Vehicle Description
When gas prices spiked to more than $5/gallon in 2006 and 2007,
cars like this 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300CDT were suddenly red hot.
With durable and thrifty diesel engines, handsome good looks, and a
bit of collector appeal, diesel Mercedes-Benz automobiles can be
great collector cars or awesome daily drivers. And given the way
this handsome coupe looks and drives, you might just want to drive
it every chance you get.
Wearing a period-appropriate AMG body kit and a handsome gold paint
job, this 300CDT is straight out of the '80s. But that's a good
thing, because these cars are virtually indestructible and are
arguably the last Mercedes-Benzes built by engineers rather than
the marketing department. Styling is conservative, but the body kit
makes it look sporting and the coupe is vastly more desirable than
the more common sedans and wagons (and rarer, to boot!). That's
original paint and showcases the quality workmanship that the
three-pointed star represents, because it still shines up nicely
and looks great. It's not perfect, of course, but it's quite
presentable and the car still has that rock solid feel for which
Mercedes-Benzes are famous. Someone has obviously loved this car
all its life and it hasn't spent any time in the snow or salt, so
the bodywork should last as long as the engine... which can be
many, many years yet. These are VERY hard to kill.
Inside it's typical Mercedes-Benz luxury with supportive bucket
seats that are still in great shape with leather upholstery that's
as tough as iron yet all day comfortable. The giant steering wheel
and simple instruments with big, white letters are trademarks that
were part of the Mercedes mystique for decades and it all works
properly. The wood paneling is real wood and the carpets are plush
to help control noise from the diesel up front. It includes a
decent-sounding AM/FM/cassette stereo and features like cold
factory A/C, power windows, power locks, cruise control, and a
sunroof overhead. The doors close with a heavy THUNK and going down
the road the car feels indestructible, so even with its modest
performance, it still represents the very top-of-the-line. The back
seat is comfortable enough for a pair of adults and the spacious
trunk will carry just about anything you need on a long road trip.
There's also an amplifier for the stereo and a CD changer.
The 3.0 liter inline-5 diesel engine is legendary around the world
for its reliability. As long as there's fuel and air, it'll run. It
looks complicated, but it's not, and with a little experience, you
should be able to keep it in top condition for many tens of
thousands of miles. It shows about 177,000 miles, but in
Mercedes-Benz diesel terms, that's barely broken-in, so don't let
the numbers scare you. And you'll be shocked by the fuel economy on
this one, turning long highway drives into an endurance test
between the car and your bladder. Ride quality is German firm,
brakes are effective, and it cruises serenely at high speeds
without any real effort at all. There's a bit of the usual diesel
clatter from under the hood, but it quiets down at speed and the
automatic transmission shifts smoothly. Underneath, you can see
there's no evidence of this car ever being rusty or wrecked and it
sits on 80s cool 5-spoke wheels and 225/50/16 performance
radials.
Nicely documented with the factory manuals and lots of receipts,
this is an unusual find that's affordable, practical, stylish, and
sooner or later it will be very much in demand. Call today!