Calling all collectors! For those of you that have been waiting for the emergence onto the market of that rarest of automotive beasts, he car that seems to have been locked in a time capsule for most of it's life, ook no further! It has arrived! This 1980 Mercedes Benz 300SD is just such a car. A splendid combination of faithful maintenance and careful preservation has yielded this example that is about as close as you can get to going back to 1980 and buying one of these from the dealer. Personally, just cannot get over the condition of this car as I have not seen one this clean and nice since the 80's! Let us begin with the exterior, hich admittedly comes the closest to showing the cars age, lthough nowhere near it's actual 35 years but closer to 5! This always in California car is, s you would expect, otally rust free. The majority of the car is wearing it's factory original paint although I was told that the hood and the front fender were painted at some point afterwards. The color in itself is a rare find. Finished in Mercedes Benz color DB479 (Walnut Brown) which apparently was available only on the 300SD in the model year of 1980, t appears that not many of these were finished in that color and today even fewer have survived. The paint truly looks remarkable from even 5 feet away, ut upon super close inspection, here are a number of rock chips, lemishes and scrapes with the worst being what appears to have been a side swipe with a pole done to the driver's side rear wheel well. Still, his paint has held up remarkably well for being as old as it is and it still has a mirror finish, hanks to a recent coat of wax that was applied. The factory original bundt wheels look new. I see no curb rash, o loss of clear coat. The chrome is bright and has no pitting and/or other damage other than a few light scratches to the rear. Now, n to the interior, hich is possibly my favorite aspect of this car short of the incredible driving experience to be had. This interior is very, ery close to flawless. 98 points on a 100 scorecard all day long in the originality category. The high degree of preservedness first hits you when you open the car door and you catch a whiff of that smell well known to vintage Mercedes collectors: the genuine leather aroma! Yes, his survivor could not be better as it was delivered with ALL factory options including full leather seating in bamboo leather. In those days, hey didn't just skimp on the leather and only put it directly on the seat and where your back touches, ut generously all the way around the seat frame is this wonderfully patinaed Mercedes leather. With the exception of two minor creases on the driver seat, hese seats will make you think IT IS 1980 again. Just perfect. Strong, upple and comfy, hey are superb! And the same goes for virtually the entire interior with the headliner, oor panels, ood and even the rear package shelf being WAY above average. Very untypical of these models with this type of age, his car's wood is shiny, ot faded and without cracks. The dark brown dash is almost perfect, ith the exception of a hairline crack alongside the bulge of the top of the instrument cluster. Carpets still have lots of wear left. Now, s mentioned before, his car has all of the very few options that were available in 1980 as this was an "S" class sedan and was given most of the upgrades made available to buyer's at the time as standard equipment. Of the 3 options available, his one has them all: The full leather seating upgrade from the MB Tex, he Becker Mexico cassette radio/tuner with wonderbar feature and perhaps the most sought after option, full power sunroof. Everything in this car works, ncluding the clock. The Becker Mexico was taken out and sent to the Becker factory in New Jersey for a rebuild and now functions exactly as is should. To give the new buyer the full time capsule experience, am including a cassette of Abba's greatest hits, hich sounds remarkably well played through the Becker Mexico system and the 4 speakers int he car. And as you drive along listening to Abba, ou will have no trouble maintaining just the prime temperature in your 300SD as the often troublesome servo unit has also been removed and rebuilt so that the often tricky climate control is a welcome feature to your everyday motoring, unctioning properly on all selections as it should. ICE COLD A/C! The main oil cooler hose and other smaller hoses have recently been replaced. Finally, he drive itself. With 149,200 documented miles on a working odometer, his car drives and handles exactly as you would expect and want. There really is not much to say. It starts right up every time, as adequate power even before the turbo kicks in and when it does, ou're off! I live in hilly California, nd I zoom up the hills to get home 2, or 4 times a day. I can easily keep up with the sea of Priuses that surround me. I purposely over-accelerated past a so called "Smart" car to let her know that elegance and beauty always take precedence over youth! I had no trouble watching her shrink in my rear view mirror. Good riddance!Lastly, welcome one and all to com, nspect and drive this beautiful machine in person for only then can the true love affair with it begin. Disclaimers! Despite her captivating beauty, he is of an older generation and as with all aging entities, he may be in fine health today and fall ill tomorrow. Therefore, must declare before you all that this car is sold as-is where- is. It is 35 years old and does not have a warranty of any kind. As the buyer to be, t is part of your due dilligence to dispute the veracity of the claims made herein to your satisfaction by conducting your own independent investigation PRIOR to placing your contractual bid, r upon sale time and the transfer of monies to gain ownership, ou shall forever hold your peace. By placing a bid to become the next owner of this car, ou acknowledge that you have read and agree to these terms. Finally, reserve the right to end this auction early and/or cancel all bids on sale day as this car is advertised on other venues. May the best person win!