I agree with the e28 BMW. I picked mine up for $1495 back in the late 1990s and put 100k+ on her before her computer went and it was too expensive to fix.

The Diesel (524TD) ones are VERY Slow and have timing belts.
The 528e is their gasoline fuel sipper, but it is still a BMW straight six, which is a very smooth and sweet engine. The bodies are the best looking BMWs in my opinion too. They handle great, but they are as hard to work on as an R107 - lots of things to work on - very little space. Your W123 engine bay will look enormous in comparison.

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"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

I would also look for a Volvo 240/740. These cars also hit very high miles and (admittedly not primarily) came with both 4-speed w/overdrive unit and 5-speed manuals.

I thought we had slim pickings here in MA, but I tried searching on CLs near you and got nothing!

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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."

Its more do-able out here than you think - seen quite a few 90/91s for ~$4k

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

Crown Vics are OK, but the ones with carbs are terrible to keep running and the FI ones are a days work if/when the fuel pump goes out. It is in the tank, but there is no access hole to get to it so you have to pull the tank out (almost).

But parts are cheap, and you can get up to 23 mpg!

But the first thing you will notice... They are no Mercedes 123.

I would get another W123 diesel.

For the life of me, I cannot explain why some are suggesting you buy an old Chevy or Ford Crown Vic?!

.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

I used to have a Lincoln Town Car, built on the same Panther platform as the Crown Vic and Grand Marquis. It was inexpensive to buy, inexpensive on parts, and generally easy to work on (except for that time I had to replace the heater core). However, the Panther platform was never offered with a manual transmission, and I averaged 18 mpg over the 60,000 miles I put on the Town Car.

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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.

18 mpg sounds respectable for any old Lincoln Town Car. Heater core went out on mine too.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

Roger that. It's one thing to make the comparison when the cars were new. Mercedes were 2 or 3x the price comparable Chevy or Ford, for good reason. But now we are talking about cars that are a grand or two. The discount from new price is clearly in MBs (or BMW or Volvo, to a lesser extent) favor.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

... I'd waive the requirement for a stick shift MB.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a manual transmission.

I currently have 4 in the fleet: 54 Chevy 1/2 ton stepside with 3 on the tree, 68 MGB with 4 speed with OD on 3 and 4, 89 Dodge-Cummins with getrag 5 speed, and a 99 Zed3 with a 5 speed.

I've also owned many MB manuals, starting with my first MB, a 190SL in 1974, and the last was a W124 300E five or six years ago.

For later MBs, W123 and up, the need for a manual moves from absolutely necessary to a depends.... By the 240D, MB had added enough HP to make the auto a viable alternative. Comparing the MB shift experience to lots of other cars most always left me disapointed in the MB action and ratios choices. By comparison, the 4 speed autos were exceptional compared to most automatics in contemporary vehicles. I enjoy manual transmissions in my cars, but I don't miss them in my MBs, and as I've aged (matured?), I find I prefer them for day to day use.

I've moved from W123 chassis cars W124 chassis cars and in my opinion, there is no comparision between them. The W124 is faster, much better handling, and gets superior mileage compared to the W123. It has all the attributes I loved in the w123, and comes with features you'd never find in a W123.

The logical upgrade from a W123 diesel is a W124 300D or E300 diesel. Not common, but they are out there in reasonable numbers.

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

If he can find another clean w123 that's always a good choice-go with what you know, etc.

If you're looking for a cheap, reliable, smooth ride a Crown Vic or Buick anything will fit the bill. My 98 LeSabre was worlds smoother than my w123. Faster, smoother, quieter, had a great stereo stock, better fuel economy, with a roomier interior. And a full brake job was only $200.

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

I got voicemail from the insurance company. The car is totaled, which I expected. I called back too late to find out exactly what the numbers come out to.

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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.

For a reliable 80's manual with decent performance go with a e28 535is...I have a 1988 w/170k miles and almost immaculate condition. The last e28 535i I had clocked 290k miles before I sold it to a guy who drove it up to Vancouver (where it is still his daily). Plus the climate control is not as troublesome as the w123.

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"Time's never wasted when you're wasted all the time"

Buy it back for a parts car. You will still have money left over.

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

Doesn't look like anyone is letting go of the e28 sticks. They seem to be keepers whereas automatics seem to be available somewhat. There must be a reason. Same with e24s. I am in for a long wait....

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

Look for an E34 if your going to go BMW...

__________________
-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.