This 1984 Mercedes-Benz 300D was originally sold in Belgium and reportedly imported when new as a gray market car. The stamped service booklet shows first entry in 1984 in California. The car is being relisted with updated photos, documentation, and a lower reserve since not meeting reserve earlier this year. Finished in Astral Silver Metallic (735) over a Blue Fabric (052) interior, power comes from a 3.0L 5-cylinder diesel paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Features include a painted mechanical sunroof, a Jensen head unit, and central locking. This W123 shows 74k miles and accompanying documentation shows service booklet stamps in 1984 and 1988 in California with partial service records since. This W123 is offered by the seller with factory literature, the original tool roll, full-size spare, partial service records, and a clean California title.
The car is finished in Astral Silver Metallic (735) and features original chrome-accented European-spec bumpers and trim, Euro glass headlamps, a mechanical sunroof, and an electrically adjustable passenger-side mirror. The seller has provided paint meter readings along with detailed photos of the exterior in the gallery below. One spot of corrosion is noted under the rear glass in the passenger corner, and a spot of touch up paint on the front passenger fender is noted.
Factory 14″ Bundt wheels are finished in silver with Kelly Edge A/S tires measuring 195/70 at all four corners. The original tool roll will come with the car along with a full-size spare located in the trunk.
The cabin features seats upholstered in Blue Fabric (052) with matching blue door panels, carpets, and dashboard. Wood veneer spans the dashboard with textured black paneling around the window controls, shift knob, and auxiliary switch panel. The front seats are protected with original sheep skin covers. The seller notes some cracks have started to show on the dash.
Instrumentation includes a 150-mph speedometer, an analog clock, and additional auxiliary gauges showing coolant temperature, oil pressure, and fuel level which all function properly. The six-digit odometer shows just over 74k miles. True mileage is unknown due to the federalization of the cluster when imported, however, the seller believes mileage to be accurate based on the stamped service booklet and accompanying service documents.
The naturally aspirated 3.0-liter OM617.912 diesel inline-five was factory rated at 87 horsepower and 127 lb-ft of torque and sends power to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatically transmission. In 2018 all fluids were flushed along with new rear brake rotors, and drive belts. A new valve cover gasket and engine mount were installed in 2019. Partial service records come with the car and are pictured in the gallery.
The Carfax shows first entry in 2008 with California registration and no accidents or damage noted along with linear mileage updates. The car was reportedly imported when new as a gray market car and the stamped service booklet shows first entry in 1984 in California. This W123 is offered with factory literature, the original tool roll, full-size spare, partial service records, and a clean California title.
Videos below provide a walkaround, interior view, and start up of the car.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
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11 Comments
$10,000 bid placed by @mullins7five
$9,750 bid placed by @TrentJpkr
$9,500 bid placed by @mullins7five
$9,250 bid placed by @Glowplug
$9,000 bid placed by @mullins7five
$8,750 bid placed by @Lukeharris
It's a very original and well preserved 300d The only things that don't work are the clock and air conditioner. Other than that it runs and drives as it should . I recently drove it on a 120 mile road trip cruising between 65 -75 miles an hour.Hello MB Market and bidders. It's down to the wire ! I'm sure everyone is aware that these Euro 300d seldom come up for sale , let alone in this original and well preserved condition.$8,500 bid placed by @UncleFred1
I love the simplicity of the car, and the cloth seats. The cracking dash and the A/C potential issues (compressor, etc) equal unknown $$ to repair. Don’t know what chassis issues there are ( steering, body mounts, etc) , as no photos shown. Reason for the bid at this amount…😉. Let’s see how it goes!$6,500 bid placed by @TrentJpkr
$6,000 bid placed by @Glowplug
$5,277 bid placed by @BD450SL
$4,000 bid placed by @Glowplug
$3,250 bid placed by @BD450SL
$3,000 bid placed by @Glowplug
$2,250 bid placed by @BD450SL
$2,000 bid placed by @Glowplug
$1,250 bid placed by @Ranger902
Hello. My apologies for late response, but i was waiting to hear back from the previous owner . According to him , the car was imported in 1988 from Belgium. It was taken to the shop in Santa Maria California where it remained for 20 years , which is confirmed by the entries in the service manual and invoices. Sometime during that 20 year span the car was equipped to be ran on vegetable oil ; However, it was never ran on vegetable oil. The previous owner, who took ownership in 2007 never ran it on vegetable oil. In 2021 while servicing the car he had the conversion removed. Taking all of the aforementioned information into consideration. It explains the condition of the car , as it was stored indoors at rizzolis mechanic shop for 20 years. This truly is an original paint and well preserved 300d. Happy bidding and thank you all for your questions and input.Do you know how long the previous owner ran the engine on waste vegetable oil? The 2021 invoice notes the setup was removed at that time.The air conditioning doesn't blow cold . I haven't had time to take it in to have it checked . There aren't any rear seat belts . I'm thinking that it being an '84 import, rear seat belts weren't required.Are there seat belts for the rear seats? Is the A/C operating normally and still R12? Has the A/C ever been worked on?Hello Fred . My 300d wasn't equipped with cruse control. It appears to be a base model without all of the bells and whistles. Even the windows are manual . One thing that my 300d was equipped with , which i believe to be an option , is head rest on the rear seats. Thanks for your interest and input.Nice 300D…I was just checking, no cruise control, correct? Was looking for the stalk on the side of the steering column. Thanks!👍😁$1,000 bid placed by @Glowplug
$550 bid placed by @BD450SL
It previously reached a high bid of 11k . Unfortunately. I didn't have a paint meter. I have since purchased a paint meter . The readings are consistent with the car showing 93% original paint. It appears that the passengers rear door may have been repaired at some time . I had a gentleman come and inspect the car during the last auction. He was impressed with the condition of the car and how it ran . He commented that the rear seats appear as if nobody ever sat on them. He also commented that if the car was original paint, as it appears to be , it would put the car on a different level. I made sure to capture a paint reading on every portion of this car for this listing. It truly is a beautiful, original, and well preserved Euro 300d !What was it bid to in last auction? I wish they had something similar like bringatrailer where they show a link to the previous auction.$300 bid placed by @elie7elie