Are there many W123 wagons in US? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

benedict · #1 06-25-2012, 06:00 PM

Hi,

One of these days I'm going to get myself a w123 wagon (over here they are the 300TD or a rare 240TD) and noticed that there aren't too many posts on the forum about these cars. Do they [owners] hang out on a different forum?

Getting to the question.. Do your wagons in the US suffer from a fair amount of rust?

I've looked at four ( the only four that have come up for sale due to rarity)over the past couple of years and all have enough rust to justify a full respray. Main rust locations are: under all doors, on the underside of rear tailgate, behind rear wheel on the arches and behind front wheels on the arches.

Seeing that a full respray with a proper restoration of cutting and welding in new steel will set me back around $15k give or take a bit, I'd be better off (from a financial point of view) to ship one over from the US.

Biggest downside to that is you folk have your steering wheels on the other side. I can register a left hand drive here no problem as these cars are old enough to meet compliance.

My real concern is driving a left hand drive on the opposite side ( left hand side) of the road. It'll make for a fun overtake

I'd have to stick most of the car out into the opposite lane first, before I could see if there is any oncoming traffic and too bad if there was.

What are the preferred states in the US when looking for a rust free car and the states to avoid?

Alastair · #2 06-25-2012, 06:08 PM

The guy I bought my wagon from here in the UK moved back home to Aus....
--He had the incredibly memorable name of Maxamillian Zedekar (sp?).....

Great guy though.

He found a 300TD, identical colour and in exceptional condition in Australia --That was about three years ago.....

I'm sure you'll find one, It didn't take him long to, so they must be around....

kerry · #3 06-25-2012, 06:09 PM

Fair number of 123 300TD's over here. Don't buy from the NE or North Central states. AZ, NM, TX, NV, CO, CA, are preferable.

Alastair · #4 06-25-2012, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

Fair number of 123 300TD's over here. Don't buy from the NE or North Central states. AZ, NM, TX, NV, CO, CA, are preferable.

Yup--And, with the American cars, You get Turbos!

--I dont think the Turbo models were made/imported to Aus, they were never imported to UK--that I do know.....

ChiefRider · #5 06-25-2012, 06:27 PM

There used to be. I used to see them everywhere, but rust and miles have used most of them up here in the NE US. The list of states posted earlier is a good one to find a rust free example. Other than that, expect horrendous rust.

Graplr · #6 06-25-2012, 06:36 PM

You guys make it sound like all cars in the northern states over 10 years old have nothing but seats and wheels. Out of the 5 Mercedes I've owned 4 lived the majority of their lives in the north. Only one had any real rust. I guy I just met locally has a 78 300D that was a MN car its ENTIRE life. Not a spot of rust on the body.

kerry · #7 06-25-2012, 06:40 PM

Does MN put salt on its roads?

benedict · #8 06-25-2012, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alastair

Yup--And, with the American cars, You get Turbos!

--I dont think the Turbo models were made/imported to Aus, they were never imported to UK--that I do know.....

No we didn't get turbo versions here, because apparently the steering box (being on the right hand side) would have interfered with a turbo.

Diesel911 · #9 06-25-2012, 07:01 PM

What State the Car comes from may or may not be a indication of how much rust it has.

I bought a Car here in Los Angeles California sight unseen except for a pic on eBay.

It is a rust bucket on the bottom. I found papers under the Seat indicating that it came from another State.

kerry · #10 06-25-2012, 07:11 PM

Yes, you need records of it's life. Don't assume it has lived its life in the state in which it is being sold.

bamba · #11 06-25-2012, 07:20 PM

For freight reasons, I assume that California would be ideal. A car in the midwest or east coast would probably add a lot of money to your freight costs.

That said, in my opinion, the better question to ask would be, "Where has the car spent most of its life?" There are numerous examples of rust-free cars that spent most of their life in the southern US, and were moved north only recently. And then they become garage queens. Case in point: in the summer in Cleveland, I see 3-4 times as many w123s as I do during the winter. And they look fantastic.

Instead of just completely preferring certain regions, and ignoring others, I'd take it on a case-by-case basis. Don't limit your search. I have seen cars from the southeast coast with rust due to salty ocean air. And I have seen cars in Ohio and Michigan that are immaculate. So who knows.

Get a CarFax or look at service records to see where the car has spent most of its life. And, ideally, a forum member will be relatively close to a car of interest, and can check it out for you.

Graplr · #12 06-25-2012, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bamba

For freight reasons, I assume that California would be ideal. A car in the midwest or east coast would probably add a lot of money to your freight costs.

That said, in my opinion, the better question to ask would be, "Where has the car spent most of its life?" There are numerous examples of rust-free cars that spent most of their life in the southern US, and were moved north only recently. And then they become garage queens. Case in point: in the summer in Cleveland, I see 3-4 times as many w123s as I do during the winter. And they look fantastic.

Instead of just completely preferring certain regions, and ignoring others, I'd take it on a case-by-case basis. Don't limit your search. I have seen cars from the southeast coast with rust due to salty ocean air. And I have seen cars in Ohio and Michigan that are immaculate. So who knows.

Get a CarFax or look at service records to see where the car has spent most of its life. And, ideally, a forum member will be relatively close to a car of interest, and can check it out for you.

Agreed.

And Kerry, yes they salt the roads.

ROLLGUY · #13 06-25-2012, 10:12 PM

I am in So. Cal. and there are many rust free examples here. There was a time when a good TD was going for $6k and up, but decent ones can be found for around $3k now. There might be interior and paint issues, but most are rust free.

Stugist · #14 06-26-2012, 01:48 AM

Quite a few TDs here on the west coast from what I've heard/seen. Mostly turbo 300s with an occassional non-turbo. I have yet to see a 240TD import, though

sleepstar · #15 06-26-2012, 01:58 AM

the TDs have all migrated to berkeley,california and portland, oregon. check those two areas.