lol, the same argument can be made for hundreds of years, families got along fine in ox carts. Car's better than an oxcart, as a general utility vehicle for family, minivan is better than a wagon. For generally the same length and width, you can carry more people and more crap compared to a wagon, plus you have a higher driving position, which ive found that the ladies seem to like.

All im saying is the average boring and totally unappealing minivan is cheap, plentiful, and reliable, and far newer than the benz diesels mentioned in this thread, with far cheaper parts.

This is precisely why they are so popular these days. And because they are a vehicle with zero sex appeal and high numbers of initial sales, they are cheap, and I mean really really cheap, used. 1500 bucks would find you any number of perfectly decent vans all way newer than you would expect.

Im just being the voice of alternate persuasion, id be extremely happy were limerence to saddle up in a diesel benz, im just for full consideration of all the options available, and of course, how many kids is he planning on also? are we talking a production line here? or a one off?

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

lol, no more minivan talk, I promise. I threw my dead cat in the room and closed the door, and now im happy.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

I looked for over 2 years for my wagon. Bid on numerous Ebay cars and read the craigslist, hemmings and auto trader ads every week. Finally, with the help of a friend who is a well known MB mechanic; I found an original owner, lady driven car. It had over 300K on it but had service records from day one. Meticulously maintained, always garaged, well loved and it showed in the cars condition. My mechanic friend advised me not to be afraid of the miles since the car was taken care of so well. He regularly services cars with 500K+ on them. There is truth to the saying "you get what you pay for".
Take your time and find the right car....they are getting harder to find but still out there. My .02
John

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1985 300TDT
2013 E350 Bluetec

Thats a good lookin' w123!!
Really like the cross bars on the roof rack. Anyone know where to get those?

To OP, I have owned my (wife's) wagon for little over a year and have done a ton of work on it. Mine sat for 2 years with veggie oil and jet fuel in it before I bought it. Needless to say, I've gone through the fuel system, not to mention all the other things it needed. Brakes, tires, carrier bearing, and on and on. If you get a 123, you are definitely going to get some wrench time in, but I enjoy it. They are cool cars for sure. Even my piece turns heads.

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'85 300TD- current toy
'04.5 Cummins- Daily Driver
'70 Chevelle- under construction
'63 Split Window- under construction

Thanks for the help guys. Going to try to keep my eyes peeled for a good example of one and might try to ask you guys for advice on it.

Hey John-

What do you mean you used to have a '69 Squareback??? I'll be getting to it soon... I promise.

I'm a W123 fan. We've had our 1985 300TD-T for over ten years and put 150K on it. It had 130K when we got it. I've probably put $3K in it in all those years including batteries and tires. But then, I do all my own work. They're not difficult, but they ARE labor intensive... and don't you dare cut corners!

We just sold it for little less than twice what we paid in 2002 and are graduating to a W211. The W124s just never appealed to me.

We should start a Samba Refugee club over here- Hazetguy, The Don, Ghoti, and a few others are here too. In fact, Hazet got himself a W123 wagon last year, and is now whoring Fintails.

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1968 230S Automatic, Elfenbein
1975 O309D Executive Westfalia Camper Bus, Blau/ Weiss
1972 280SEL 4,5 Dunkelrot
1966 VW Type 34 "Grosser" Karmann-Ghia
1963 VW 1500 Variant Pearlweiss
1969 VW Variant Automatic, Perugruen
1971 VW Squareback Automatic, Clementine Orange
2001 E320 4Matic Wagon- Our belated welcome to the 21st century! Polar White
1973 280SEL 4,5 Sliding Roof "The Bomb", Dunkelblau.

I had a chance to buy an 82 or 83 W123 wagon a couple of years ago. Essentially the original owner (he bought it when it was 1 year old), apparently all the service records. Owned and drove it in Europe for many years (he was in the Service). Drove the car south to Florida for many winters, otherwise garage-kept here in the North-East, didn't see winter salt. No indications of problematic rust except in the tailgate which had had repairs. I didn't like the color (red) and it looked like every panel had been re-painted at one time or another ("parking lot dents and scrapes"). In good mechanical shape, about 300K miles. Had the engine rebuilt for $8K several years ago. Had recently had the front and rear suspension rebuilt by a good MB mechanic in Florida, it rode well. Signs of frequent oil drips at the curb though (he blamed his neighbor's Camry which didn't sound right to me). Interior was looking a little worn, but the guy raised a family in this car. Anyway, the wife refused to drive down to Florida in it again (they had a new car) so he reluctantly put it up for sale. He was asking $1-2K more than what folks on this forum suggested would be a reasonable price for a wagon in a condition like this, and I passed on it. The one that got away?... Good luck in your search.

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1983 300TD 240K - 1982 240D 215K - 1996 Dodge Cummins 70K

Great thread. I have been wondering if these old cars can be considered "reliable" or not. I have a 1984 300TD and it seems to be consistently suffering and broken. I originally bought into the MB diesel idea because I liked the longevity and the ability to run alternate fuels. I think I have learned that longevity and reliability are not the same thing. What I don't know, is if my car in particular just has issues from neglect and age, or if W123 cars just need lots of love to keep going. Previously, I drove decade old or older Toyota's and they never needed any work at all. I'm kinda wondering if I should go back to that camp since I can't find the time to keep on top of my diesel. I don't mind doing some stuff myself, but in the end I need a car that is going to last and not need constant work. I have 5 kids to keep up with, I can't be in the driveway every Saturday wrenching.

