Just now saw this video. So cool. I'm 43, or will be soon, and I've been driving these old diesels since I was 19. You just can't beat them. Just yesterday I made a six-hour trip to buy another one. 1983 300SD with only 132K miles on it. My last one, which still runs, is a 1984. 752K miles. 703K before any engine work was ever done on it! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to buy this '83 which has been restored, with such low miles. This car will last me the rest of my life. Y'all can have your rice-burners and the car payments that go along with them. I'll stick to my paid-for oil-burner, lol! No auto manufacturer in the world will ever build a car that would provide the service, reliability, longevity, and simplicity of design that the old MB diesels did. And that includes MB themselves.

I have an 88 420SEL (gas version with their smaller V8 at the time), same body style. LOVE the car. Bought it when it was 15 years old with 144,000 miles...now has 310,000 and will easily go 400,000. I keep it showroom perfect. Only thing i had done was refurbish the front seats in the original design and leather. Original engine (no oil burning), and transmission (never a problem), original stereo and speakers (sounds great, speakers not blown after nearly 30 years??!!). Did I say I love the car? Never left me stranded, and is a serious wafter down the interstate. Great classic Bauhaus-influenced design. I also have a mechanic I hug....Classic German Motors in Pasadena, CA ...can diagnose/fix any problem. Best Mercedes mechanics ever. I realize at age 66 that this car will be my last one. In a class by itself (I also drive two early 2000's Jaguar XJ's... like them very much but complete POS cars). The Benz is the bomb!

"Test driving the Mercedes today. Better wear my good brown suit."

back when mercedes & other german cars were well built & reliable instead of overpriced money pits when the warranty expires.

I like how you can actually see the exhaust fumes!

My mom had one in the eighties. What A tank. Bulletproof engine!

3:55 The test driver guy coming out of the car wearing a suit and tie with a briefcase and and a helmet on, LoL 😁 funny.

I drive this exact model almost everyday. I love it. It's pretty slow but once it gets going, nothing is stopping it. I am in the process of restoring the inside, the outside is impeccable.

In 1998 I bought my SD300 from elderly neighbors who were the original owners. Four years later I sold it to a young couple in 2002 with 235,000 miles on it. They had it for five years, I saw it with kid seats in the back, and it later was sold to another couple who converted it to bio diesel. That young couple drove it for ten years, sold it and the SD300 now lives down my street with another young couple and looks terrific. Would I want to own it again? No. I spent a lot of money getting it put back in shape, spent weekends in junk yards pulling replacement parts, and the front end suspension was expensive to repair, but it's good to see that the SD300 lives on.

I miss John Davis not talking like a damn game show announcer.

These 1980s Mercedes sedans had a presence that I just don't see in their current offerings. But maybe I'm just waxing nostalgic.

"west german" holy shit this stuff is old

My dad bought one in 1982 and later in 1985, after years of Caddis and GMs. It was a quantum change in terms of quality and modern design.

I still see these diesels on the road.

I have this exact same car, same color, same engine, same interior. I love it.

These are quite possibly some of the best cars ever made in terms of reliability and build quality. They were way over engineered, but because of that, they will last forever with only basic maintenance

That quarter mile time was pretty good for a large diesel sedan at the time. The non turbo Mercedes 300 D needed 20 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph.

I love how this instantly has twice the views of any other Motorweek video uploaded today

My favorite Mercedes. The OM617 engine is a gem!

Back when Mercedes built cars to a tee, not a price point and you had to be well off or a trust fund baby to buy one. Now any schmuck who can afford a $399 a month lease on a C250 (a car with worse plastics than a 90s Hyundai) will find the 3-pointed star in their apartment building carport. Nobody has done this more than BMW...the Ultimate Leasing Machine. And somehow everybody still sees Mercedes and BMWs as aspirational and/or a sign of success. I'd buy one of these but I'd never buy a new one.

Iconic shape and style. You can see later 80's cars being influenced by this car. I can see some of the '86 Taurus in this, with the greyed out bottom panels and lower skirted real wheel wells.

Legendary cars. Best or nothing. I love the diesel sound, its like a music to me. Very honest cars.

