5k: Off-Roader: 1984 Mercedes-Benz 300D

In all the years of surfing cars ads in autotrader print magazines, craigslist & ebay, I really can’t say I’ve ever quite seen a car like this.  It is the ultimate amalgam of hipster chic, redneck rampage and Mexico family vacation.  It is cold filtered, barrel aged and freshly ground for the ultimate Coors Light-bourbon-frappuccino.  Never in the history of automotive customization has anything so totally missed the mark, hit the target and filled an unknown need.  Anyway, enough with the fancy analogies, this ain’t Car & Driver…this is Daily Turismo…let’s see it.  Find this 1984 Mercedes-Benz 300D offered for $5,500 in Hollywood, CA.  Tip from Alex V.

The Mercedes-Benz W123 generation E-Class is one of the legendary cars of yore. Never known for being fast, the W123 was blessed with a bomb proof interior and engines that live well past the owners’ desire to keep driving.  This one is equipped with the 3.0 liter inline-5 OM617 turbodiesel which would have been good for 123 horsepower and 185 ft-lbs of torque when new.

The thing that sets this 300D apart from the crowd is the seller-installed off road suspension.  Finally, a fitting competitor to the AMC Eagle but without that pesky AWD system.  In the seller’s own words: It looks super tough and unique but still classy.

See a better daily driver for the rural commuter? tips@dailyturismo.com