Off-topic: W123 Cult

[Douglas]

I recently became the owner of a 1983 300D Turbo Diesel and wanted to share some of my thoughts with the group. Frankly, I'm a '60s kind of guy when it comes to Mercedes, so a W123 has never been on my list. It's far too modern. I remember new examples all too well growing up, so it can't be old, right? (Note to self: It is remotely possible that I may be growing older.)

The vehicle was a Southern CA example that had been in a friend's family, so when they asked if I wanted to buy it, I just couldn't say no. It's the perfect car for my 2.5-mile trip to the train station and back each day. It's reliable, fuel efficient, and safe.

Somehow though, the little sedan has grown to be much more than basic transportation to me. I actually like it. Maybe even love it. I understand the appeal of the W123 to the throngs of people out there who still drive them all over the world. It's handsomely designed, rugged as anything, and quite comfortable. In a word, it has "character."

I know a lot of people in this forum understand what I mean. Plus there's quite an enthusiast community out there that I'm getting to know. All in all, not a bad toy. Thanks for listening.

[hauser]

I too share your feelings about the W123.  It's a wonderful car especially with the diesel.  A virtually bulletproof automobile.  One of my favorites is the 300CD and have been looking at a few on ebay.  If the right one were to come along I would buy it.

A couple days ago I stopped by my service shop that I use for the Pagoda to check out their Smart car.  My attention was quickly diverted to a W124 E320 coupe.  Brought back memories of my former coupe which still shows up at the shop from time to time for service.  

Both models are great with long production runs so parts are plentiful.

Good luck with the car!

[Richard Madison]

Doug:

For those of us stuck in the 1960's and don't know the 300D, how about a photo of the newest member of your family? The engine too please.

Richard M

[Naj ✝︎]

There is a huge following in the UK MB Club too.

There is a dedicated National gathering of W123s in July.

naj

[mdsalemi]

Douglas,

I wouldn't dare--in a million years--abuse the pristine 280SL that is mine in something as invasive and hard on a car as an MBCA autocross.

However, last June at Gemuetlekeit in Cleveland, my VP, Adam Lumsden, allowed me to drive his 1983 300D in the autocross.  What a blast.  While not as competitive as an SLK around the course it was absolutely perfect for me as a first time driver.  Adam's a bit of a harder driver and between the two of us we did a number on his tires.

I developed quite an attachment to the car.  It's just so "right" on so many levels as you discovered.  It's almost a shame that you have relegated it to "station car" use.

When I was growing up in NY in the 1960's the station car of choice was a 1962-63 Chevy Impala or Biscayne...in metallic blue.


Long Island and New York "Station Car" of the 1960's--mid-1970's

[Mike Hughes]

quote:Originally posted by mdsalemi

When I was growing up in NY in the 1960's the station car of choice was a 1962-63 Chevy Impala or Biscayne...in metallic blue.

Must be something to that.  My grandfather had a summer home off Montauk Highway on the outskirts of Westhampton from the 1930s until the late 1960s.  He would take the train from Speonk into the city on Monday morning and return on Friday evening. For years his station car was a proper station wagon - a 1942 Packard woody.  After he found out how much it cost to redo the weathered wood he retired his beloved station wagon to the garage for special occasions and replaced it with a 1958 Biscayne station wagon - it wasn't blue though, it was white with green interior!

[Cees Klumper]

Probably my all-time favorite car that I have owned to this day was a W123 1982 300D turbodiesel that I drove around Palm Beach County in 1990 and 1991. 125 horsepower, white with blue MB tex interior, sunroof, AC and everything else. Quite a strong car, tank-like and a great pleasure to drive. Pretty good mileage (25 MPG as I recall) and I did most of the maintenance myself, under the carport. Fond memories, and like Hauser I occasionally ogle the coupe diesel version. But have enough cars and other forms of transportation (three bicycles, two cars, a boat and two motorcycles) as it is ...

[Benz Dr.]

I have a 1985 300CD turbo coupe that I'd sell. Silver with blue interior. Should be ready in a few weeks.

[merrill]

I have 3 mb's that my spouse and I enjoy.

66 230
78 300d
98 c230

I enjoy all 3 cars, however nothing has the nostalgia that the 66 has.

The 300d a sold and reliable car, geat gas mileage for such a heavy vehicle.  The ride is smooth.

The 98 is a nice car as well.

Like any car, if you take car of it, it will provide years of reliable serivce.

