Nice piece on the W123

mb1725

"Recognized on virtually every continent for its exceptional longevity, most of the 2,696,914 w123s built are still on the road today"

http://ranwhenparked.net/2013/06/21/a-quick-drive-in-a-1981-mercedes-benz-230e-video/

carchaeologist

Most 123s, I doubt most of them, many of them yes, but not most.

Kenny Logins

That one looks a bit grumpy.

WDB123

at least use a decent example,that french car is wrecked,

230e manual converted i would think

Red Kev

WDB123 wrote: »

at least use a decent example,that french car is wrecked,

230e manual converted i would think

It's missing bits, it's shabby, needs a clean but i like it .

I've had a few of them, when I was in Germany in the 90's a W115 was an accepted car for a low wage earner/student to drive, W123's were just coming into the affordable zone and most of them looked like that. I still love the solidity and simplicity of the dials, steering wheel and switchgear, the feeling of resistance when you pull on the doorhandles and the thunk of the door when it shuts, great cars but some of them were total rust buckets.

My first ever car was a Mini, second was a W123 estate with the rear door rusting off it and it overheated once you hit 130 KM/h, had some great road trips in it though.

Around 2000 I paid DM 50 (€25) for a '79 200D off an "Arfur Daley" charachter I knew near Bobblingen in Germany, he just wanted the car off his plot, it hadn't been started in over a year, (had the older "pull starter"), put jump leads on it and it started first time. Had to spend €85 on a battery in a petrol station as it was a Saturday, stuck a "5 day" plate on it and drove it to Mauritania in 8 days, drove perfectly, only had to change a fan belt in France. For those who know the route there was a convoy going from Dakhla in Morocco back then, I had the car spray painted overnight in Dakhla and stood in the convoy with the paint still drying, couldn't open the rear doors later as the paint had stuck the rubbers on the doors shut. I crossed the desert with a french guy in a 504 estate, two of Africa's most iconic cars, lost the photos of that trip a few years ago which is something I hugely regret.

Great cars, for sentimental reasons I'd nearly prefer that tatty model over a perfectly clean version.

hi5

WDB123 wrote: »

at least use a decent example,that french car is wrecked,

230e manual converted i would think

I think that's the idea, battered and bruised they soldier on.

WDB123

I know the point is they are tough and keep going,but why is it we always see a pile of crap or a taxi battered when they mention w123s.They have done there time why not see the best ones now.

mb1725

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-BCWxCBMgU

This one wasn't exactly pristine either! :rolleyes:

Capri

Red Kev wrote: »

It's missing bits, it's shabby, needs a clean but i like it .

I've had a few of them, when I was in Germany in the 90's a W115 was an accepted car for a low wage earner/student to drive, W123's were just coming into the affordable zone and most of them looked like that. I still love the solidity and simplicity of the dials, steering wheel and switchgear, the feeling of resistance when you pull on the doorhandles and the thunk of the door when it shuts, great cars but some of them were total rust buckets.

My first ever car was a Mini, second was a W123 estate with the rear door rusting off it and it overheated once you hit 130 KM/h, had some great road trips in it though.

Around 2000 I paid DM 50 (€25) for a '79 200D off an "Arfur Daley" charachter I knew near Bobblingen in Germany, he just wanted the car off his plot, it hadn't been started in over a year, (had the older "pull starter"), put jump leads on it and it started first time. Had to spend €85 on a battery in a petrol station as it was a Saturday, stuck a "5 day" plate on it and drove it to Mauritania in 8 days, drove perfectly, only had to change a fan belt in France. For those who know the route there was a convoy going from Dakhla in Morocco back then, I had the car spray painted overnight in Dakhla and stood in the convoy with the paint still drying, couldn't open the rear doors later as the paint had stuck the rubbers on the doors shut. I crossed the desert with a french guy in a 504 estate, two of Africa's most iconic cars, lost the photos of that trip a few years ago which is something I hugely regret.

Great cars, for sentimental reasons I'd nearly prefer that tatty model over a perfectly clean version.

There's a book written about those trips
'My Mercedes is Not for Sale: From Amsterdam to Ouagadougou...An Auto-Misadventure Across the Sahara'
by Jeroen Van Bergeijk

http://www.amazon.com/Mercedes-Not-Sale-Ouagadougou-An-Auto-Misadventure/dp/0767928695