Wahoo! The reserve is OFF on the 1984 Mercedes 300D! It’s going to sell in the next 45 mins, and perhaps one of you will be the new owner of a SUPER cool and drivable classic! www.tflbids.com/product/1984-mercedes-benz-300d/

The w-126 is equally reliable. My daily is an '83 300 sd. 530,000 miles. Same 5 cyl turbo. Simple to maintain, actually a joy to keep up.

This was back when Mercedes was paying more attention to quality and reliability than production costs. After the W140 and with their merger with Chrysler, everything started to go downhill.

My dad still has his '81 240D in Manila Beige with tan interior, and it's an automatic with only 56K miles on the odometer. Runs like a champ.

I knew a guy with one of these, it had "ventilation holes" in the floor and a hood stack, as well as a vacuum line ran into the cabin to suck on to get the thing started. Quite possibly one of the best cars I've ever seen.

I just bought my 300D last week same color too! I’m the 3rd owner and I have an extremely thorough service history on it. Your review kinda pushed me towards getting it! I love it!

Personally more of a fan of w124's. But i'm pretty deep into 90's nostalgia. Major Disclaimer though: While "bullet proof" rubber does wear out and it's shelf life is a lot less than steel. Whether that's tires, or suspension bushings out engine/ transmission mounts, or weather seals. Every single "bullet proof" car this old needs them. I don't care if it's a 20 year old land cruiser or a 40 year old mercedes. Always always always be diligent about changing out the rubber. It's even more important on hoses for a diesel to prevent runaway. I'm not saying don't get one of these, i'm just saying know what you're getting into before you do. if you do your homework and get a little grease on your arms, they're more solid than most of that crap at the dealerships these days.

A 300 turbo diesel wagon is holy grail stuff. Slow as molasses however.

I used to own this model’s “grandson”, the W201 for 6 years. Wonderful car. Mine had a gasoline engine. Started up even in -40C, when the neighbours modern cars started giving up. I eliminated a lot of neglect from previous owners and every repair made it drive signifficantly better. You simply can’t compare how those cars feel when driving to any other, it’s unique. Sad that Mercs lost all that in newer models. When I bought myself a truck it was sad seeing this beauty just sitting in the yard, so I sold it to a guy from another city who drove it there for almost 1000 miles with no issues whatsoever. Now I’m missing it a lot… Tho it still was a better decision than letting it sit with no purpose.

I had an 85 300d for four years and traded it for an A6 Audi in 2005. Big mistake! My Benz had 280k miles and ran like a top. The interior was immaculate. It did not burn any oil and the driveline was good. The only reason I got rid of it was that diesel prices went up so I've ended up making up the difference with the money I've put into subsequent cars. I really miss that 300d.

I have a 1984 300D turbo as well, the exterior is a little rough, and there’s a little bit of rust on the fenders, but the engine runs healthy and the vacuum system is completely functional. I can let it sit for over a week and all the doors will still unlock. Mine has about 240,000 miles on it and it’s painted in silver blue metallic which looks very elegant in my opinion. Love these cars

That five-cylinder Mercedes diesel engine is indestructible! My neighbor drove his over a million miles with two major engine refreshes, then sold it and drove it until almost....pure Mercedes quality! w123 and w124 are the last Mohicans of Mercedes quality! love that mercedes diesel whine...

we moved from Dallas (where foreign cars got no respect at the time) to Boulder, Co. in the late 70s and I couldn't believe how many people with the funds would drive 123s. They seemed so minimal compared to Cadillacs and Lincolns. But our new neighbor had an off white 300 D and I fell in love. Rock solid. Classic style. Low key class. Still love them today 45 years later

My Dad had this exact car. He bought it brand new. The transmission shifts were "firm" because diesels do not produce vacuum the way a gas engine does. Mercedes used a pump to simulate it in order to work the transmission primarily and then the other components such as the door locks etc. They really were built like a Sherman tank and back then, all Mercedes cars had a distinctive smell in the interior. I can recall when Daimler Benz owned Chrysler, I caught a whiff of that same scent in a Chrysler 300 during a rental car experience. I've had several vintage Mercedes since that time including a 1978 450SL, a 1983 380SL and a 1986 420 SEL and they all drove as solid as a rock.

I had a 300TDT with 350,000 miles and a 240D with a 4 speed manual, original clutch at 250,000 miles. They were both sold 20 years ago and that is something I regret. They were wonderful, especially compared to my nightmare 2008 GL550.

