The market and car prices, for all makes, is an odd and fickle thing.

Is a w123 worth $20K today? Sure it is, but thank god we can buy them so cheap. Look at what $20K gets you in a *new* car, not very damn much as far as I can tell, and tossing money at it does not help a whole heck of a lot. The w123, and it's siblings, are really well built, well enginered cars made to last. To me, and a lot of others(most of us here I imagen), there invaluable. Just the market is an odd thing, controled largely by joe shmoe brain dead consumer and the people that make new vehicles(and tell Mr/Ms Shmoe what they want and what they will pay for it).

My 300D sold for $32K and change when new in 1983, and I think it has less compitition in the world today than it had when it was new, therefore it should be worth *more* now. I wouldnt pay that, things being what they are, but the point is I value it very highly. If we had all lived and grown up in a world where well made things did not depreciate at all, would it seem so odd?
I don't think so, all the things that made them good twenty years ago make them good today. Firearms are a good example, more often than not, a good, well made, durable old gun will not depreciate much(unless it's a victum of the fickle gun collector/user market). Loot at the M1 Garand, the M14 variants, there are newer pieces that do what it does, as well or better, and there not cheap, but you can't buy a springfield or fulton armory M1A for a few hundered bucks, not by a long shot. A so-so analogy if you enter the laws and such into it, but the basics match up.

ramble, ramble..

I love these old things. I consider my 300D one of the few and far between rewards of being a decent mechanic and being willing to put the time and effort into something. The maintanance would break most people.

It has to be a typo. Remember a while back Nissan had aprogram where they got old 240,260 and 280 Zs, restored them with new parts and sold them for $25K with a factory warranty. It would interesting to see MB do the same with some 123s.
Coachego, your Datsun rusted out because the quality of the steel they used back when they were called Datsuns, was garbage. I have heard stories of Asian cars starting to rust just form sitting on the docks for a couple of month's. Generally what would be surface rust on any other car would be rot on most Asian cars.

Not with the low quality control of MB lately.

Here's to Resale Value
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6315&item=2450288258

Found this on ebay. Its shocking to see, its like travelling back in time.

Maybe they're thinking that if someone offers that much, go ahead and take it.
Like someone I used to work for once said, if somebody offers you $100 for your shoes, take it, even though they're not for sale.

Maryland's plenty rusty...
 

not as bad as Michigan, but snow and chemicals can be depended upon to be there to drive through every winter.

A year or so back saw a guy trying to get his old Ford off a snow covered parking lot...had about five empty containers of Morton's Salt floating around him. Explained to him that sodium chloride and calcium chloride were not the same "salt"...and that all he was likely doing was making his Galaxie taste good.

Re: Here's to Resale Value
 

Actually, after looking at the photos, I'm surprised it didn't sell for more. The buyer really goofed with a "Buy It Now" price, they should have sold it as a straight auction with reserve. I've never seen a 617 engine that clean, ever. Wow. Too bad I'm not a big fan of the W126 (too bulky for my taste, I'm a small guy.) Now a 124.133 in that condition could cause a small crisis for my bank account...! :D :D