Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Is there any car more revered in the last half century than the Mercedes-Benz W123? Amongst the Mercedes faithful, this model stands head and shoulders above them all in terms of durability and timelessness. It is also known as quite the gas miser, with plenty of biodiesel conversions out there on the roads. Let’s take a look at three very different W123 models, beginning with this early 1977 300D sedan for sale in Florida.
Here’s a new one to add to my growing list of possible vehicles for when I forsake this overly-busy life and decide to strike out on the open road indefinitely. Someone in Alaska has apparently already done it in this car, but was of the (proper) mindset that big repair bills would were just part of keeping it in great running order. That doesn’t mean beautiful – this proto-Sprinter O309D has a few blemishes and some needs – but the right care has been to taken to keep it ready for what I see it as made for: living in and covering tons of miles. It won’t get there fast with a terminal velocity of 65 mph, but it returns an alleged 24 mpg on average from the 3.8l turbodiesel 4-cylinder, which is insane for a vehicle of this size. With Westfalias commanding insane multiples of $10k, this is priced right for someone to start/make/restart a life in.
The E63 AMG Estate we featured earlier isn’t an impractical car, but it’s hard to deny that it’s a bit over the top for most people. If speed isn’t your thing, you could always go the other direction and pick up a W123 diesel estate, such as this 1985 300TD for sale in Michigan from the same seller as the 300TE 4Matic we featured last week. With only 37,000 miles, this beauty is nowhere close to being broken in and is in like new condition, a superlative that is thrown about liberally but certainly applies in this case.
The chances are if you read GCFSB, you aren’t a big fan of the preeminent hybrid vehicle, the Toyota Prius. Still, the car does have its fans. I just get annoyed when I have to ride in one as a taxi. I’ve been known to wait until the next cab arrives because I can’t handle riding in these things. They are uncomfortable, especially when you go crashing about through potholes in an urban environment. The Prius makes me wax poetic for the days I spent in Europe shuffling around in Mercedes-Benz taxis, many of which are similar to the W123 model that we see here for sale in Maryland.
This particular late model 240D is a Euro market model, sure to appeal to those who like the slimmer bumpers and flush headlamps. With a 4-speed manual, you’ll be assured to get the most out of that tank of fuel, as well.
We’re hitting an interesting time in which the initial generations of truly tech-laden cars are starting to “mature,” and we will begin to see how these various forms of packing 10 pound of technological crap into a 5 pound bag will age. At my Bimmer shop, they noted how they love working on the older cars because they are “real,” and most things can actually be repaired. The owner pointed to an early E65 745i sitting outside the shop and lamented that “anything breaks on that piece of s*** and you might as well buy a whole new car.” The Touareg V10 is certainly on the overwrought spectrum of things, and maintenance on this generation of VW/Audi luxury cars is notoriously spendy. I choose to ignore this reality when V10 TDIs come up because they are such beasts. Not the best looking, not the best value, but hell yes it’s a VW SUV with ten cylinders of diesel-compressing fury.