The five cylinder versions of the 123 are NOT the economy cars. There are just too many gadgets and stuff to break on them. Most all these gadgets are EXPENSIVE to repair.

The manual transmission 240D version, on the other hand, is simple, easy to work on, fuel efficient and if well cared for can be run to the half million mile mark.

Even though both of these cars LOOK the same, they are about as different as the 240D and the beetle.

Yes, the parts for Beetles were and ARE cheap. They made MANY more of them than most any MB ever made. There is economy in numbers. It's a good thing that parts are cheap for the Beetle since they are needed so often.

Have a great day,