Looking for the First One
 

I wasn't sure where to introduce myself and ask some questions, but as I'll most likely be spending most of my time in the diesel section, I figured it'd be best.

Anyway, I'm a college student out of Conroe (I'm up in College Station during the school year) and I've been a lover of classic Mercedes for as long as I can remember. I've spent some time lurking here and I'm glad there are as many talented and experienced enthusiasts ready and willing to help. I may own a newer BMW, but my passion lies with the mid '60s-late '80s Merc's. Anything from the W108 to the R107. My favorite, though is a certain C123 300CD in Petrolblau on Palomino leather (or Bamboo MB-Tex).

So enough back story, my true intention is obtaining a C123 or W123 diesel to restore to presentable, daily driver condition. Obviously, as a college student funds are, well, nigh on non-existent. I have enough to maybe get a runner, but more likely a decent parts car. I have no experience wrenching and I look forward to learning from the sagely bunch here (wise, but not old :P ).

Of course, I've encountered many problems- experience, funding, storage, you name it. There was a gentleman in my area who restored C123s and I went out with a friend to check out a car last year, but it was a bit much for our abilities and budget. I emailed him again earlier this week to see if he was still restoring C123s, but I have yet to get a response. Basically, long story short, if someone was willing to let me "apprentice" for them, I would be forever grateful.

Crimony that was a long diatribe. Thanks for any help or just for reading this :P

Welcome to the forum!!
I am sure you will find in time exactly what you are looking for.
Dont be scared to ask advice, we dont bite very much :D

Perhaps someone is nearby and is willing to help.
Having few funds and wanting a fixer upper is an oxymoronic statement, however.
Good luck tho.

Thanks for the welcome!

That's what I've been hoping for is someone to help me out. And fixer-upper and limited funds generally don't go together, but that hasn't dissuaded me yet.

^ Good, keep the faith.

You may be able to find a 123 that runs and is more or less safe (but isn't pretty, due to rust or damage, for example) for less than $1000. You can gradually fix things as funds become available and learn as you go along.

BTW, I'm not sure just what you mean by "C123." The car you're talking about is a "W123" (W stands for Wagen, or "car" in German.) The W123 series includes both gasoline and diesel cars and was built between 1977 and 1985. The W123 series includes sedans, coupes, and station wagons or "touring sedans." The coupe has a "C" in the model number (example: "300CD"), the station wagon has a "T" ("300TD") and the sedan has nothing ("300D"). The later diesel engines were turbocharged so people sometimes add a "-T" to the model number but the "trunk badge of truth" (for the sedan) has only "300D" on the left and "Turbodiesel" on the right.

Welcome to the forum.

Jeremy

I've been looking in non-eBay car auctions for seized cars and I've found a few as there are filters for clear titles and are runners, I'm just not sure how the transaction procedure works- I've never done an eBay auction before or held a PayPal account as I prefer dealing in cash only.

Any suggestions for other sites? I'm always on Craigslist and eBay, but I'm sure there are some other alternatives.

Jeremy- C123 just refers specifically to the entire W123 coupe series, it's not an official (as far as I know) chassis code designation, but I've seen the "C" designation used on the W126 and W124 models as well.

welcome to the forum!
if you find the funds for that W123 300CD, post pics. we love the CD!
tons of info here for the uninitiated, and very rapid response to nearly any question you could have on the car of your choice.
with few exceptions, sub 1000.00 diesel mb's are easy to find. the coupe is one of those exceptions!
most important is the durability of the motor, the transmission shifts well and the brakes on the vehicle. everything else can be dealt with.

There is nothing more expensive than a cheap mercedes :D someone had to say it. Welcome to the forum! There are actually quite a few of us in college and in the same situation as you on here. Keep an eye on craigslist and be patient - best advice I can give. Don't spring on the first one, there are always more out there. Also, I don't know about your area, but up here in the northeast, people like to ask a LOT for their MBs. It isn't unusual to see the same car on craigslist go from 10k to 8k to 6k to 5k to 3k if you wait a bit and sellers become more desperate.

Here in the south, there's no shortage of minimally rusted cars- it's just that most in my price range are not roadworthy or are beyond repair. I've been looking for about two years now for a good car, I went out twice last summer with a friend (he and I planned on working on one together) to see a 300CD and a W126 300SD. The 300CD was pretty much perfect, it was Petrol Blue on Palomino and had W208 CLK wheels. However, the motor mounts were shot, the paint was severely oxidized and the interior was destroyed. My judgment saved the day and we walked. We drove 3.5 hours to see an Anthracite 300SD- the left rear quarter panel was entirely bondo, the interior was bad and it looked stolen (new ignition barrel and ruined wood). I've watched plenty go by, including a nice $500 240D that just needed a clutch- oh, to have a truck and trailer. The one that I'm kicking myself the most about though is an '82 Euro 230E, full service history, 157k miles, runner, good condition for $1100 OBO.

I've been watching Jive Turkey's W108 restoration, so I know I'm not alone, although not as fortunate with the space and funds. I can't wait to see it.

You can always join AAA for a few days, or find a local junk yard and get free or fairly cheep tows on the cars you wish you had a trailer for. And my advice is that patience is key. I am only 15 years old, and I decided that I planned to drive a diesel mercedes when I turn 16. So i rushed into buying a 1980 300sd which was not a nice car...:( Well then i finally got it sold, and had been looking for something slightly newer, and did my daily craigslist rounds for a month or so, and wahtched a car that i never dreamed of being in my price range pop up and jumped on it... So if a 15 year old can pull it off, then a college kid should have no problem.:rolleyes:

Hehe, I was about your age when I started dreaming about Anthracite W126 560SELs. Good idea about joining AAA for a few days, maybe I can take advantage of my BMW Roadside Assistance for irony's sake...

That, is the one you really needed to acquire. In your position there could be none better. Good luck in your quest.

- Peter.

Yep. I watched it come up and I was kicking myself the whole time I watched the ad. A clutch is what, $200? Trailering to Houston, maybe another $200? I would have spent pretty much everything, but I wouldn't have had to worry about driving it 200 odd miles and it'd be functional once I put the clutch in. It had blue MB tex, though, so it made me feel a bit better when it disappeared. I can't do dark leather/vinyls, the saddle leather in my tinted BMW is hot enough.

Ah, you're in Texas. Well, the color is almost superfluous. all MB Tex seats, no matter the color are hot as hell. Seat covers are the only answer. Preferably sheepskin.

- Peter.