I have owned several W123s, including an immaculate silver 1985 300D with just 55k miles. Abut ten years ago I switched to a W124 300D 2.5 turbo because I wanted the extra safety features of a car with airbags and ABS brakes. No question that the OM617A engine is more durable however.

Purchased a 1984 SD300 W126 about 7 years ago for $800.00. Dumped about 5k into front end steering, and some other items and runs like first day it rolled off factory floor! Plus, it's a great rig for a camper car. Plus it can handle 4x4 roads pretty darn good, lots of travel and usable grip in the real wheels to punch forward! Just get a skid plate and you're a rally set! Remove the front and back seats for a great bed platform in the summer. The roof can carry over a ton for some sweet roof rack action too! Getting about 28mpg for a 2 ton tank! Pulls like a dream with all the emission crap off too without going to backwoods on it! Ebay is a perfect place to finds all the parts too!!! Best part the rig is call Ron Burgundy! lol

I love this car reminds me of my father. He had one when I was a kid. He bought it second hand one owner car. These cars are Tanks. The ride is so good, I even love the Diesel engine sound. You can really hear it.

Tommy, I am the buyer of the car, I just wanted to tell you that I went through it mechanically, as well as aesthetically. The car was very solid, no rust so a good platform to start from. I will say, there were a million little to medium large things to do and it was more work/expense than I expected initially but I now have a very sorted, fully working and good looking car that people gush over all the time with a total investment of about 15k. That’s not bad for a reliable car that will probably outlast me. Let me know if you want pics!

Interesting.. with everything else it uses to be the opposite with Europe driving diesels and US gasoline.. I really liked the w123 with gasoline engine. They run so much smoother and quieter. Also would run for as long as you serviced them. I'm sure the diesels had the edge on longevity but there was no problem with the gasoline engines either. A 230E with a 5 speed manual would probably be the optimal. It can actually get out of its own way also.

Tommy,,,, It's the torque of the 300 diesel 5 cly turbo ... HP be damned.. ,,, Long live the W123.. ,,, The same for our '94 C124 Coupe; E-320. Cheers, M/S

The 240D was slow, but were available with a stick-shift, which makes up some for the low power. Along with the manual shift, you can also find them with manual windows, manual HVAC, and none were Turbo - so much less to go wrong than a 300D.

I was in Germany in 1976 when these first came out, I was only around 10 years old, I always remember the advert with a yellow four door saloon (sedan), it appealed to me even then, it's probably the best looking Mercedes ever built, hard-wearing interiors, wonderful to drive, the estate (station wagon) version is definitely the best looking vehicle ever, I had a 1984 saloon, like a mug I sold it, I would have another one tomorrow

My Uncle had one. Most amazing car I think Mercedes ever built. If you are in a hurry, this is not your car. I love how solid these are. This platform is one of my favorites. I miss my Uncle and I miss these cars.

Bid on this car here: www.tflbids.com/product/1984-mercedes-benz-300d/

I’ve had my 1982 280te wagon for 22 years and it celebrates its 40th birthday next month.

I have a 1987 300d w124 with 165k with perfect body and everything works. And ZERO RUST. I am thinking about selling to find a w123 to restore. Iike the w123 more than the w124 . I restored classic muscle cars for over 30 years so I have the experience and skills to build a nice car .

One of the greatest MB's of all time - along with the W124 series.

I owned a 1980 300D and I've never felt a more rigid chassis in a modern car. Of course it was slow, it leaked oil, had vacuum operated accessories that were annoying if the hoses leaked, but it would not leave you stranded nor did it ever drive like it was "worn out".

Glance into the scuttle area below the windscreen/in the footwells very very carefully before you dive in to one of these "Un-Killable" cars. You may well spot the achilles heel. Check the sills too. I've looked at enough "Pristine" examples to know - rot is never lurking too far away.

This really does feel like a **peak** PNW car. Totally not surprised to hear he bought it in Portland, haha. There were so many old European sedans like this up there when I was a kid in the late '90s/early '00s, still rolling around largely rust-free.

That is why 240D with no turbo manual transmission manual crank windows is a lot simpler more efficient better car then 300D. Less is sometimes better.

As much as I will always prefer a diesel 100 series land cruiser. I also have a soft spot for volvo v70s and older Mercedes diesels.

