Worth considering buying an unmolested gasser cheap and popping in a diesel engine.

A critical review of J.G Francis (mercedesmotoring) suggests long on skin deep prettification of his cars short on mechanical, systems and bodily integrity i.e. not as advertised: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5ixQeXOoQU

Just got back, from looking at a 1982 w123 240d for sale. Owner is asking 10K with 107K miles. No maintains records, has rust, disconnected vacuum lines, needs brake job, etc. Needs 5K of TLC.

I’ve noticed the LA and Orange County prices are up lately. But the cars don’t seem to be moving that fast. It’s like people are valuing their cars higher but they are there week after week. Same old cars. Then they disappear presumably when somebody gives an acceptable offer.

The phenomenon I’ve really noticed is 380SLs, 450SLs etc are out in droves on CL. In SoCal there are 4x as many of those two seats for sale as w123s. The prices aren’t low, there are just a lot more for sale in the last two months. My theory is that some owners are trying to turn their cars into cash while under pandemic pressure. The last thing they need is their sunny day car when bills are due. But it’s just a guess.

It seems that all makes under $10k on CL are overpriced a bit. I was thinking (another pet theory) that people are trying to dump their financed crossover SUV for a lower payment loan. Maybe the MB diesel market has gotten sucked into this madness?

I regularly surf the CL in SoCal looking for our cars. Kind of a hobby. Admittedly things are off balance now.

Here in Texas in last 12 months we've seen an increase in prices as well, mostly W123. However, it is not backed by the condition of the car itself. It's more likely that the owners saw the concours value somewhere on TV and thought they can make a quick buck. And they can, if they can find a sucker.
Otherwise, these don't sell, they are for sale for months, they are usually in poor shape.
W116 diesels range from 2 to 4 thousand. Usually around 3k. All need work.
W126 diesels can be had from 1000 up. PnP sold a 160k mile pristine 300SD for 2500. All it needed was glow plugs and suspension. Shortly later, a friend bought a 300SD with 180k miles, in excellent condition, repainted, no leaks, every worn thing replaced, for 3500. Sold it for the same price. My opinion: he should've kept it. That car needed nothing.

300SDL are more rare, because people don't sell them often. Nice examples usually 3000, but now more turds for 3-4k.

Gas W126 are flooding the market and they are so overpriced...people want 4-10k for an average example that needs engine rebuild. Crazy. But there is enough 2-3k cars which are priced spot on.

We have a $20k W115 coupe for sale on fb marketplace, the car runs like crap, I've seen it in person. It's ridiculous.

No matter the price, they all need work and everybody lies.

On a good note, another friend acquired 06 CDI for $1700 with a misfire and "engine light for bad engine mounts". He had to reseal the injectors, get rid of black death and buy one new injector. Car runs good now, but still needs some work. CDIs here are usually around 6k, bluetec 4-7k. Of course no one heard about oil cooler seals ;)

TLC in this case = Truck Loads of Cash

:)

Owning a classic can be a bit more involved/ expensive/ unexpected than most amateurs/ new enthusiasts would like.

Imagine spending a bunch of money on a Classic car only to breakdown multiple times with no end to the spend in sight.

That's where, I believe, OM61X motor powered cars will continue to shine as awareness grows. They're slow, noisy and some would say boring, but they will never let you down and offer just as much appeal as something less dependable. As long as genuine parts are used, they will not die.

I wouldn't be surprised if, in a few years, prices would have continued to rise exponentially, given how hard it is to find a good one. Took me 5 years of hard searching to find my W115 617.917 240d 4 speed. They'll have to bury me in it.

Good. I’ll go get another. :P

I think some of the increase in prices of the W123/W124/W126/W201 is part of the Radwood effect. 80's & 90's cars of all kinds are really rising in value over the past few years.