W123 280E-a "what's it worth?" thread-

[RANDY P]

Curious what the ballpark range of a 1981 W123 280E would be worth-

Vehicle has 76K mi and my mother is the original owner. It's basically a very, very nice driver quality car. Outside is excellent (a touched up scratch on the trunk and a nick here and there, no dings) underhood is dirty but intact and all there, and the only real issue is a bent outer ring on ONE original hubcap. Has the problematic thumbwheel climate control, A/C, MB Tex interior. Interior is MINT.

All stock right down to the power antenna except for the Bundt's I installed the other day. Have all original documentation, reciepts, etc. etc.

What's it worth?

(PS I'm just curious, it's not for sale- don't know a whole bunch about the car- but I'm in the middle of cleaning it up since I just moved to Las Vegas and now I have the time to work on it- fixing the vacuum system, etc .etc.)


thanks

[mbzman]

Don't know where you are located, but up here I have seen nice ones in the $2000-$3000 range and average ones for $1500. I know they are rare, at least where I am. W123 300Ds outnumber them 2 to 1.

[Jim B.]

They are the fastest stock engine in the beloved 123 body style engine that was ever sold in the USA, but their carbs were troublesome.

Back in 1980 I was looking everywhere for a used one and the only one I saw was a horribly filthy white one, which I did not buy.

They are very very rare in US spec form, as they did not sell many new ones here, but not that valuable.


Yours sounds like a really good one.

I would gladly pay $4,000 to $5,000+ cash for one that good, with just one owner, low miles, books and records from new, in a color that did not make me throw up (some W123 colors, like avocado green, DO !!!) and no rust or repaired body damage.

The W123 diesels outspld them by such a vast number, that I believe 1981 was the last model year of the 280e ever even sold in the USA, I believe, so I think a 1981, yours, very was very the last, though you could get a european gray market one into the USA or buy a new one outside the USA all the way to the end of the model run, which was 1985.

So to me personally, yours is a real find, and if I had the "means, motive, and opportunity", as they say, I would pay on the high side to find and own one like that.

Really beat down ones, 230e and 280e models, that years ago, failed inspection in West European countries, still ply the road daily in West Africa, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco, where they are cheap butmuch adored MERCEDES BENZ transportation.

(as seen for example, in present day Morocco)





Good readable and highly recommended book that offers a look into the process of exactly how it is done, getting one of them (in this case a beat up 190d W201 2.2 diesel) into the middle of darkest West Africa :

[JimFreeh]

[QUOTE=Jim B.;2590438]They are the fastest stock engine in the beloved 123 body style engine that was ever sold in the USA, but their carbs were troublesome.


Jim,

That's because they didn't have any!

The USA version was a real dog. Lower compression, 135 HP, loves to slurp gas. Once you drive a grey market 185hp M110 engine, you'll never want to own a USA version.

Whilst the diesel cars still hold a premium, the gas engined cars are real dogs on the market currently.

Overall, gas engined MB sedans are the least valuable combination. Your car's value lies in it's emotional attachment, and there's no way to put a value on that for you, but certainly a buyer would not attach any additional value.

Given the description, I'd guess $2-3.5K, IF you could find someone who really wanted the car.

Jim

[RANDY P]

Finding ANY CAR that is clean, and decent with that low of mileage and no stories to tell is worth more than $2k. I did an ebay search and the only ones that seemed to fetch anything was a Gray market gas car.

With that said, it's up for debate to upgrade to EFI (I hate CIS problems) and drive it or just leave it the hell alone and basically give a garage space.

rjp

[JimFreeh]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

Finding ANY CAR that is clean, and decent with that low of mileage and no stories to tell is worth more than $2k.

You would think that....

But....

It's still a 30 plus year old car. There are two reasons to own a car this old.

1. You don't want, or cannot afford a car payment. The most important characteristic of a car would be it's cost of ownership/reliability and to a lesser extent, it's price. There is a ceiling to this market... and it's pretty low.

Or,

2. You have an emotional reason to want just such a car.




Problem with buyer number 1 is that (s)he is most often limited by funds, and with the price of newer cars at or near your price point, it's going to be hard to have this person put a premium on your car, even in the rare instance they have the cash....

On the other hand, the big problem with buyer number 2 is.... finding someone who really wants YOUR car.



I understand the emotional attachment, I'm the caretaker of several family vehicles, one of which was bought new by my Uncle in 1955. Another I've owned for over 36 years.

The market isn't great right now, and I'd expect it to stay low for quite a while. If I had access to a car that had your family history, I think I'd want to keep it, find a book value or better yet, get a professional appraisal on it, and use one of the classic car insurers, like Grundy or Heacock, and insure it for stated value. This way, you can enjoy the car, and if something ever happened, you could recover what you felt was full value.


Good luck, it's quite a prize to have a car like your Mom's.

Usually, when you find this kind of history, it's tied to a mint green Chevy II fourdoor with a 6 and powerglide....

Jim

[Benica]

The price? It all depends on what YOU want to pay.
Sellers what the most money, buyers want to pay the least.
Offer 2K and go from that point.
You WILL be spending money for unknown repairs. You might be spending 1000's.
90% of the cars sold...have problems. Sellers will not admit to the real reason they are selling.
Most people will not sell a car that is having no problems. Unless it's a collector. This does not include stealerships.
I'm talking private sellers....most are selling their headaches...tired of putting money into it.
30 year old car? Parts availability for one thing. Unseen rust.

[pawoSD]

A 280E is fuel injected, not carb'd. E = Einspritzen or: Injection.

I've ridden in a grey market 280....wshew. They FLY. Its a different feel from a M103, endless surge of power. The m103 is faster, but it feels like you have to rev it higher to get the same results.