I have driven past a puke beige wagon sitting on a buy here pay here lot on my way home from school for the past 2 weeks, im thinking of stopping eventually.

my mother and father are looking for a late model car to replace our aged Intrepid(97 model-165k, still runs like a top, trim isnt faring so well though) and they want a 7 passenger car.

my father doesnt like to farm out work and he wants the grand marquis. he also doesnt like working on them too much.

my mother doesnt drive much, and wants to save money and get a reliable older car, but is in love with the pacifica(ie: minivan) styling and space.

im butting my nose in, as this car is supposed to replace my neon when i finish school next summer. i do not wish to drive a mini van to graduate school. i also do not wish to work on a ford(see my recent oil change posting...)

the wagon is a w123 model, i am not sure that it is equipped with the 3rd seat. i will be seeking an MFA in the arts and now that i am almost finished with undergraduate training... hindsight has shown me how luxuriously utilitarian a station wagon would have been these last few years!

so tell me stories, observations, all that stuff. i'll relay this post to mother and let her read about it.

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there is a lot more stuff to maintain on a wagon. the leveling suspension for example. if it is out of kilter it wont break you down but it will make the car look funny and/or ride hard or bouncy. the back seat is not as comfy as in a 123 sedan and the third seat is children only and rare to find.

that said when everything is working correctly they are a dream to drive.

buying one with needs i estimate will take two or three times the work of a 240d.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

im assuming it goes without saying that a w124 diesel TE would eat up maintenence dollars?

we saw a very nice medium green/spruce green beltline cladding model, but thought the 250k on it was entirely too many miles. the car was listed as having a 5,500 sale price.

that wagon was the car that made me buy a diesel, very handsome. never drove it though, it might have made me not want the 240!

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W123 wagons (or estates/touristiks) are worth the purchase as long as you have examined the car thoroughly in/out/over/under (and not just cosmetically). It's true as "t walgamuth" stated... heed his advice as well. Do check that rear suspension and the hydraulic mechanicals as many often overlook this part - and those parts can get quite pricey! Finding one with a 3rd seat will be harder but there are a good number out there...

I own a 1984 300TD wagon, and I love it dearly. I drove it to the Mid-Atlantic GTG to John's place from north of Philly out to Frederick, MD - which was a good 150+ miles each way... it ran perfectly as I cruised at 70+ mph on the highways with cold A/C on a very hot summer day. Prices for clean w123 wagons tend to creep up on the high side, but in the end - if the car is well-maintained (and well-kept by PO), then you'll have a big at the end of each day... Cheers!

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Hi,

I own a 79 TD Wagon. I got it because I had such good luck with my 240D sedan. It is totally different -- while my sedan is perfect and fixed up easily, the wagon is defying all attempts to whip it into shape. Here are some of the things I messed up on (the wagon isn't inherently better or worse than the sedan):

1) make sure you get a quick clean fast startup when you turn the key. The engine must be cold when you do this -- touch it.
2) when the car is warming up, check for smoke
3) after the car is driven around, check for smoke

See any problems? Walk. Smoke is a great indicator of many types of problems some easy and some hard to fix. Add a little extra caution for the used car lot.

My wagon smokes. Not as much as JimmyL's (he has horrendous photos online) but it smokes enough to embarrass me. It has low compression on one cylinder.

Watch out for the early W123 climate control (mine is so toasted). Run the AC, run the heat does the AC come out of the window defogger vent (common)? This is expensive to fix. I'm not sure when they stopped putting this junk into the cars, you may want to search ACC.

The leveling system has another sticky point, if you want to drop an engine from another car into the TD, you need the engine with a leveling pump fixture on it (cast into the head). I've seen many 5cyl NA engines out there but none have the right head. Your alternative is to rip out the system and replace the rear shocks with gas shocks. Yep, I thought of dropping in a new engine but it looks like I'm stuck.


Cheers,
Yoko

It's nice to be known for something. At least mine isn't a compression issue. I'm still conflicted on which wagon to keep and which to sell. I love that '80 NA!
When is someone going to become a forum legend and fix that poor wagon for me? My hero for sure!

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Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

I think the previous posts have covered the most expensive fixes except nobody mentioned the transmission. Of course examine the transmission fluid. Make sure its not burnt. Transmissions are also expensive!

Another problem that is not too expensive to fix but time consuming is the sunroof drain pan. Slide open the sunroof and look for rust in the channel along the outer edges. Some pans are rusted through and will allow rain water into the passenger compartment.

Where you live I would also look at the A/C. That can run into a few dollars to fix.

The rear suspension will last forever so long as it has never been allowed to run out of fluid. I've never had a problem with my '85 300td. I think the way to check it for proper functioning is to measure the rear bumper height before the intial start. Then start the engine and re-measure. The bumper will now be higher off the ground. How much higher I'm not sure but a search here will turn up that answer.

These are wonderful cars. Great MPG, comfy to drive and they hold up well. And you won't break the bank! I think most of us wagon owners bought them for less than $3500 or so.

Cheers,

Bill