Back in 1986 I was freshly out of high school and working at a Chrysler dealer. A guy came in one day driving a 1985 300D Turbo in Smoke Silver with just 10,000 miles on it. He wanted to trade it in on a Chrysler Le Baron convertible. Was a pretty easy deal and off he went. I called my Dad right away to convince him to buy this beautiful Benz I just took in on trade. He first said no. A few days later I ran into him at a restaurant and convinced him to come see this beautiful W123. He fell in love and bought it on the spot. His failing was he refused to take care of it to Mercedes spec and nickel and dime the maintenance. By 100,000 miles it was falling apart. Very sad.

I have Wrenched since I was about 10, that was 1970. The 300 TD is probably the Best Car Ever. The Non Turbo was good also if you want a really nice car to get you from point A to B in style. Yes the vacuum was a problem. My Aunt had a 300TD with a crank moon roof. I really don’t like moon roofs they can be a pain. It’s Not A Race Car!! It’s a car you buy that will seal the deal on buying another car. Great Video Thank You 🙏

I drove this car from Nashville to Vegas/Grand Canyon and back... Turbo lag is real.. Once ya get her rolling ya can cruise at 90mph for 500 miles... When the doors close its air tight...

I love the US spec headlights, the oversize bumpers are not very flattering though.

“Unkillable” provided you are prepared to keep replacing failed parts over time, which is the case for most cars… I don’t know why reliability is often connected with old German cars. These cars were “over engineered”, marvels of luxury and complex engineering, but that does not make them reliable. A Camry is an indestructible car. The W123 is an amazing luxury car and a feat of engineering for the time, but it is not “unkillable”.

Those rims are iconic.

I've got mine dropped a bit, intake, bumped the boost a bit, straight piped all the way back. Sounds like a CAT, rolls aggressively when boost comes on, and is happiest at 80-85 mph.

When the engineers outranked the accountants at Mercedes’

I knew a guy in South Florida that made a career out of exporting these Mercedes’ over to the Islands. The Bahamas loved that Miami doctors were getting tired of them and selling them cheap.

These W123 cars were/are very robust. I am a NZ'er now living in Colombia and recently bought a 1993 W124 300E - done 100,000 miles . I had had a 123 in NZ years ago but never a 124. Now that move is complete and, as I am 75, this will be the last car I own - unless a crazy Colombian driver writes it off and I have to buy another one. There are always a few for sale in Bogota in particular. I live near Medellin. Some years ago, I had over 33 years 6 older Mercs in NZ. Wish I still had them all!!

Back to a time when Mercedes produced indestructible cars and their biggest quality was reliability

I'm a used car dealer who deals in a lot of 20-40 year old vehicles from $500 upward. I've crossed path with a fair amount of W123's and one thing to keep in mind is that many of them are tired. I don't mean like (needs a full engine rebuild) tired. I mean, needs an overhaul tired. The youngest are 37 years old and you need to be prepared to spend at least the same you spent on the car on getting them tip top mechanically for uncertain times. Seals are old and leak fluids and vacuum. The vacuum systems are old and needs lots of attention to detail to re-work. Automatic equipped cars tend to start acting up due to vacuum issues. Linkages wear out and have lots of play. window seals start to leak. Turbo equiped cars often need extra attention. yes, buy one for hard times ahead, but also work your ass off to overhaul it. Dont be lazy. Put in the sweat and put in the tears and you'll be rewarded. Otherwise be prepared to spend 8k and beyond for a well sorted one.

What you didn’t mention is how easy they are to work on, simple beautiful driving cars

My first car was a baby blue w115 300D back in 2010. I’ve had roughly a dozen different cars, but I still own my baby blue!!!

You're like 5 years late, these have been expensive as long as I've paid attention to them

You will still see many of these in various countries around the world. They were the last REAL Mercedes-Benz. My father used to have Mercedes-Benz, and people would ask him how he could afford to have a Mercedes-Benz. His reply was always "Because I can't afford NOT to have one!"

Those may be fine in a dry climate but here in germany, they start getting eaten up by rust from salted roads. I saw the first one with rust-holes in our neigbours 200D as early as 1986 today many here consist just of brown puff-pastry held together by paint.

Counterpoint: A great slow old car with a $700 air compressor replacement cost! I had a 240D and it was super cool and super reliable but the little things were big dollars. Rebuilt climate control switches, $586. Glow plug timer controller $582.