Adjusted for inflation $37,000 is $93,835.45 in today's money. o.0

I drove one of these 150k miles. Loved that car. And yes agree the brakes are damn awesome. They also drive very nicely at 120mph. The fuel tank is also bigger than anyone bladder. 6 hours nonstop driving is nothing. With I could find one in good shape to drive again.

30+ year-old vehicles I saw regularly in Afghanistan: Toyota Hilux, Toyota Corolla, and the Mercedes-Benz SD. Enough said.

2:52 lol 37k for a home. Times have changed

Hi, I'm an owner of a 96 Mercedes W140 S320 in South Korea. I used to own a 96 BMW E38 735i before my Mercedes. I sold the bimmer to my co-worker and she loves it. According to my experience, older German cars are reliable because they are so simple as hell. I bought my current car about 4 years ago. Of course, I got some expendable parts (alternator, starter, power steering pump, and fuel pump) fixed up just a month after I bought the car but I didn't mind because I thought that's what I was supposed to do to keep an old car for a long time. I sent those parts to an auto parts remanufacturing facility and saved lots of money. Ever since then, it still runs like a rock and hasn't given me any problem. My buddies who bought current German cars asked me how it is possible that my car has way less problems than their cars,lol.

My great-uncle bought one of these '82 Mercedes 300SD's, right off the showroom floor in Holland. She is a deep black with a maroon leather interior. In fact, he still has the old beast in his garage to this very day. (as of Nov. 11 2019) Other than the nasty a$$ stink from the diesel fuel exhaust, it's quite a nice all around vehicle. The ride is not quite Lincoln or even Cadillac like, but smooth enough for a car that tries to be everything to everyone. She has over 300-K on her and runs like a well engineered top!

I am blasting my way through these retro reviews. They are so fun to watch

My Dad had one of these in the flat yellowish color. He taught me how to drive in deep snow with it by doing donuts in my HS parking lot. I also took it to the Prom. The looks we got from my classmates, ooo boy. haha. Great machine, wish we still had it.

Back in the mid eighties my boss had one of these sedans. It was heavy, the seats firm but comfortable. That diesel did purr and it was a highway cruiser and a delight to ride in.

My friend's dad has one of these with over 550,000 miles. That thing is an absolute tank, looks like it will keep on going forever.

This Mercedes in 1982 was $37,000 This Mercedes in 2019 adjusted to inflation is $98,671.52 .

Clarkson ruined car reviews, now it is just attitude and gadgets instead of real info like this nice video.

the soot free flowing out of the tailpipe under acceleration - and that's proper operation - is astonishing

ahhh the 300SD ...available to you now on craigslist with no less than 250,000 miles for a mere $500-1000

a fuel injected diesel... I have never seen a carburated diesel

"like most Mercedes service will problably left to the dealer and your accountant" brilliant!

How timely! I am about to sell or part a 1982 300SD with around 285k miles on the clock. The paint is dead and the interior is rough but the vehicle is mechanically excellent with many new parts. Nitpick time: W126s don't have lockup torque converters. It's not just the 300SD, even late-model SELs don't have them. And service is EASY.

I own the exact same car. It looks the same today. The paint looks brand new, the inside carpet faded and that around the back glass faded. Its always been pretty powerful for a large 5cyl. The Garrett turbo is a unique sound to this car. As long as you keep the fuel filters and fuel lines clean and adjust the valves every 12k miles, it will have plenty power. I also love the huge trunk.

I got a 1980 300sd 35mpg runs like a tank

A car costing as much as a home back then? *Laughs in 2019 Millennial poverty*

I always thought these 80s vintage S class Benzes were good looking cars. J.R. Ewing drove a sedan, and his wife, Sue Ellen, drove the coupe. LOL. I miss the 80s. Now, Mercedes cars are so homogenized and down market from what they once were. But, they went after volume sales, and succeeded, I guess.

This sort of Cars tell other Cars a Story from the Apocalyptic... 100 Years after and 1.000.000 Miles later!

I have a 1983 300D in the Dominican Repúblic and still runing very well is the best

That car was a wise choice, how many Olds diesel are on the road today?

God I miss my SD. That was the best car I ever owned

I got 327,000 miles on my 300SD before I had to do any work on the engine or transmission. Great car.

