As the title says, I'm trying to locate a beatermobile for this year's Gambler 500. Rust, dents or wiped out interior.. We don't care. My son and I will be driving preferably a Mercedes over 500 miles of bad road, off-roading and logging roads in this event over 48 hours. So if you know where there might be a good donor vehicle somewhere on the East coast, please let me know. Garageful

By the way,not looking for a free car.I will gladly pay for a beatermobile that still has some life left.

I suggest a 123 or 126 though a 124 would probably do well too.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Is there a price or budget cap for Gambler, like there is for Lemons? (Or do you have your own budget.)

The tough thing about the W123/4/6 is that they do tend to hold their value better than a lot of old cars. So even if you find one in the $1000 neighborhood, it tends to have really serious problems (or at least that's what I've seen from a lot of browsing on Craigslist). I generally feel like cars around $1000 probably need $500-1000 to get them into reliable driving shape (but there are occasional daily driver caliber cars out there in the $2000 range, although usually with some hair on them at that price).

Now that may be inflated a bit from being in LA, where the cars are generally no/little rust and somewhat of a hipster item.

But long and short of it is that if you're dealing with a really low budget, I think the w123 and its close relatives may be tough to swing.

I was hoping for a 123,but even in the rust belt here they are still commanding a premium price. I just learned of an 8 series Volvo wagon with tree limb damage.my only concern with Volvo is their suspension definitely has its weak spots.

U cannot beat a benz for rough roads. I'd suggest an s class, either 116 or 126. The v8s are pretty cheap to buy. Rugged as a mack truck ride like a Caddy. A rusty one would not be a problem as long as there is not rust in structural places. Having had some rusty ones they are not in the habit of failing from rust. Rusty rear A arm is the worst thing I can think of.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I put the word out in my circles that I was looking. We've come across a Jeep pickup truck, an 850 Volvo and a Ford focus. I would like to get whatever vehicle we are wanting to run in our possession as soon as possible. That way I can be sure that we have a good drive line and spend some time with it before we go to all the work to prep it. Our 300 is way too nice to sacrifice to this. Depending on schedule, we may even attempt to run two this year.

Walgumuth, I had an opportunity to ride in a 66 427 back in the early 80s. Its original 427 was stored away for safety, as it had another 427 installed non numbers matching. That day also provided a ride in a original Pantera with a Cleveland and a original 406 tri power galaxie.

While also hard to find, a W202 or W201 would also be a solid contender. The W201 is tough!

They are also smaller and more nimble.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

A high school buddy had a 62 ford galaxy convert with 406/3-2s. It was the fastest accelerating thing I ever drove on the street until this cobra.

The cobra will spin its tires in third just by rolling onto the throttle. It tends to keep you focused.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.