A W126 diesel provides all the comfort, style and luxury of the legendary S-class while giving your wallet less of a pounding at the pump. There were three diesel engines available for this platform: one five cylinder unit (a 3.0 liter offered in the 300SD between 1980 and 1985) and two six cylinder units (a 3.0 liter offered in the 300SDL between 1986 and 1987, and a 3.5 liter offered in the 350SD/SDL between 1990 and 1991). These later engines were afflicted by a number of reliability problems, quite out of character for a Mercedes diesel product. So if you really want an oil-burning W126, the safest bet is to stick with one of the earlier cars, like this one. Not only does this ’82 300SD have the more reliable five cylinder engine, it’s presented in a particularly fetching and suitably classy shade of green.
Tag: 300SD
For some time, the W116 has been stuck in no man’s land value wise; not as new or attractive as the W126 that replaced it, and not as classic a design as the W108 series had been. It’s not that it’s an unattractive car at all, but unfortunately it’s bookended by arguably better looking models and unfortunately – outside of some real stunners – the value of Mercedes-Benz sedans falls below coupes and convertibles. For a classic Mercedes-Benz enthusiast on a budget, then, the W116 offers a lot of vintage Mercedes-Benz build quality and longevity on a budget. There are plenty to choose from, too – lest we not forget this is a S-Class Mercedes, so the price was stratospheric when new and even lightly used. Option out a 6.9 to the tune of around $50,000 in 1980, and you’d have the equivalent buying power of nearly triple that amount today – roughly $143,500 in 2015 money. And they were laden with top-end technology for the time; recently I covered a series of Volkswagen Rabbits, where everything outside of the tires was an optional extra. In the S-Class, you had electric nearly everything, electronic climate control and in the case of the 6.9 you threw in hydropneumatic suspension. These were, and still are, impressive vehicles, many of which were maintained to a high level yet are available for a fraction of their original investment. Today I’m taking a look at the slowest and fastest of the bunch – a 300SD and a 450SEL 6.9. Which is the classic S-Class that woos you?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD on eBay
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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
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I always wonder why cars that are eco-friendly have to look so overtly different from a normal vehicle, oftentimes appearing as the automotive equivalent of a Birkenstock. Not being one to shout about my accomplishments, I like to do things a little bit more discreetly. In this case, if I was looking to gain a little bit more economy in my daily travels, I would choose a car like this 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300SD that is for sale in Florida. This vehicle comes to us by way of an estate sale. There’s not a whole lot of information to go on, but from the looks of things, this could turn out to be a very good buy.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300SD on eBay
Comments closedSometimes it’s hard for me to think of the W126 Mercedes-Benz S class as a classic vehicle. When introduced at the dawn of the 1980s,…
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