zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Is $3,500 for this 1980 Mercedes Benz 300TD Anything To Celebrate?
Is $3,500 for this 1980 Mercedes Benz 300TD Anything To Celebrate?-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:04

The ad for today's candidate claims the car was once owned by the actor, Dustin Hoffman. You might expect it then to be a Duetto, but instead it's a diesel, and a wagon at that. Will its price still make this older Benz a seductress?

How much would it cost to fly to Bavaria? Well, if you happen to be in Wisconsin the tab would be $1,500 because that's just how much yesterday's cost. It might not be a round-trip ticket though, as that Bimmer doesn't presently run, but I imagine Wisconsin is pretty nice this time of year.

Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe BMW is claimed to have been found… you guessed it, in a barn.…

Two days, two Spätburgunder-colored Germans in a row, what is this world coming to? There's a big difference between Bimmer and Benz however as unlike yesterday's BMW, today's is a runner, a diesel, and a three-row wagon. Ooh, I can feel the collective piss shiver of excitement that just went through you all.

Not only is this W123 a longroof, but it's also claimed to have once been owned by none other than Dustin Hoffman, star of stage, screen, and, apparently, this Mercedes. That means that you'd probably need to slide the driver's seat back a bit because Hoffman is not only a hugely talented actor, he is also, how wall I put this, altitudinally efficient.

It seems that every time we mention a car with a former celebrity owner everybody has to whip out their John Voit pencils and rub the toothmarks. In this case there is not even that tenuous evidence as the seller here is passing along as lore the unsubstantiated claim from a previous owner. If Hoffman owning this well-worn Benz were an urban crime, it wouldn't even register a kitten fart on Spiderman's Spidey senses.

The car itself might get your senses going however. It has 214,000 miles on the clock and as you probably know, that's just getting warmed up. These cars are legendary for having been wildly over-engineered and built like tanks, and the 2,998-cc OM617 diesel is considered to be one of the world's most durable and reliable mills.

Strangely, this car is on its second 5-pot but the ad does note that this one holds true to its reputation and runs well. Also, while the ad says this is a turbo diesel, I don't think that looks like the blown motor in the pics. Whatever it is, it's backed up by the Benz auto box as is the case with most of these cars here in the U.S.. The ad says that the air suspension has been replaced with steel from a W116, for what that is worth. Hell, I didn't even know they had bags to begin with.

The body is said to have minimal rust, jut showing a little around the bottom edges of the doors, but to be otherwise pretty solid. The paint is faded like Jennifer Lawrence's hopes of forever keeping her boobs off the Web, and the interior shows expected signs of age and use.

In fact, the interior trim on the rear doors looks wrinklier than a scrunched up Shar Pei. On the plus side it does have the rear-facing third row of seats for your friends with less than 20/20 hindsight.

It all kind of makes you wonder why Dustin Hoffman would have wanted to get rid of this car in the first place. After all it's bound to be more reliable than an Alfa Romeo Duetto, and with the efficiency of the diesel it's less likely to run out of gas at inopportune moments. Regardless, it now could be yours, for $3,500.

What do you think about that price for a 300TD in such condition, does that seem like a deal? Or is that a price that's nothing to celebrate?

You decide!

(somewhere in the U.S.) or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to The_Phalanx for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace Doesn't Punish You For Wanting An Electric Vehicle
The 2019 Jaguar I-Pace Doesn't Punish You For Wanting An Electric Vehicle
The is quite an achievement. While the entire automotive industry is scrambling to get electric vehicles out by the end of the decade, Jaguar will begin delivering its new EV crossover before the end of this summer with the performance, style and range to challenge and everyone else. ( Jaguar...
Feb 12, 2026
At $3,975, Could This 2011 Ford Crown Vic Interceptor Be Your Blue Light Special?
At $3,975, Could This 2011 Ford Crown Vic Interceptor Be Your Blue Light Special?
The seller of today’s cop car Crown Vic claims you won’t find more car for the money. That’s probably true seeing as they don’t build ‘em this big anymore, but we’ll still have to weigh the size/price balance. To all the Saab loving Jalops that weighed in, yesterday’s was a...
Feb 12, 2026
Can I Sue A Dealer If They Lied About My Trade?
Can I Sue A Dealer If They Lied About My Trade?
Everyone knows you But what if you think the dealer straight up lied about the value of your car only, to profit from it later? Unfortunately, your options for recourse are limited. Recently I got a note from a reader who was pretty ticked off when the dealer told her...
Feb 12, 2026
At $3,900, Could This 1999 Olds Aurora Be An Awe Inspiring Sight?
At $3,900, Could This 1999 Olds Aurora Be An Awe Inspiring Sight?
A famous Simpson’s episode had Principal Skinner passing off a kitchen fire as the Aurora Borealis, to humorous effect. No such chicanery is necessary with today’s Olds Aurora, though its price might still prove delightfully devilish. Do kids actually play ‘Cops and Robbers?’ Did kids ever do so? I know...
Feb 12, 2026
Here Is Why You Shouldn’t Expect A Bargain On A Pre-Owned Sedan
Here Is Why You Shouldn’t Expect A Bargain On A Pre-Owned Sedan
When it comes to new cars, the sedan segment is dying. Honda has been and Since no one is buying them you would think buyers could score a deal on a cheap pre-owned model, but currently, that isn’t the case. According to a report in , dealers and wholesalers are...
Feb 12, 2026
These Are The Late-Model Cars With The Highest Depreciation
These Are The Late-Model Cars With The Highest Depreciation
Cars are typically depreciating assets (unless you’re buying a ) but this is actually good news if you’re a used car shopper. Here are the late-model cars with the highest three-year depreciation and the top one is kind of surprising. The site notes that despite the average car depreciating at...
Feb 12, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved