Clean examples are getting so rare!

[Hatterasguy]

I remember when I first got my car I saw(or at least think I did) a lot of nice W126's and W123's. Now all I see are beat to death rusted out cars. This entire year I have seen one nice W123, and a handfull of nice W126's. I know most of the local W126 owners, and they are all enthusiats.

However every 300SD I have seen around town is totaly trashed and ready to be crushed. I don't remember the last time I saw a nice 300SD. I got stuck behind one the other day that was smoking like crazy, my eyes were burning. Poor thing, it probably hasn't had any real maintaince in a decade. Sounded horrible to, when we got to a passing zone I blew past him, I couldn't stand the smell anymore. I don't think the owners realize how good a properly tuned W126 diesel really is. They probably just bought it dirt cheap and think its a slow, old car.

Five years from now they are actualy going to be pretty rare up here. The salt does a number of them.

Finding a good W123 or W126 to buy seems like a very difficult task, involving a nation wide search. 95% IMHO are junk or daily drivers at best.