Apparently factory fresh W123s with newer engines can be bought for 23000 Euros (around $29,000 USD) by special order in Southern Europe. My source is sorta sketchy but has anyone else heard of this or know if this is true? I think that would be an awesome car for the money, esp. if it had one of the newer Mercedes diesels in them. I am skeptical but still curious.

Southern Europe as is Spain, Italy and Greece? Given their economies, I can understand the demand for 123s. That much money will buy a decent late model MB that gets twice the fuel mileage of a 123. Unless they're specialty or collector issues, there's no way they'd pass modern safety requirements.

Sixto
87 300D

Apparently this factory is in Turkey

Maybe they found some NOS stampings. Phil should arrange a group buy In the late 70s and early 80s, 123 200s (123.020) were assembled in the Philippines. You could tell by the VIN which was 123020-5x-xxxxxx. Apparently the 5 indicated a CKD (completely knocked down) vehicle as it left the MB factory (Sindelfingen?). Knocked down makes it sound like it assembled then disassembled before shipping. I think they were assembled in South Africa, Malaysia and Korea as well.

Sixto
87 300D

We need a lot more info on this. This is the first i have ever heard of this kind of thing.

Or are you just jerking our chain

__________________
1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

I imagine so. Sounds like some Mercedes urban myth to me. Do the math. No one could build a Mercedes up from scratch for $29k.

There is a guy in the UK who restores w123s to as-new condition, replaces every worn part and gives a 12-month warranty on the car. He sells them for around £15,000, about $24k USD. The story you heard may be something like that.

Here is a newspaper story on the UK guy: Classic Mercedes-Benz W123 - Telegraph

There is a guy in California who is close:
Mercedes Motoring

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

I'm emailing MB International right now to see if I can get an answer from them. I am very skeptical of this person's claims but still curiosity wins out on this one.

I don't know about Philippines, but I know for a fact that they assembled Mercs in Malaysia. Champion motors did VW and Merc and I was actually talking to one of the guys who worked at the factory then. He's a body man now in Canada.

__________________
1987 300TD
1984 300D
755,000 KM and going strong
BC Canada

I can confirm they did CKD W123's in the Philippines back in the day.

Mercedes sold the rights (and machinery?) to build their older vans to companies in Iran and India. You can still find new models of the 207d vans in India. Wouldn't surprise me if MB sold the car rights to another country also but Turkey seems a little too close to Europe to have them built there.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

If anywhere would build them my guess would be India. But they are way more popular in North Africa.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

...I have this gold-painted brick, sorry, solid gold brick for sale...

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cheers!!

Eastern Turkey. which includes the restive unrecognized state of Kurdistan, borders Iraq.

That is nobody's idea of "near Europe".,

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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)

True, but there's a good part of Turkey close to the Med.

And Turkey licenses and makes all kinds of vehicles and engines, even Cummins?
So why not older MBs?

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

True, but there's a good part of Turkey close to the Med.

And Turley licenses and makes all kinds of vehicles and engines, even Cummins?
So why not older MBs?

I just want NOS fenders, that's all!

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6