Vehicle Description
1985 Mercedes-Benz 300D - Gray over Tan Interior - 3.0L 5-Cylinder
Diesel - Runs and Drives Well - Highly Original Example (Please
note: If you happen to be viewing this 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300D on a
website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that
you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to
third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more
than 155 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around
video, and a link to its Carfax history, please go to our main
website: Garage Kept Motors.) The 300D is the car everyone is
thinking of when Mercedes reliability is mentioned, as these cars
are the primary reason for that reputation. �€"European Car, 6/1/05
The Mercedes 300D was clearly a favorite of the automotive press.
Road & Track reviewed a brand-new Mercedes 300D under the headline
The Astonishing 5-Cylinder Car. Summarizing that review, the
Curbside Classic writer, Paul Niedermeyer, noted: The 300D was the
first Mercedes diesel to use a new governor system to control the
diesel injection pump, which improved response to the accelerator
pedal. And due to careful balancing and special motor mounts, it
was deemed to be closer to the six in its vibrations than the four.
Mercedes' success with their five was soon followed by Audi doing
the same thing with their engines. The Germans had found a solution
to satisfying the power-hungry Amerikaner by adding one more
cylinder. Of course, objective performance was still leisurely....
But in normal daily driving, that wasn't really all that bad. The
300D would keep up with traffic quite nicely, and once up to speed,
did very well on the highway. R&T got theirs up to a whopping
98 mph! Commenting on the car's build quality and reliability,
another reviewer of the Mercedes 300D put it this way: You better
like the color, because you could easily end up owning the car for
a long, long time. The 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300D offered here in a
classic gray-over-tan combination is a well-maintained example of
the legendary long-lived platform. Currently showing 173,304 miles,
fewer than 5,000 miles per year-on average since new, Mercedes
experts would call it just broken in noting these cars routinely
amass double that mileage or better. The exterior dark-gray
metallic paint retains its factory finish in excellent condition
overall. There are no obvious flaws. Minor cosmetic-damage to the
right-front of the car four years ago has long since been corrected
with no remaining sign of the damage or the repair remaining. (To
best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, be sure to
view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying
gallery.) The chrome finish on the car's bespoke front grille,
bumpers, body and window trim has been well maintained and shows
minimal patina from age. Cabin glass and lighting lenses are clear
and undamaged. All factory emblems and badging, including the
3-pointed star emblems front and rear and the rear model
designation, remain properly mounted. Factory-original, 14-inch
alloy wheels with Mercedes-logo center caps are mounted with
Michelin® X-Metric 195/70 all-season tires Inside, the condition of
every surface-legendary MB Tex vinyl upholstery, wood, and door
cards-demonstrates the love bestowed on the car. Some looseness on
the door trim and light soiling on the brown carpet especially in
the driver's footwell are minor flaws. The 4-spoke original
steering wheel, gauge cluster, and black padded dash all appear
as-new. The original Becker® Grand Prix audio unit remains mounted
forward of the shift lever for the automatic transmission on the
wood-trimmed console. A factory sunroof is installed. Sitting
behind the wheel in this car's solid, tasteful cabin, it's hard not
to feel special. Under the hood, the 3-liter, 5-cylinder Mercedes
Turbo-Diesel occupies a complete and unmodified engine bay. All
components are properly in place and all wiring and hoses