[cascadia]

I've had a few W123 diesel wagons over the years that I've used as my daily drivers, they're great cars.  Aside for window switches and climate control glitches, they're bulletproof.  2 years ago I found a 1987 W124 wagon with low miles that I couldn't resist.  I sold my W123 to my neighbor, he converted it to run on straight vegetable oil and drives it everyday.
Bob in Portland

[pagoden]

My folks bought a 300sd in 1983.  It now has just over 80k on it, and with their passing has become mine.  To the average citizen it still looks 'showroom' and I get some nice comments, but I don't know if I'll ever quite get comfortable with its strong gold color! It's a honey, though, and will quietly cruise to over 130 (that I know of) if you can find room enough for it to roll. (I got to drive the autobahns in a coupe for a few years; there and in Montana --does that still work?-- are the places for those thorobreds to roam.) Station car...sigh. No offense meant; just...sigh.

[Richard Madison]

Who would have thought there was all this secret love for W123's?
I would have guessed 190SL or the occassional modern Mercedes but W123, never.

I'm afraid to ask what other older MB's we love...the list would be quite long I suspect.

Richard M, NYC

[JPMOSE]

Interestýng!  I bought a 1983 300D early last year and kept ýt for sýx months.  My relatýves lýked ýt a lot so I sold ýt to them at a very attractive price.  I loved that car except for the hard 1-2 shift (ýn 1984 Mercedes modified ths trany 722.3 and soften the 1-2 shýft and also improved the 2-3 shýft...whenever the transmission ýs rebuilt, there are alot of mods to incorporate).  Ý now have a W116 300SD that I love as well...but the W123s are special and good ones do well on Ebay).

[CraigS]

We didn't get the 300d or cd down under, but we did get a lot of W123's, and a considerable number of them are still around. Here is my 280CE.

[TheEngineer]

Last year I ran across a 1995 E320 wagon W124 on Craig's list. It was in immaculate condition and I bought it subject to an inspection by our local MB shop. It passed with flying colors. It's a wonderful car: It rides so smooth as if I'd be on a flying carpet. Has lot's of power. I don't know how they get that much torque out of that six. Must be the transmission: It shifts smooth like butter and starts in first gear. The sun roof is especially nice: I can open & close it while I'm driving. The car drives almost silent: There is road noise, but the engine is very quiet. They quit making that Model at the end of 1995 and mine was built in November. It has all the updates. The a/c is wonderful: Even at idle there is full cooling. And now the bad part: My Toyota gives me a bone-jarring ride and the a/c only cools well when I speed-up the engine to 1200 rpm at a traffic light. Never noticed that before. And it's very noisy to drive. Had to fix a few things on the E320: threads were stripped for the bolts that hold the valve cover. A/C relay had a stuck relay inside: Had to open it up and free it. That blew a fuse I had to replace. Someone had broken several plastic parts. The light in the RH a/c outlet in the dash did not burn: The bulb was loose. And the oil filler cap leaked: Fortunately, the gas cap for BMW fits and I had one of those. Gas cap for the W113 is also the same. The driver side head rest must be adjusted manually because the motor-drive is broken. Oh - well: Nothing is perfect.

[ja17]

You guys hit a lot of soft spots on me..... A W123 300D Turbo is my current every day work car.  I agree with Michael, JP, Douglas and Cees that these are quite easy to live with and easy to fall in love with. They are tough, durable and comfortable for everyday use. They require the minimal amount of care to keep them dependable.  My first W123 was a 230C coupe (four cyliner gas) all euro specs and another very lovable car. You could remove anything under the hood (including the engine) in about a half hour! Yes those MB coupes are always the best deals, the most quality at the best price. Craig, Dan and Hauser like myself appreciate those beautiful coupe "lines" and are willing to sacrifice some of the inconvenience of those big long doors and rear foot room for the beauty of those "lines".

My wifes 91 300 TE wagon also impressed me as did Peter's. It is truely impressively smooth and well manered. My wife preferes it to anyother MB. It is just right for her, the two grandkids and the three Dobermans! Unbelievably reliable even at the ripe age of over 300,000 miles!

Bob, previously to her 300 TE, she drove two different W123 wagons both 280TE, quite fun with the euro gasoline injected six cylinder engines.  We have a 1981 300TD turbo wagon we use a work for a sevice and delivery vehicle complete with ladder rack. The self leveling suspension is great when five full grown men with tool boxes and ladder pile in! Saves gobs on fuel over our large box trucks.

