If you’re looking to conserve fuel, there’s a few ways you can go about it. There will, however, always be limitations to just how green you can be. If you go the hybrid route, you’ll see your gas mileage increase, but in actuality, you’ll still have to fill up with petrol and have a battery replacement years down the line that you’ll have to deal with. What about electric vehicles then? Many of these vehicles have come a long way in terms of range, but you’re still getting your juice from via a plug, which more often than not means energy derived from coal. But what about that old standby, diesel? Sure, it has a bad image in the US from the vehicles we experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. But Mercedes-Benz has stuck by this technology for years and their diesels of today are some of the most advanced on the market.
This 1982 300SD for sale in Ohio couldn’t exactly be considered one of their earlier efforts, as their dabbling with diesel technology dates back to the 1930s. But this W126 was one of those cars that was sold here in this market as we were emerging from the dark days of the 1970s energy crisis. With the tried and trusted OM617 inline-5 cylinder turbodiesel under the hood, you are getting W123 reliability in a larger, more stately package. The ultimate sleeper when it comes to fuel conservation, then?
Click for details: 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300SD on eBay
Year: 1982
Model: 300SD
Engine: 3.0 liter turbocharged inline-5 diesel
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 52,409 mi
Price: $16,800 Buy It Now
This is a one owner 1982 Mercedes 300SD sedan. The car has only 52,409 original miles on the car. The car is mechanically perfect. The engine looks new. It runs and drives new. A/C blows ice cold. The interior is like new. Seats are perfect. The paint is stunning. Paint show a deep shine. The car makes a beautiful appearance. Tires are like new Michelins. This car will go a million miles. Please read my feedback and call Jay for your best Jay 201 232 4040
While I tend to prefer the post-facelift W126 S-class over the earlier version that we see here, the M103 diesel engine in this 300SD is much more reliable than the OM603 diesel that appeared in the 1986 model. Those later diesel engines had teething issues with their particulate filters, which could affect the lifespan of the turbocharger. Motor mount maintenance was key on these engines, as well. Lack of maintenance could eventually lead to small screws being loosened from the crankcase, thus finding their way into oil passages and leading to bearing failures or thrown rods. Faults such as these were atypical of Mercedes-Benz at the time.
Earlier W126s have had a hard time matching their later counterparts in terms of value, so at just under $17,000, this example may be a hard sell, regardless of the low mileage. Of the early W126s, the 300SD is the one to have, as it combines the sturdy nature of this chassis along with the durability of the M103 turbodiesel engine. If you want to be a fuel miser in the new year, there are few classier ways of doing it.
-Paul
That’s an om617, not an m103 (which is a gas engine). I spent a fair amount of time under the hood of the 300sd I owned. It was certainly robust, if not quite as trouble free as a modern car. I find that a lot of folks have unrealistic expectations about the fuel economy of these cars–don’t expect more than about 25 mpg in mixed driving, because this is not fundamentally a modern powertrain.