Just purchased a 1979 W116 300SD this morning
 

I just purchased a 1979 W116 300SD this morning.Always wanted one for memories reason,Rode in one when I was 11 or 12 years riding nice and hearing the noise from the diesel.It has the diesel which I was looking for.Doing my research payed off,this one is a rust free car and taken care of very well with 79,000 miles on it.The seller kept every service record when it was serviced.It did have rocker panel replacement done in January and it was done right.The interior is even clean inside which amazed me.Loved the color,Red.The seller worked with me on the price,paid $9,000.00 for it and did test drive it.I test drove it,drove nice and straight.Only thing it needs to be done to it is balance the front and rear tires.Said he would do that.My mom told me about it last night,she went to school with him and they work together at work also.I am very happy with it and a great buy.Looked at a 1977 300SD with the diesel also on Tuesday and needed work.Headgasket was out of it and had some rust spots in both quarter panels.

Congratulations! I love the 300SD. My first Mercedes so I have fond memories of it as well. You got really lucky to find one in good condition with low miles. Post some photos!

I am driving it around and people don't think it's diesel powered when I drive up to the diesel pump at a gas station.Did my research before buying too,a coupe were rust issues in certain spots and the headgasket issue.I seen oil in the coolant of the 1977 and knew that was a red flag,the repair was going to be expensive.I have not done much to it yet with not complaints at all.My 11 year old son thinks the engine is coming apart when I drive it and did finally understand it's a diesel sounding like this.

Good catch on those potential issues with the other specimens you looked at. I managed to get as much as 27 miles per gallon with the 300SD. At one point, I routinely had issues with starting on cold mornings and so I replaced the fuel filter and glow plugs, but not much improvement. Then I had the valve adjustment done by a shop and that did the trick. Another thing to look for is vacuum leaks. That would mess up the door locks, the cruise control, and even the climate controls. Talking about it makes me realize how much I miss the old 300SD! :zoom: Again, congratulations.

Grats on the purchase!

Post up some pics after you clean her lovingly.

great buy. I was looking for some classifieds on these 300Sds just earlier today. They go for ages without problems. I have seen some in the market with 300K plus miles on them and they still run great .