Here's my $.02. Been driving a 123 for 2 1/2 yrs. and absolutely love it. Recently bought my wife a 126 (both '83 models) and --- - absolutely love it. But I think I like the 123 for bumping around town more. Like the 126 for highway time. Both cars are in great shape, but the 126 is a bit quieter and smoother ride. As was stated before, the automatic transmission is the best of both worlds. With its vacuum control (as opposed to electronic) you can adjust it to shift high or low revs - hard or soft -- provides most of the guy features of a straight shift for me and yet allows my wife to put it in 'D' and think about more improtant matters.

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John Schroader
bio burnin' 83 300D, '83 300 SD, '79 240D
"I've never met a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else" Ben Franklin
"You cannot permanently help a man by doing for him what he could and should do for himself" Abraham Lincoln