hey guys, my name is rj and i have only been a member a few days now. i am really interested in learning as much as i can about the w123, w124 and w126 diesels.

Here is kinda the run down on me:
I'm 22 years old, from the Atlantic City NJ area and just graduated from college 2 weeks ago and i am in pursuit of starting my career. I'm married with 2 young children (3yrs and 9months). I install car electronics as my current job and love when these cars come in and i get to work on them.

i am interested in any info you can offer me or info sites on these cars, hard copy reading materials, etc.

also interested in what to look for when buying one of these cars... maybe a detailed check list. common issues, what to check 1st, major and minor things. how many miles is too many? is there a pricing guide for these cars, and so on.

thanks in advance. look forward to learning a lot.

RJ

Welcome to Forum. You can spend days just reading past threads catagorized by .....catagories.
I hear there is a search function, top right where you can enter key words and all past threads come up.
Also a thread for checklist is here too.

After you read all you want feel free to ask any questions you have.

Just do not ask anyone what oil to use or how often you should change your oil.

AA

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

ROTFLMAO

Sad but true. Most flamewars are about who's cooler, or "Yo Mama" kind of stuff on other boards. Here it's about oil.

Only advice I can give you is once you've settled on a car you like pay for an hour of shop labor from a decent indy mechanic to inspect the car and tell you what it needs, possibly spend a second hour to have the valves adjusted (assuming a 617 engine) the first time so you know you're starting with good valve clearances. (It's what I did, but I'll be doing my own valves next time).
-nB

So.... What oil do you use? *ducks*

__________________
'83 300D Turbo
Current: ???K mi - 19.2mpg -> 17.4mpg -> 22.9mpg ---> ODO Died
bought at: 233.8K mi - 10MPG For $1.00
3.5 cylinders work: 320 320 100 340 280
Got insurance? FarmersReallySucks.Com

thanks for the tips.

what i am looking for...
- def. want a sedan
- easy parts and easy DIY is good
- good fuel economy
- power - just needs to get out of its own way
- ride - solid ride, decently smooth
- room - enough to hold two car seats and room for a couple umbrella strollers or groceries

any recommendations?

i will def. take it to a shop for an hour or two. there is a local guy 2 min from my house. i have heard mostly good things but a few negatives too.

thanks again,
rj

I would suggest a 123 chassis 300D turbo.
I've found mine a pleasure to work on now that I've gotten past my initial intimidation of what I thought was my mechanical ineptitude. The car simply makes sense in many cases, and between the FSM, Diesel Giant's tutorials (which *ROCK*), and the superb help I've gotten here, there have been very few jobs that I've had to outsource to my indy (most recently the stripped bolt for the motor mount).

For my next car I was looking at a CD, but have decided that an SD or UniMog is in my future.
-nB

__________________
'83 300D Turbo
Current: ???K mi - 19.2mpg -> 17.4mpg -> 22.9mpg ---> ODO Died
bought at: 233.8K mi - 10MPG For $1.00
3.5 cylinders work: 320 320 100 340 280
Got insurance? FarmersReallySucks.Com

nb, thanks for the suggestion. what year did they turbo the 123? was it 81-85?

anyone else agree with that suggestion or have another recommendation?

found this one at the local mb guy in town... price just seems high to me...

http://ditmire.com/sys/display.cgi?detail=4415

thanks, rj

Want to sell your car easily? You *NEED* to read this!

Here's one link to start with. Also, a good book to read is the Illustrated Buyers Guide by Frank Barret of MBCA.

__________________
the sooner you start... the sooner you'll get done If it ain't broke, don't fix it.. Its always simpler to tell the truth...
2007 Honda Accord EX
2007 Honda Accord SE V6
96 C220
97 Explorer - Found Another Home
2000 Honda Accord V6 - Found Another Home
85 300D - Found Another Home
84 300D - Found Another Home
80 300TD - Found Another Home
Previous cars:
96 Caravan
87 Camry
84 Cressida
82 Vanagon
80 Fiesta
78 Nova
Ford Cortina
Opel Kadet
68 Kombi
Contessa

thanks for the welcome... if anyone else has any starting off info..please post

Sure it helps to list what kind of cars you have and where in general you are.

because when you ask questions usually it is what people look for.
...

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

The 123's are called tanks for a reason. The 126's are larger, and have a better ride, I am not familiar with the 124's. Individual vehicle condition is paramount.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

What are you looking for, a coupe, four door, or wagon?

Also, what is important to you. Readily available cheap parts, economy, luxury, comfort, DIY jobs easy to work on, room, power?

The models are different for a reason, people when buying them were looking for certain things. Tell us what is important to you, and maybe we can give you better feedback or opinion.

__________________
85 300CD Turbo "Das Polluter" 230K sold for $3,000

98 BMW 323is

Book mark this link for future need:

Fast navigation Do It Yourself Links
Fast navigation Do It Yourself Links


You need a PPI = Pre Purchase Inspection

ShopForum > General Discussion
Good MB Shops
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/good-mb-shops/





Have a great day.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
https://whunter.carrd.co/

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
2003 Volvo V70

https://www.boldegoist.com/

For the benefit of the two car seats, I recommend an 81-85 300SD. Same engine as the previously recommended 300D, nearly bulletproof if you take care of it, and the larger back seat area and larger cargo area will be greatly appreciated once the family starts using the car.

__________________


~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

thanks for the link whunter.

bustedbenz, i will def. consider that when the time comes and i am actually ready to buy. I'm sure the more room would be put to use. what do you think of this one (same guy that has the 300d i posted the link to above) http://ditmire.com/sys/display.cgi?detail=4594

thanks RJ

Drive examples of the W123, W124 and W126 to see which you think you would like. for the W123, try and drive an NA 300d A 300d TURBO, a 240d Automatic and a 240d manual. Occasionally you can find a 300d (euro) NA manual, too. That is many flavors of the W123 to sample. Which would suit you?


The equivalent gas models are cheaper to buy for what you get, because of the gas price rises and interest in biodiesel.

You could get an equivalent six cylinder '86 -'91 300SE that is identical in many ways to a 300SD and get it cheaper because is it gas powered, and otherwise cheap to run for a big Mercedes.

They are overlooked by many in the frenzy for diesels. You might think about driving one and see what you think

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)