I've never had to replace the starter on my 123 but I know that MBZ lists a different starter for the '85 California model. I'm not sure what the difference is (besides being about $100 more expensive) except that it's located very close to the Trap so it may have extra heat shielding. Maybe it doesn't matter anymore since all the traps are now converted to catalysts but I can imagine it gets pretty hot near the canister and the prolonged extra heat won't help the starter longevity much. If you are using the 49 state starter you may want to remove the catalyst canister altogether just to be safe.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold