I am interested in purchasing a 240D (123 body), and am trying to do my homework before making the investment. This board is proving to be most helpful in my quest for knowlwdge!

My question is this - how serious is rust on these cars, and how easy/feasible is it to repair?. I live in Cincinnati, where many of the 123s that I see on the road have issues with rust. My options seem to be to either buy a local car (that I can visually inspect & determine the mechanical condition of) and repair any rust myself, or buy a "Southern" car on Ebay (which scares me, buying it sight-unseen).

Does anyone have any thoughts on repairing rust, or should I just contimue my search, and hold out for a totally rust-free car?

Thanks, and I hope to soon be a part of this board!

Brian

Itsa push.... if you find a car with fewer than 150k miles on engine, then buy it irregardless of rust. You can always scrounge a high mileage rust-free car later.

Every vintage car fan will recommend that you start with an excellent body - then restore the mechanicals..... but low mileage 240's are becoming scarce!

I own two 240's..... one has perfect body with 286k 'tired' motor and laundry list of small problems - the other is rusted beyond repair with 113K on engine and no small problems like brakes, heater, etc. Both are 4-spd. standard shift cars.

Am driving the rusty car every day.... threatening to switch the motor into the rust-free body when I've got time to fix the fiddly-bits as well.

Bottom line, I'd recommend buying two cars and making one good one out of both - with lotsa spare parts left over..... Stuff like brake calipers and newer drivers' seat add up.

If you CAN'T find a rust-free W123, I'd at least make sure the car was free of rust on the frame, jacking points, suspension, etc.

Rust repair panels are available from sources such as K&K, and the body itself is free of complicated stuff like compound curves, etc., so repair of fenders, doors, rocker panels, etc., should not be a problem for a good body shop.

Before I bought anything, I'd buy a copy of Frank Barrett's "Mercedes-Benz Buyer's Guide," which has a LOT of sensible "pre-purchase" tips, and is entertaining besides.

Here's a Baltimore car for sale from dealer..... Good thing about buying from dealer is you can file complaint with Maryland dealers licensing board if the s.o.b. misrpresents the car.

You can hardball dealers who advertise on e-bay, enabling last minute back-out if the car sucks when you go to pick it up...... just say the word "misrepresentation" and they will roll over.

Make a list of items from this board, then call the guy and make notes of what works or doesnt. With 3 days left on the auction the car is at $500.... you might be able to scoop it at $1,200 tops at closing.

Not a bad price for highly desirable 178k 4-spd, standard shift 240D - just interview the guy thoroughly over the phone and make notes of whatever claims he makes...... get him to admit whatever doesnt work and ask pointed questions about brakes, suspension and high dollar items - dont sweat the small stuff.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2405255679&category=6329

Not really that serious. When I got my car, it was very rusty. But a copetent DIYER (my father) repaired a fully rusted rear fener with fiberglass, and repainted, and it has no signs of rust. There was some rust in the floors, but after checking that doesn't look like it is reoccuring either. Rust is fixable: a dead engine is too, but usally for a lot more money. My car has an awesome engine and interior, but is a bit rusty. Why throw out a good running car when it is totally feasible to fix the rust yourself?

I disagree with Kyle but it kind of depends on your expectations for the car. It is easy to fiberglass over rust spots but I don't consider that a fix. In addition its been my experience that there is actually about 2-3 times the amount of rust that you can identify via a visualy inspection. If you can see a 2 inch rust hole in a floor by the time you actually remove the bad metal you will most likely find the hole is 5 or 6 inches in diameter.

To me the biggest problem with rusty MB's is that they seem to leak water into the interior. I've fought several year long battles trying to find/plug rust holes to stop these leaks but its an uphill battle. Rust never sleeps. It is also true that leaks in W123 cars can be caused by bad window seals and/or plugged drain holes but many times leaks are caused by small holes in the floorpans that will admit water thrown up by the front wheels in a rainstorm. If you can live with the water and musty smells this not really a big problen. When I was a poor college student I did -but as soon as I could afford a better example of the W123 I bought it.

If I was in your shoes I would look for a W123 from California or Arizona. W123's have pretty good rust protection but they are now 20+ years old and (at least in the northeast) starting to experience significant rust.

Good luck - Tim

While I agree rust can be fixed the only "correct" way to do it is to remove the bad metal and weld in good stuff. This is time consuming and expensive unless you know how to do it yourself. If you already own the car that is one thing but if you are buying one it is far too easy to look to Ebay and other sources for a rust-free southern car. Just get assurances that the car is as described. If it isn't you aren't really out a whole lot of money, just your travel expenses. Good luck, RT

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