FWIW ;

I have THREE W123's ~ a battered and beloved Diesel Sports Coupe that's my daily driver, a very nice 300TD greymarket that's *almost* back to full European spec. and my very first M-B, a 1982 240D stripper ~ the only options it had when new were radio and automatic .

I don't drive the wagon much, I bought it for S.W.M.B.O. with the help of the C.W.C. guys (thanx again guys !) , re sprayed it and try hard to keep it nifty and pristine for her, the CD and 240D have and will continue to do Yeoman Duty all across America including lots and lots of road rallies and canyon carving, plenty of flat footing my way across the Desert (not the 240D of course, never overspeed any engine !) and routinely run away from Sports Cars in the twisty bits ~ all you needs do is buy decent tires and shocks (I'm fond of Bilstein HD's) and take close care of the mechanical end of things ~ the reason you can always find a cheap Mercedes is because like an older GM car they'll still run well long after all others have died from neglect .

So, if you can take care of they little things they're not terribly expen$ive to own and maintain, cheaper than the monthly payment on other, newer cars .

And of course, they're comfy (I have broken back & neck with metal plates etc., etc.) and SAFER than most other cars too .

I don't know where to find them but there are old films made by Mercedes of testers (mostly young jail birds I am told) driving smack into the back of stopped trucks, bridge abutments and so on at high rates of speed, amazing and horrifying to watch, in every case the car is demolished but the driver gets out and walks away .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better