Alright. you guys convinced me.

Back to the hunt.

I would never buy a "beater" 300, or a neglected one, or any MB that wasn't taken reasonable care of actually.

There's like an old early 70's 280 something or other sedan down my street for sale, very tempting. I can see from the street it has two flat tires in the front, but the body is in good shape. Sad part is, I stopped by my indie mechanic's shop the other day to find that he was gone and the shop empty! Either he moved or things went south. Anyway, no new MBs for me.

Anyway, there seem to be so many of these cars around, why buy a bad one.

I don't see too many gasser versions of W123's anymore. In fact the last time I saw more than one on the same day was in a wrecking yard. I have an '84 230CE and new parts for this euro model have been no trouble to obtain locally. I too was impressed how quiet a gasser version was compared to a diesel which was one reason why I bought it. It's a 4 speed, has crank windows, no sunroof and I think the same HVAC system found in the 240D's. One thing I found interesting was the rear window defogger. It has the heating element within the glass and not on the interior surface as in my '85 300D. I almost thought it didn't have a defogger because I didn't look close enough at the glass to see the hairlike filaments. BTW it works much better than the defogger on the 300D and in fact the 230CE's HVAC system does a better job of keeping the front windshield clear as well.

I visited a local vegetable market the other day and parked next to a cherry 123 300CD. Beautifully maintained. Great luster to the paint. Not a ding. The MB Tex was worn but not cracked at all. I stood there admiring it for a couple minutes and asked my wife if she thought we could spot the driver in the market. So we walked forward and I got him quick! As he walked out I tailed him to his car, parked next to my E320 and made an appreciative comment about his car. He says, "I've been think of selling it."

He's the second owner. The car has 80K miles on the odo and he put 40K on it in the 12 years he's owned it. He bought it from the original owner, a local physician. The present owner is about my age (old fart). We exchanged cards and introductions. He's a prof in petroleum engineering at the local university. Endowed chair. Persian.

Trouble is, I want a 4-door. I still have kids, for cryin' out loud.

Asking $8K but I'll bet he'd take less. He's in the mood to sell having just rebuilt the A/C, front suspension, and injectors in the past 2 years.

Do you usually vacillate for achingly long periods of time on all your decisions? This has been like watching paint dry...crack, peel and flake off. Just spend a weekend in Houston--Kirk will fix you right up.

I'm in no hurry to buy another vehicle. This is becoming my new hobby, looking around at older Mercedes diesels. It is even spreading to other models. Like a 1979 450 SL in our local paper for $4K. In the paper in the morning. I called the lady in the afternoon and she said some guy from Baton Rouge came to her house that morning with a cash down-payment. Woman got th ecar brand new and it has been serviced at the dealership ever since. $40K miles. White with red interior. Both tops.

Someday I'll find my princess.

If you want a cheap diesel driver and you like the coupes, pick up 123c (Eric's) 300CD - last I saw his price was down in the $500ish range (I apologize if that's a misquote, Eric). At least on that one he's replaced a lot of parts over the last few years, and he's honest about what's left to be done. There's nothing wrong with a cheap car that needs things to be done, it's just the unknown/surprise aspect that can kill you on these things.

Ol' Hank just about describes me and diesels.

Recorded by Hank Williams, Sr.

You're Window Shoppin'
Just Window Shoppin'
You're only lookin' a-round
You're not buyin'
You're just tryin'
To find the best deal in town.
You give away your kisses
But you never give your heart
To anyone who's fool enough to fall ...
You don't feel love
You don't want real love
You're Window Shoppin' that's all.

'82 through '85 300CDs were turbocharged, like the sedans and wagons of those years. Not a speed demon, but easily able to keep up with traffic.

My '84 300D daily driver was purchased for $800, dark blue w/blue leather and 190k. Put maybe $100 in maintenance parts into it, and still need to R&R the slightly crunched RF fender, and recharge the AC. A very satisfying vehicle that has proven to be quite reliable over the last 9k. Low price deals on MB diesels are out there...use the force duke.