87 Chevy Silverado, I had 714k miles original engine.

Great car. Needs maintenance like all other cars though. But well maintained it can go on for ever. I was a taxi driver in Denmark in the 80s, and drove a 123 limousine (220D) that had 1000000 km (one million, not kidding) on the clock. The 124 wasn't bad either :)

Wonderful car. Except for the US bumpers

They really are amazing! I’ve got an ‘80 300 non turbo with a 4 speed stick, 190k kms so maybe 100k miles I’m not sure I’m Canadian, but the car is in orange! It’s an amazing colour that gives it lots of personality and people’s eyes almost fall out of their heads staring at me going down the road. It was actually imported from Germany when it was bought brand new which is so interesting to me as it was sold in Canada, so it has the euro spec headlights and bumpers that make it look lighter and sportier which I love. I wouldn’t ever sell her, just way too good

My daily driver, 2001 Mercedes, ML 320, 230k miles and going strong while also looking just like the current line up of small SUV's that are on the road. It's fast on the SUV realm, solid in the handling, and a tank for that matter on durability, gas usage is not that bad at all either, certainly just as good as most new SUV's.

Great video Tommy, love those old Turbo Diesel MBs. W123, I am little more partial to the W126s but the W123 are really cool too. Would love to someday see a comparison on TFL classics of the Turbo Diesel W123 vs the Turbo Diesel W126.

I like the mechanical tractor sound.

In case someone already mentioned it, My apologies. The difference between the 240 & the 300 wasn’t the turbo, the 240d was a 4cyl and it came with a manual transmission like the one my dad had, brand new off the showroom floor in 1982, sold it 2yrs ago with almost 800k and all he ever did was basic maintenance, that car was a tank!

Nonsense. The best engineered car of all time is the Lexus LS400.

We used to have one of these things, & loved the car. It’s just the aftermarket support for specialty parts isn’t there. There are specialty parts on the injection pump that are not made anymore. I wouldn’t recommend to daily drive this without having a backup to drive.

I have never owned a W123, but did have a 1980 300SD that I got used in 1982. I had looked at some W123's, but the price on the 300SD was better. Some little remembered facts on the W123....early models had the choice of a manual or power sunroof, velour upholstery was an option on early models for North America, had option of rear head restraints, and had choice of console or steering column automatic gear lever.

Great video Tommy. Totally enjoy all videos of the classic cars you review.

i have one and its my daily and it never ever lets me down snow mud or rocks ive took it into creeks and everywhere a 4x4 goes and it fits 27" mud tires this cars a beast itll get ya anywhere but there not that fast even with the turbo

I have an om617.952 turbo from a w123 and I’m going to be putting it in a ford ranger. That motor will outlast anything!

So if the car is locked and the vacuum system fails, is there a way to get back into the car?

If only they could’ve built other Mercedes models like the 560sel with all the technological advancements the prestige while also having the insane reliability and mechanical quality as the diesel models

One point of contention: Don't remove the alternator when the car is running. The alternator belt also drives the radiator fan and the water pump. You have about 10-15 minutes of driving time before the car overheats. However it's accurate that the alternator doesn't need to work or be connected for the car to keep running. As an added bonus you can technically pull/push start these cars, even the automatics for complete power-off operation.

My uncle Gene. Had a silver one . He also lives in public, CO. He would drive his 300 td from there to myrtle beach ,SC to see us. Good I was old enough, I could drive it some. Yes. It's slow... engine classic noise..

I had a 1982 300SD W126. The odometer quit working at 325k miles and I drove it for another 3 or 4 years. It was an amazing car and I kinda miss it.

The Mercedes Benz of my youth! Back when Mercedes made awesome bank vault cars!

These were designed to run continuously for 24 hours a day and have a serviceable life of 50 years

One of the best sedan ever made , top speed 188 km/h with a smooth speeding ..I love it.

"Meet The Unkillable Mercedes" and "You're not seeing them a ton on them on road anymore" What happened to them? Were they taken by Aliens? 🚀👽

This Vehicle can make ONE Million Miles or even More..

I’m from Morocco , my oncle is a Taxi driver he had a Mercedes 240 and used it as a Taxi the car has almost 1M kilométrer on it , it’s the most reliable Car ever made by Mercedes

Drove one for my first 10 years of my life. Sold it with 650k on it.