The features of the wagon are ideal for me. Roof racks, 3rd row seat, cargo space... I'd probably look at finding another wagon with 3rd row or get a van or something. We already have a suburban to haul the kids day to day.

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"Gerwalt" 1984 - 300TD

Most likely issues from lack of proper maintenance and repairs from previous owners, plus a little bit of TLC needed for any 30-year-old car.


Um, you are comparing a 10-15 year old car against a 30-year old car? Not exactly apples to apples. A better comparison would be the decade-old Toyota against a 2000-vintage E320 wagon.

Yeah, I understand that's not a fair comparison gsxr. I'm just wondering if a W123 in good order is as reliable as a Japanese car? Also, I'm not sure if I'm making good use of my money putting it into this car. I bought it for just under $3k and then put that much into it in parts over the next 2 years. I have no idea how much more work it needs to be running well. I'm getting vstech to look at it in the next few days. Hopefully I don't break the bank.

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"Gerwalt" 1984 - 300TD

No, the most expensive car is an old Ferrari. But both cars can be troublesome if you walk in blind.

Read my thread about the 83 126 under diesels. Buying a car without records can cause financial suicide and deep grief and remorse (if not a divorce) if you arent mechanically inclined and/or are blinded by the marque insignia.

As with any purchase, even a new Rav4, and unless your a mechanic, you are at the mercy of the shop/dealership who will service your choice. If you live an area with several indy Mercedes shops, or Toyota dealers, lucky you. If you have only one and he's a problem, and you cant fix the car yourself, your screwed. Toyota, Mercedes, Ford, makes no difference, you need good service.

Records should be complete, extensive, have no gaps, and service should be stellar. You want a car that recieved 3000 mile oil/filter changes with high quality high grade oil, not 8000K ones with Pennzoil 5W-30. The car should have everything working, run perfect, drive perfect, look perfect, and pass a PPI with flying colors.

You will pay a premium for a good used car, and they will be sold instantly, making them hard to find, and harder to grab. But if you can find one, and can service it, an older Mercedes in prime condition can be as good as any new car. Find an nice 124 diesel wagon, and with some mods you'll see 40 MPG. But even a gas one isnt bad, tuned right and driven easy you might see high 20's.

It is difficult however, to discount safety or put a price on it, either one. If I had to pick one to get hit in, I would rather my kid was in a Mercedes or a big heavy SUV. Even an old 123 is a very substantial vehicle that offers a great amount of safety, even by todays standards. But a 124, with ABS and belt tensioners, short of all the side and rear airbags of more modern cars, is pretty cutting edge as far as safety, they were far ahead of most at that time.

I would get a New Scion XB $18164.00 cost and more room than wagons!!!!

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72 280SE His Majesty

That is why my 1987 300TD is my 17 yo son's DD. He and his 14 yo brother go to school every day in it.

If I had to choose between some of the small cars that I see my kids friends driving (Fits, Souls, XBs, yaris) I choose the 124 hands down. Yes the newer cars have airbags all over but the laws of physics still win the day in an accident. Particularly when the other party is a pickup or big SUV.

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The OM 642/722.9 powered family
Still going strong
2014 ML350 Bluetec (wife's DD)
2013 E350 Bluetec (my DD)

both my kids cars went to junkyard in 2023
2008 ML320 CDI (Older son’s DD) fatal transmission failure, water soaked/fried rear SAM, numerous other issues, just too far gone to save (165k miles)
2008 E320 Bluetec (Younger son's DD) injector failed open and diluted oil with diesel, spun main bearings (240k miles)

1998 E300DT sold to TimFreeh
1987 300TD sold to vstech

The reason people have to use the "M" word is that true 'wagons' have been pretty much extinct in this country since the mid '90s. The last 'reliable Japanese' wagons sold here were the '96 Toyota Camry and '97 Honda Accord. And those two require regular timing-belt changes. The other choices are mostly pricey European marques - some of which don't have the best reputations for reliability or inexpensive maintenance.
A problem with old Mercedes diesel wagons sold in the US is that they are all saddled with automatic tranny, automatic climate control, power windows, etc - which tends to make them less reliable. The turbochargers fitted to the later W123s are also potential maintenance & repair issues.
Unless you can find a nice, but very rare, Euro version Mercedes wagon, you might consider replacing one of your other two vehicles with a relatively-new used minivan or smaller SUV for the family. Then find a decent, very simple 'manual-everything' Mercedes 240D to get your feet wet with the diesel experience.

Happy Motoring. Mark

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DrDKW

I think a 123 can be a great car if its in good shape to begin with, and kept that way. What happens to cars, and Mercedes arent any more immune than others, is people buy these thinking they are indestructible, and start letting things go until there are so many little things to fix, and pretty soon the car needs so much its just not practical to bring it back. Like that 126 I owned. It wasnt the miles so much as it needed so much.

Far, far cheaper to buy one that someone has made and kept pristine, rather than trying to build one out of a clunker.