Matt, I have many fond memories of years behind Finbacks like yours. These were wonderful cars, built like tanks, plenty of room inside, cavernous trunks, and decent handling, frequently with stick shifts. The interiors of these Finbacks and the later W108 sedans had seating more comfortable than in most living rooms and almost as much room!

Richard, I grew up behind the wheel of a 190SL and it also is a romance story. I also recall fondly my daily drives in the old 170's and pontons. The W114 cars were also such great, tough modles, as look back on the Rally and Autocross versions I built back then.

I guess this is what Mercedes-Benz is about! There are easy to love and hard to live without! If you have an appreciation for fine engineering, superior quality, character, safety and the "experience of driving" you can fall in love with these cars!

I hated to see every last one of them pass.

[114015]

Joe, Doug & all,

I could not find better words than Joe did for the appraisal & esteem of all of the discussed Mercedes-Benz passenger cars.
I myself have made best experiences with my 114015 over more than 25 years (which finally directed me to the W113...).

As Joe mentioned ... I hate to see anyone to pass away from our streets... There's so much modern junk around nowadays ...

Achim
(MB parts & knowledge collector)

[Mark280SL]

Send a few snapshots Douglas!

I drive a lot and whenever I'm out going someplace I often see 123's either on the road, or for sale in somebodies yard, there were quite a few made over time.... they always catch my attention and more often then I should I pull over and look at one for sale.

Benz Diesels in particular have always brought back good memories for me because my Father had one when I was a kid, it was a 190D and I remember the sound and the big white steering wheel with the manual shift on the column and the "glow plug" which was always a mystery to me when I was a kid. For some reason I don't remember a lot of things from when I was a little kid but I have especially strong memories of that black car with the red tuck and roll seats...Such great machines.

[J. Huber]

What's amazing is until this thread, I probably wouldn't have taken notice of any 300Ds but in the last few days, I have seen a bunch!

They seem to have very nice, simple lines. A bit squarish -- which I like -- as opposed to the newer MBs that have the slanty look. I liken them a bit to the BMW 5 series of the late 80s and early 90s. Just a timeless nice looking body-style (and a very mechanically sound car).

What's funny is, around here, most of the people driving them are not (if I may generalize) your typical Mercedes type -- but rather more of the granola crowd. Probably picked them up used -- yet they are still gracefully chugging along.

One question I have is: are there resources out there for restoring a car such as this? I mean a place besides Mercedes where one could get new interior or various cosmetic parts (like we have).

[Douglas]

James,

I just made that same observation to a friend who also owns a 300D in Seattle. The diesel-powered W123 has turned into the anti-establishment vehicle of choice in some parts. :-)

You asked about the non-dealer support and I'm finding there's an incredible parts network. They made so many of them and the following is so fanatical that you can find anything you need at all for very little money. Plus the DIY database online is incredible.

I think the qualities we associate with Mercedes—durability, elegant design, tank-like robust construction, reliability—are all there in the W123. In fact, it's incredible that used examples with over 200K on the odometer still fetch top dollar out there. People are absolutely not scared of high mileage with these vehicles. Frankly, I've never seen anything like it. While the rest of the world is preoccupied with how low their mileage is, the diesel crowd wears high mileage like a badge of honor.

I've been having trouble posting pix, but I'll keep trying.

[blue230sl]

quote:Originally posted by Benz Dr.

I have a 1985 300CD turbo coupe that I'd sell. Silver with blue interior. Should be ready in a few weeks.

will you be posting it in the FOR SALE section here, with details and pics?

[rwmastel]

300CD for sale at MBCA web site.

http://mbca.cartama.net/showthread.php?t=26002

[20swrt]

I'm reviving this thread coz I too feel the same way when I bought my w123's.   I got into the MB scene 5 years ago because I heard you can burn almost any oil on a diesel engine-including cooking oil.    So immediately i started looking for a reliable diesel engine.    The first one that met my requirements was a 1985 300D turbo.    I learned more and more about MBenz.   After i got tired of all the rust issues with that old clunker - I decided to get a better 1987 w124 300D ($800).    Little did I know it was a rare combination.    After my vegetable oil experiment's on those old beater cars,  I decided to get a keeper - a 1983 300CD.   Like some of you I realized the coupe and the w123's in general had a certain charm.   The reliable turbo diesel only made it more desirable.    Who would have thought "Diesel" and "Coupe" could be used in the same sentence?