Unicorn 87 300TD Wagon - Full service history - Excellent example - Hard to find

1987 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series - Rare Diesel Variant

1987 Mercedes 300TD

Up for bids is this super rare 1987 300TD. If you're looking at this you probably already know that this model is a one-year example for the six-cylinder OM603 diesel motor in a wagon format. Only 2,679 were imported to the US. This wagon was bought under the European Delivery Program and toured Germany before coming home with its new owner in Phoenix Arizona. It stayed with its first owner until moving to New Mexico in 2011. It came to Oregon in 2012, then up to WA state until November of 2017 when I bought it. It's now located in Portland, Oregon 97218.
I've been using it as my daily driver since then and it's been a fantastic car. Runs and drives beautifully with no issues, I've put about 3000 miles on the car. The car comes with every service record since new. Zero rust anywhere, and undercarriage photos are provided below. Look for more information written alongside the photos below, there's over 60 photos to show every aspect of this car. Feel free to email any questions you may have. The reserve is LOW (please don't ask) and I can help arrange shipping worldwide. Thanks for looking!

The car has had one very careful repaint in its original color of Smoke Silver Metallic. Very high quality job with no overspray or tape lines, you'd be hard pressed to tell that it's been repainted. All body panels are clean and straight with no rust or clearcoat issues.

Front valance is intact and undamaged.

All lights and signals work correctly.

I had the wheels powdercoated and mounted new Michelins this past spring.

MB windshield with a few small nicks, but no stars or cracks.

Small ding to the right of the license plate. Hasn't broken the paint and would be a good candidate for paintless dent removal. Never bothered me much.

Some scuffing in this area.

A light duty hitch receiver has been installed, the bracket and ball are included.

Factory cross bars are included.

Very nice original interior. Mercedes built these cars to last.
The factory floor mats cover original carpeting that is in very good condition.

All instruments work, including for the clock. No warning lights on the dash. I'll add some fuel to the tank before it leaves here! I've been getting high 20's in city driving, and low 30's on the freeway. The car always runs cool, with constant temps right around 80C. Oil pressure is good, and the odometer and trip odometer are both working.
This car always starts easily. Wait for the glowplugs, turn the key and it fires to life instantly. It has a block heater for the winter months, and even in 10 degree weather this car starts like it's any other day.

All of the switches shown are operable. Horn and wipers both operate as intended, there's no electrical gremlins to chase down in this car. The climate control works correctly, including the stepped fan feature in auto mode. I recently had the AC converted to R134a and it's blowing cold. Heater works great as well.
A Kenwood stereo has been added, it's Bluetooth and Pandora ready, and has a microphone for hands-free cell phone use. Below the radio, 2 VDO gauges have been added in place of the ashtray. One is for amps and the other shows turbo boost. Both work. The original ashtray is included if you wanted to swap it back.

The sunroof opens, closes, and tilts. No leaks. When I got the car last year I cleared all of the water drains throughout the car, important maintenance on any W124.
The dome light works in all positions but for some reason doesn't get actuated when opening the front doors. The lights for the rear doors and cabin operate normally.

All of the power windows work great. Both of the power seats operate as they should, and the power (vacuum) locks work as well.

Dash has 2 small cracks near the center vent.

The car was optioned with a factory cargo cover and dog net, a rare and valuable accessory. The car comes with the factory spare, jack, tool kit, and first aid kit.

I replaced the rear hatch struts when I got the car, so the hatch stays up. The self closing feature isn't working, so I just close the hatch the regular way, with my hand.

Headliner is good from front to back. Note the position of the four eyelets for the dog net, they allow for it to hook into the forward locations when the rear seat backs are folded forward too. Nice bit of engineering.

If you've never driven one of these diesels from 1987, you're in for a surprise. It has a huge power increase from the previous W123 series, and feels more like a gas motor than a diesel one. I've driven this car all over Oregon and it's a pleasure to drive - smooth, stable, and quiet.
Part of that is due to the excellent maintenance history of this car. Highlights from the past 8 years include:
New glow plugs, rebuild of the ABS system, rebuild of the cruise control system, new AC compressor, rebuilt transmission at 162K, new steering gear box.
New front and rear suspension bearings, new struts, ball joints, tie rods, idler arm, and new sway bar bushings.

The car's entire service history from day one.

Original manuals and paperwork. European delivery key fob. Ashtray that was removed.

$41,780 equals about $96,000 in today's dollars.

The carfax shows a damage incident on 7-9-16. A truck's ball hitch backed into the grill, so it was replaced. There was no damage done beneath the grill.

Clean and rust free undercarriage. Under my ownership, I replaced the motor mounts, and installed ceramic brake pads front and rear. I also had the alternator replaced, along with a new belt, tension dampener, and pulley. Should be good for many years.

Yes, the car is being lifted in the correct locations, the jacking points are covered by the lift's pads in the photos.

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About the reserve price:
Out of fairness to all bidders the reserve is held in confidence, please just bid at the level that you'd want to pay. This auction ends Thursday, August 30th at 6PM Pacific Time

• Make: Mercedes-Benz
• Model: 300-Series
• Type: Wagon
• Trim: - Rare Diesel Variant
• Year: 1987
• Mileage: 192,280
• VIN: WDBEB93D0HF021490
• Color: Tan
• Engine size: OM603
• Number of cylinders: 6
• Power options: Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power Locks, Power Windows, Power Seats
• Fuel: Diesel
• Transmission: Automatic
• Drive type: RWD
• Interior color: Black
• Drive side: Left-hand drive
• Safety options: Anti-Lock Brakes, Driver Airbag
• Options: CD Player, Sunroof
• Vehicle Title: Clear
Want to buy? Contact seller!