Quote:
Originally Posted by Will_w202
94-96 C220, easily had for $4000 and gets 30mpg highway. I don't know why anyone would suggest paying the same money for a 123 or 124 which can be 10-20 years older. Any diesels you see are commanding RIDICULOUS money because of the WVO/BD craze, and they are going to plummet, guaranteed. A 1983 300D is not a $4000 car. Keep in mind with diesel, you ARE going to have more maitenence - fuel filters, oil, anything related to dirty diesel - and diesel is still higher in cost than 93 octane now. The early 202s with m111 are CHEAP now......and they are fairly abundant.
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Hmmm… Not sure I totally agree. Any W123 - in reasonable condition, diesel or not - is good value. The important thing is to find one in reasonably good shape. True, a newer model W202 may be the same basic price, but there are far, FAR more things to fail in a W202, than a W123.
Remember, the original request was a basic commuter car; one that would (I assume) be reliable and fairly reasonable on fuel. Not a car for long-haul ownership. Dave wants class, style and reliability in his MB while saving his bucks for the R107 of his dreams. (Good plan, Dave!) Whether prices for a W123 go up or down in the future is not relevant here, since Dave (thread owner) is only looking for a good basic vehicle to get him to and from college; less than 50 miles distant. He is not speculating on the futures of MB automobiles.
I agree that resale prices for W123’s have gone up, but not necessarily due to the “WVO/BD craze”. Most of the rust bucket W123’s and poorly maintained examples are hitting the crusher with greater frequency, leaving a larger percentage of finer W123 examples on the road/market. Now, the W123 will never achieve investor-type prices, but what units are available out there are of better quality. The C-class, on the other hand, was a cheaper, entry-level MB for the masses. And many of them – still on the road, unfortunately – were treated as such. I’m sure yours is not one of these, but you must admit that there are a multitude of W202’s on the road, in various degrees of desirability. Electronics in early- to mid-90's MB's (all models) was not stellar and a single problem in a newly acquired used W202 could easily cost the same to repair as the owner paid for the car. While the only electronics in my W123 is in the radio.
From experience, I can attest that any *decent* W123, with a manual transmission, is going to be fun to drive and a classic motorcar that is also inexpensive to maintain. (Fuel filters and such are not
that expensive, and there are excellent methods to keep a diesel humming along very well.) I am *not* saying the other models wouldn't be good choices, but don't discount the humble W123 simply because it's a diesel or an older model. They are bullet-proof when reasonably maintained and have stood the test of time in classic style! My 2-cents.
Cheers,
Jeff