Dandy · #12 05-21-2004, 02:13 PM

Well, I looked at it and drove it this morning. The car is indeed a Euro model, but the engine is a U.S. turbo version. The interior, in a word, is BEAT. Everything is bent, broken, cracked, or torn. The body is straight and rust-free, but the hood pad is missing. Whoever installed the engine didn't hook up the vacuum lines worth a damn. They're all disconnected and/or plugged, which may describe the car's other problems: it's very hard to start and won't shutdown. The engine blows blue smoke constantly. The transmission and clutch shift smoothly and the engine develops good power to a point and then the vacuum leaks tend to negate it. The suspension is tight and the brakes are good. It is missing one wheel cover and will NEED new tires. To me, $1750 is just too high for the amount of work required, even if I performed all of the labor myself. The lot owner claims he turned down $1450. He probably should have taken it. I offered $900.

If anyone's interested, the car is located near Hinton, Oklahoma and the seller can be contacted at 405-284-6464.