These were the best cars available by far in the 80s. My family owned up to 3 of these at the same time, including my own throughout the 80s and early 90s. I love these and the sound reminds me of the good times of my youth. I started selling real estate when I was 18 and when I was 22 I bought a $37k 1983 300SD and had a car payment that was double the cost of my mortgage. They held their resale value well though, so it was not as foolish as it sounds. I'd like to point out the acceleration tests in this video don't utilise the very low range 1st gear. You have to manually select it. It makes the turbo spool up faster and I usually shifted mine manually as I drove around in town and for on ramps. I could get 76 mph in the 1/4 mile and 0-60 in under 14 seconds. Cadillacs and lincolns with V8s were slower and got 40% worse mpgs. They were truly the best car of the 80s and in my opinion was the best built and best engineered sedan of the 80s. The engines proved to be almost indestructible with normal maintenance. I truly love these cars but I can't say the same for the troublesome Audis and BMWs of the same era. Overall, they were no cheaper to own and maintain than my Mercedes even though they had lower monthly payments, running costs were similar and insurance was higher on gasoline turbos like my Audis. Just driving a Mercedes-Benz S class made people assume you were successful. Fuel was so expensive in the early 80s that most people easily overlooked the soot and odors involved. Bear in mind that most gas powered luxury cars smelled like rotten eggs when driven hard in those days. When adjusted for inflation fuel cost more than double what it does today in the US. The great fuel economy and supreme comfort was why they sold so well in the US. I lived in Bellevue Washington and Newport Beach CA in the days I owned mine and they were very common. The 300SDL that came out in 1986 was the epitome of the 1980s S class diesels, Long wheel base, 6 cylinders and air ride suspension) but by the time they came out they were so expensive I never traded up. I switched to BMW and Audi products for the late 80s and early 90s then to Lexus because German car depreciation got worse and maintenance costs were so high on German cars. However, today I own 2 Mercedes 5 cylinder diesels, a wagon and a 300D 2.5 turbo sedan that I cherish.

Rolling coal 35 years before it was cool. Mercedes was way ahead of their time in the 80's Honestly, the build quality on Mercedes products of this era was the best in the world. Unfortunately everything automotive these days is all cheap plastic, government mandated, emissions and safety bs. it also seemed like buyers were more sensible then, now its all, "I need a 1 ton 4x4 diesel to haul my 12 foot aluminum jon boat once a year"

IMO, this was the ultimate in diesel engine cars. It's a damn shame that more car makers didn't follow Mercedes-Benz's example. Daimler-Benz has been offering diesel powered cars, trucks, vans, and buses, far longer than most car makers.

I have an 84 300GD and have been holding the trigger on a 300SD. Only problem is that I will need a third garage… but goes to show you that after all these years people are still dreaming about these and their reliability.

Have one of these. 40 years after it was built, still runs like a charm

That's one of my favorite Mercedes.

Hatch & Sons in Hudson, MA turned my dad's 300SD TD into a tire roasting sleeper. He let me drive it out of the lot when we picked it up, told me to floor it and it was like I was in a burnout box. Before they sprinkled their magic dust on it it would take about a minute to get to 60.

Back when Mercedes built the best cars on the planet. You can still daily-drive these cars even today. With proper maintenance, they'll go 500,000 miles before anything major goes wrong. *That* is why they sold so well, Mr. Davis. :-)

Absolutely beautiful car. Way ahead of it's time. Would like to have one today.

I love the Retro Reviews by MotorWeek

My favorite model ever.

Since this road test, you've always complained about the 100 watt Becker cassette stereo until they stopped having it in the 95 S class.

As of 6/2023- I still drive a 300SD- as a daily- mechanically car is super- tight- have custom/ re-cleanable air filter- Car has appx- 320,000 mi- No undercarriage rust 😊

I had an 83 300sd in a medium gold with dark brown interior. It was 20 years old when I bought. I wish I had kept it. Very slow but so comfortable to drive

this is my zombie apocalypse car.

I love this guys style of presentation!

Love watching these old videos. Some real interesting cars.

I seem to remember cars like a base Honda Civic or a Nissan Sentra (or whatever it's equivalent was called then) costing about $5,000 -7,000 around this time. Almost $40k was VERY expensive!!! Beautiful car, though.

I have one of those. They are wonderful!