I had every version of the 123. My favorite was the 280CE coupe.

Memories of living in Germany in the early 90s

The shift from 1st to 2nd was always firm straight from the factory. My dad bought one new back in the day and it was very pronounced.

"Before They Explode In Value"!? Where you been, dude? They've already exploded in value. And not just recently.

How much longer do we have to wait for more Grand Cherokee videos?!

Diesels are horrible polluters! In Arizona, diesels have to be emission tested every year. Gas-powered cars have to be tested only every two years. It's a myth that the diesels get great mpg (it's 20-25mpg) or will last for extraordinary mileages. Diesel is also now much more expensive than gasoline. The best W123 is the gas-powered 230e, which unfortunately was never officially imported to the USA.

My first Mercedes Benz was an 84 300SD I bought it with 50,000 miles drove it 8 years and sold it with 235,000 miles. It ran just as good the day I sold it as when I bought it. It was great.

My first car was this but 1985 and black with tan interior. Also had like a sunroof in the rear floor boards where you could see the road lol

Very well built cars, but parts are impossible to find and if you do find them they're extremely expensive. Stick with Volvo 240's if you can find one, plenty of maintenance parts still available.

First and only Mercedes was 1998 C230. Somewhat disappointing in the five years that we owned it. The lag in the supercharger was most annoying. Many electrical gremlins. In the LED readouts, power mirrors, most notably. Most troubling was appearance of rust around trim that ran along the lower portion of the doors. Certainly not what I expected

The best w123 is the 1985 last yr w123 but 1st yr w123 had a different gear ratio differential, which drastically effected drivability. This increased top end speed. The w126 always had the better geared diff.

I had a new 300D in 1983. My dad had a new '81 300SD and a new '85 300SD. The 240Ds were dogs and couldn't even get out of their own way. The only thing I didn't like about the 300D was the seats were painfully uncomfortable. Ride in it for an hour and you were ready to scream in pain (seriously). And you couldn't self-adjust yourself either by moving your position. I had the MBTex in mine with manual adjustments. Awful, just awful seats. The seats in the '85 300 SD were much, much better. No severe pain at all after an hour or so too (I was 18 too at the time, so there was no reason I should have had such severe pain). I wasn't the only one who felt this way. My mom complained of the same issue when she drove it. Driving wise, they're very, very solid.

Maybe don't remove the alternator belt for very long , as it also drives the water pump!

The engineering logic used in these 240 D's and 300 SD's (model 123) follows the pattern established by the German tanks of World War II. The tanks had smaller engines, a number of gears in the transmission and were diesel powered. The bearings and running gear was heavy duty compared to other countries tanks. These Mercedes 123's were heavy, had small 4 and later 5 cylinder diesel engines, 4 and 5 speed manual transmissions (automatic transmission was also an option.) These cars were built like tanks. it costs a small fortune to rebuild one of these cars to reliable daily driver condition. 10 years ago the fuel delivery system cost $1,800 to rebuild, plus installation. The rear end on the car cost about $4,000 to rebuild. The hydraulic suspension costs a lot to rebuild. To get one of these cars rebuilt would cost a lot of money.

Nice but how much did it cost to maintain? and how are the safety features?? THe W124 was well built and had more up to date safety features like airbags...

I had a 1985 300D and never had any major problems with it. It's a fun car to drive and comfortable for long trips. Diesel was cheap back then.

The question for a 250,000 mile car is how much has it cost to maintain/replace to get to 250,000 miles? You can get a 1st generation Hyundai to 250,000 miles if you want to part with big bucks along the way.

I have the 1985 Estate. Shy of 350k miles. It has been garaged when I am not using it. This is my go to car when my new cars fail. I just turn the and go.

Hmmm....W126s and W124 typically hit those miles as well...especially if they were diesels

yes you're right. in some parts of Morocco we still use this car and the W124 as a taxi cab; especially in the rural areas

I drove thousands of those back in the day 1982-84...into the mechanic stalls and out to lunch.

"They figured out a lot of the issues." Says quite a bit about them. There's a lot to a car besides the engine and "over-engineered" isn't always a compliment. As you said, you spent a lot of money on yours. The vacuum system can be and usually is a nightmare...a very expensive nightmare. So, if you're going to buy one, do it with both eyes open and only after a thorough PPI by a real expert.

I have always wanted a 300/350 SDL