Any w123 Coupe fans, Is it worth it?....Restore 77' grey market manual w123 280c M110

[vwnate1]

Well ;

Sort of ~

I'm on my third 300CD, the first two were NA's in Oriental Red with the nasty looking Tobacco colored interiors .

This old thing has over 400,000 hard miles on it and is more "beat to death" than "dialed in" but yes, I have my specific desires and this car certainly fills my bill .

I'm supposed to look at a white one to replace my aging beater, we'll see if that happens or not .

FWIW, do not pass on a decent NA 300CD ~ it just takes a little longer to get up to cruising speed, everyone I knew thought my red ones had turbos....

[vwnate1]

FWIW ;

I have THREE W123's ~ a battered and beloved Diesel Sports Coupe that's my daily driver, a very nice 300TD greymarket that's *almost* back to full European spec. and my very first M-B, a 1982 240D stripper ~ the only options it had when new were radio and automatic .

I don't drive the wagon much, I bought it for S.W.M.B.O. with the help of the C.W.C. guys (thanx again guys !) , re sprayed it and try hard to keep it nifty and pristine for her, the CD and 240D have and will continue to do Yeoman Duty all across America including lots and lots of road rallies and canyon carving, plenty of flat footing my way across the Desert (not the 240D of course, never overspeed any engine !) and routinely run away from Sports Cars in the twisty bits ~ all you needs do is buy decent tires and shocks (I'm fond of Bilstein HD's) and take close care of the mechanical end of things ~ the reason you can always find a cheap Mercedes is because like an older GM car they'll still run well long after all others have died from neglect .

So, if you can take care of they little things they're not terribly expen$ive to own and maintain, cheaper than the monthly payment on other, newer cars .

And of course, they're comfy (I have broken back & neck with metal plates etc., etc.) and SAFER than most other cars too .

I don't know where to find them but there are old films made by Mercedes of testers (mostly young jail birds I am told) driving smack into the back of stopped trucks, bridge abutments and so on at high rates of speed, amazing and horrifying to watch, in every case the car is demolished but the driver gets out and walks away .

[jwalk1972]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

FWIW ;

I have THREE W123's ~ a battered and beloved Diesel Sports Coupe that's my daily driver, a very nice 300TD greymarket that's *almost* back to full European spec. and my very first M-B, a 1982 240D stripper ~ the only options it had when new were radio and automatic .

I don't drive the wagon much, I bought it for S.W.M.B.O. with the help of the C.W.C. guys (thanx again guys !) , re sprayed it and try hard to keep it nifty and pristine for her, the CD and 240D have and will continue to do Yeoman Duty all across America including lots and lots of road rallies and canyon carving, plenty of flat footing my way across the Desert (not the 240D of course, never overspeed any engine !) and routinely run away from Sports Cars in the twisty bits ~ all you needs do is buy decent tires and shocks (I'm fond of Bilstein HD's) and take close care of the mechanical end of things ~ the reason you can always find a cheap Mercedes is because like an older GM car they'll still run well long after all others have died from neglect .

So, if you can take care of they little things they're not terribly expen$ive to own and maintain, cheaper than the monthly payment on other, newer cars .

And of course, they're comfy (I have broken back & neck with metal plates etc., etc.) and SAFER than most other cars too .

I don't know where to find them but there are old films made by Mercedes of testers (mostly young jail birds I am told) driving smack into the back of stopped trucks, bridge abutments and so on at high rates of speed, amazing and horrifying to watch, in every case the car is demolished but the driver gets out and walks away .

I def am a fan of the w123/w124 wagons. I just scooped up one a few weeks back but it needs some love. It's off for a respray this week and then some fixing up.

[vwnate1]

Another grey market I see.....

[jwalk1972]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

Welcome .

Long before it was a cool T.C. Show (? I don't think so) I was dragging oldies out of barns, the Desert and so on and putting them back on the road, there's more to id than most realize .

Unless the engine was bad when it was parked, usually it's possible to re awaken it and have it run fine and last .

It just requires care and patience ~ don't just slap some jumper cables on it and crank away as you pour/squirt fuel into the intake .

On the odd chance this car turns up junk, I may need some Coupe specific parts off it .

Do you need any parts before it gets junked? I'm sending it off today. Lights and bumpers are gone and middle ashtray. Let me know if you need anything else.

[Mike D]

How about the A/C compressor mount?

[jwalk1972]

Originally Posted by Mike D

How about the A/C compressor mount?

NO A/C

[Mike D]

Ah well, such is life. Sorry to see it go to the crusher but things happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE

[vwnate1]

Thanx for the offer, I'm sure I could use bits and bobs but Texas is a bit far for shipping .

[jwalk1972]

went to a good home, thx everyone!

[Mike D]

That's good to hear. It seems as though these kind of deals always come up when I'm elbow deep (or strapped for ready cash) in projects. Glad to hear the car, or at least parts of it, will be put to good use.

I'm a sucker for the coupes. My preference is W114's but a nicely turned W123 or W126 certainly gets my attention.

[Benz Dr.]

Originally Posted by Mike D

That's good to hear. It seems as though these kind of deals always come up when I'm elbow deep (or strapped for ready cash) in projects. Glad to hear the car, or at least parts of it, will be put to good use.

I'm a sucker for the coupes. My preference is W114's but a nicely turned W123 or W126 certainly gets my attention.

What sort of coupes do you have? I have several: 280C, 250C, 250CE, 300CD Turbo, 280CE, 220SEb, 250SE, and 280SE 3.5

The 300CD and the 280CE both run but need work. The 3.5 coupe is slated for a restoration and the rest of them are more or less parts cars. 280C has a freshly rebuilt engine.

[Mike D]

Currently a '72 250C, a '74 280C and a '81 300CD. The W114's have been converted to Megasquirt injection. The W123 is waiting for me to find a decent turbo'ed engine to swap in.

[vwnate1]

Look for junked W116's & W126's, they're plentiful and almost always have good engines, the OM617 with turbocharger .

Good to hear this coupe went to a good home instead of the junkyard .

[alabbasi]

I finally sold my last W123 coupe a couple of weeks ago. The only W123 i have now is a 1980 280TE with a 4 speed manual gearbox which is also for sale. Once it goes, I'll start on the W126's.