Do you guys have a video of a 1989 or later Dodge Shadow Turbo? my grandpa brought it up the other day as he owned one back in the late 80s-early 90s

I want one before diesels get banned forever

I wish, I can go back in that time and buy one and have it preserved to drive it in this time. Keep it in a time capsule. These new bloody Benz's don't even look close to prestigious as this did !

Had a 1983 300SD same color but it also had chrome accents. I drove it to Florida and back to NY non stop with 230k miles on it. When I let it go it had over 270k. The buyer was shipping it to turkey to sell. I was also surprised to see exhaust fumes when they floored it. That also happened with mine. Very reliable but very loud.

please keep the 80s stuff coming!

i rly love this car . when i was a kid i would always spot an old benz by the taillights ...sigh they just dont make cars like this anymore

Merk have so many timeless designs this model is no exception

The Best Car ever Created..... Well Balanced! Good to turn in hard corners While Speeding! Good for Speeding as well! And Good Shock Absorber! Good Handling!!! Damn! I am so glad that I had drove this car....

Hands down these are some of the best cars ever built even in 2022!

I still have mine with 103,000 miles, Excellent!!

My dad probably watched this in 1982, and saved liked mad to get it. Mercs were pretty popular from where he’s from.

I had an '84 and it was a fantastic car.

my aunt drove one of these, it rode like a magic carpet, even better than a cadillac of the day in terms of total isolation from the worst sharpest bumps in the road. but it was a slug when you stepped on it. you barely felt the acceleration, very low g-forces. my dad's 300D felt a lot stronger, but it was a LOT lighter, to be fair. very roomy though, supremely comfy orthopedic seating, and NO SUNROOF to steal away any headroom, one of the last MBs to not have a sunroof standard. wish they still made 'em like that.

My uncle had bought a pair of these in 82 one blue with mb text. And the other grey with grey leather. Way ahead of there time. And a finish level beyond any other cars even ten fifteen year on.

More Diesel please :)

Good damn brown suit hellyeah

Cuando se hacían buenos autos 👍, yo quisiera uno así 💪🇲🇽

Damm I had this car it breaks my soul watching this video it was my first car to I got into a bad accident and this car saved my life because it was built so we'll

Looking at buying one of these bad boys this week. Wish me luck

Love my '83! It's been in the family since it was three years old. And I can verify the accuracy of the 1/4-mile time.

Can you guys post a video of a W140 S Class Mercedes from anywhere between 1992-1999? I'd love to see my 1999 W140 S500 in its glory days!

Back when they built them like tanks.....and the solid door closing 'thunk' was a design prerequisite from Stuttgart!

Seeing that you can easily flip the odometer multiple times with basic maintenance and care that price averages out to be a really great deal. My current car is 18 years old and I'll probably die before it does.

I had one lasted over 600,000 miles.bought it with 340,000 miles.unfortunatly it spun a bearing on 3 cyls.not bad at all.i junked it but loved the car.

I drive 1988 190E but some day... some day I'll go for the 300SD... I got my 80's cassettes ready :)

Such a beautiful car.

Do you have a review of a W123 240D sedan, that should be a quarter mile worth seeing haha!

I was in the GRAY MARKET in south Florida back at this time. I learned to really appreciate all Euro spec cars. I converted them to USA federal standards for EPA, DOT, NHTSA, certification AND i did it a lot. Motorsport engineering just trolling for prior customers to say high.

3:38 Breaking test with 55 mph and the driver wears a helmet 😂😂

When you paid for reliability, quality and durability with comfort, nowadays, well, problematic electronics and smartphones on wheels.

I worked at a garage in 2008 where we had a 1982 SD 300. That car was fun to drive for a slow car and look ok destipe having an interior that needed restoring. I even ran it on Used Motor oil with no problems.The garage owner was a crook. though and wanting $1500 for the car.

Is this hilly curvy "test track" the on or off ramp to what is now the end of rt 70 "park and ride" in Baltimore? Looks like 0-60 could vary drastically depending on which direction you run it..

EPA said 27 city 33 highway and 29 combined. Now with the current measuring they say 21 city 24 highway and 22 combined. Yet Motorweek test gets 28. I think the way they test now is to make older cars look worse so people are more likely to buy the new cars and electric cars