G'day Folks,

I'm thinking ahead - way ahead.

I'm in the middle of stripping the paint off my W123 chassis and getting the welding done and I'm already thinking that perhaps I don't like Manganese Brown any more.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/body-repair/303669-my-w123-saloon-sedan-old-accident-repair-bit-rust-repair-thread.html

Manganese Brown (480) metallic is the original colour that I do (or did?) think was a pretty correct colour for the W123 - it is "of its time" and with the chrome it kind of gives a luxurious feel.



But then again I quite like the other metallic colours that were available

W123 original color code + pics - Page 2 - Mercedes-Benz Forum

So what about Cyprus green (876)



Or anthracite grey (172)



Blue green (877)



Lapis blue (932)



So rules for voting are it has to be an original metallic colour for the W123 and it has to look good for a four door saloon / sedan. The interior colour of the car will stay the same => palomino (leather seats) and black dash etc

What would you choose?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I think that the original color (Palomino/Dark Brown) is really heavenly. I would stick with it. I've always drooled for your color combination after I first saw it .

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Color change unless done pretty much completely always seems cheap to me. It seems to degrade the car in some ways.

Can also involve a lot more work to do it. Based partially on the above I try to stay with the same color. That is just me though.

I really do not mind what anyone else does in this regard at the same time. For example I have an 84 with serious paint flaws that needs redone. Some like the color and others dislike it. I am not in love with it myself. Still I will repaint it the same color and hope the freshness of the new paint changes my opinion of it.

I owned not one, but TWO Manganese Brown W123s. My W123 240D, but also my Turbo OM617 300D. They were gorgeous, well my 300D was nicer because it didn't have any rust after I had paint work done. The 240D had nice paint, but the rust holes ruined it and made it look like a survivor.

Though in seriousness, stick with what you have. Manganese is a timeless paint job when it really shines and it does look very classic. It stands out next to green, blue, grey. What other car than a W123 can rock Brown and look good?

I've always had a thing for blue green, with bundt wheels though...

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'83 240D 4 spd. manual - Undergoing OM617 transplant - Soon for sale.

'97 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 5-spd. WVO - Not stock. - For sale!

'06 Sprinter

i vote for brown. my favorite colors on these cars are ones that no current maker would ever offer.

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1981 NA 300D 310k miles

As much as I like green, color changes are a bear to do right, so I voted for UPS brown.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

I assume you'll take the time to take all the trim off the body- you'll get a much better job.

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'83 300D, 126K miles.

I too wanted to color change the wagen some day, but it is a lot of work! Plus, at least the brown you have is a nice shade reminding me of hot chocolate or coffee with cream, rather than the tans I keep seeing that are so dreary.

What I am going to do on the wagen when it comes time is two tone like the Service Wagens. However, don't think any of the colors you have offered would work. Mine is non-metallic white, so limits the second color to non-metallic also. Figured the forest green for the bottom go great with the white top and Palomino interior. Brown and white might, maybe even brown and grey, now I think more?

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Current fleet:

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280TE - Waiting for heart surgery.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT - Rear ended 23 September 2016 and now looking for a new home.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD - Parted out.

1964 Volkswgen Beetle - Vater's since September 1968 and undergoing a restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Sunroof Squareback with F.I. - in need of full restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Squareback automatic with F.I. - Vacationing with her caretaker until he is in better health.

Please tell me that the pink is due to the lighting.

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Petrol green! Or the green you have listed.

I'm partial to the browns

The blue-green is nice. My w116 was that colour.

However, on the w123 I prefer the shade of my 300d: 930, silver-blue.

The darker colours are nice with the chrome, as you say, but a constant pain to keep clean even in summertime.

The lighter blue shades don't show dirt until you are up close .

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

i don't particularly go for the metallics, but i think anthracite is the most timeless of those.

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'77 240D, 504H, OM617.952, etc.

How about going to Russet Brown. Keeps you closer to original, but I think is a much sharper color

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1981 300TD
1985 300TD

Signal Red

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert