I think you got a great deal. I've seen these cars go for a lot more. Not long ago a local VW dealer had a near mint 123 300TD wagon that he was asking $8K for!! I don't know how low they sold it, but the car didn't last more than a couple days on their lot. They let me take it on a long test drive; what a sweet car. Less than 100K miles, sounds a lot like yours.

Sounds like your only weak spot is the paint. Not sure if lots of buffing will restore it, but it's up to you to try. You could always wait until the repaint starts to peel and fade, then get a quality repaint done. Be sure to maintain the cooling system; the aluminum heads are not as robust as the iron head if the 617 5-cylinder TD's. The 87 TD is a bit rare; it's the only year the W124 300TD was imported, but you probably already know that.

If you ever tire of this car, call me

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic