Every now & then some of us MB enthusiasts run across stories like these... and here's my encounter from a few years ago to present time. In the late summer of 2008 I got a tip from a friend about a 300CD for sale locally in the hidden outskirts of Cape Coral, Florida and still in the hands of the original owner, a sweet lady named Sophie. After inquiring, communicating, and contemplating for a few months I finally took the dive and acquired this W123 1985 300CD Turbodiesel coupe from its original lady owner in Nov. 2008. She was 88 y/o and purchased it new from Jack Perry dealerships, in Goshen, New York on 10-May-85. This was her second w123 coupe since her first '80 300CD was totaled after a car accident which saved her life. This 300CD is a Blue-Green Metallic (color code 877). She kept it garaged while only accumulating a few thousand miles per year. Most were garnered while highway traveling from NY to FL, and vice-versa... she was your typical "snowbird" (spring and summer in NY, while fall and winters in southwest Florida). Eventually in the 90s the car resided in Cape Coral, FL. It has low miles because as she got older and became a widow, she limited her long-distance driving.

She became ill a few years ago... sold her house... lived with her daughter in FL... and her car sat on the driveway ever since but still driven on weekends & continuously maintained. The old lady and her family kept many chronological service records through the decades including a diary notes to document the littlest details. She also said that "if it needed scheduled service or if something didn't work, then it was serviced by a local MB shop". It has an extremely solid body & chassis with no rust whatsoever, even underneath. It has a nice original Creme (light-beige) trim with a mint dashboard, and the seats & interior have minimal wear. It has good working ACC and power accessories, and the car is mechanically sound. It runs great and the OM617.952 is strong and smooth since it was never abused or neglected... the trans and suspension are just as in good shape as well. It's not a showroom perfect car but a very nice time-capsule attractive driver for its vintage.

It was difficult for her & her daughter to let this go since they had many sentimental memories through the past two decades, but they were glad I purchased it after they saw my passion for these W123 classics. However on a sad note, the original lady's daughter notified me on Jan. 2, 2010 that her Mom passed away after a long bout of illness. The coupe already has all of its original books, data card and 3 original keys it came with as well as many records & memorabilia to authenticate its provenance since new, but one of the items the daughter found and recently sent to me was the coupe's original "Addressograph" under Ms. Sophie's name (original owner). The addressograph (aka dog tag from MB) was the only missing item from the car's case of owner's manual and books so I was ecstatic to receive it. On the other hand, out of respect and gratitude I sent a framed glossy photo of Jade... dedicated to her family. After all, this petrol 300CD was also a part of their daily lives for nearly 23 years. God bless Ms. Sophie... you are resting in peace with the good Lord now.

Under my ownership, I have had nearly all new rubber seals installed after a complete strip & spray with a layer of R-M sealer, 3 layers of Glasurit basecoats, and 3 layers of Mipa clearcoat. The results are quite nice and impressive. I also replaced a number of old or worn cosmetic interior & exterior components and trim pieces procured from the Classic Center including a genuine MB battery. The most recent service item done was a complete front suspension and brakes R&R using OEM parts. The photos show the coupe wearing either old-school 7Jx15 two-piece Enkei mesh rims or the standard original 6Jx14 Bundt wheels. Presently, maintenance and regular doses of detailing is the name of the game for this beautiful 300CD... and just this month I installed new Contitech fan belts all around. It is truly a labor love for this teal 300CD which I aptly named as "Jade".