In all of automotive history, few vehicles are known to go more miles than from the earth to the moon with minimal maintenance or be instantly recognizable when out-and-about. The Mercedes midsize W123 chassis from 1976-1985 are among them, and this example is for sale here on eBay in North Carolina, USA. Let’s check it out!
The W123-chassis Mercedes cars were conceived and designed as early as 1971 or 1972 and when all was said and done, approximately 2.7 million vehicles were produced and sold around the world. That’s sedans, coupes, estate wagons and commercial (limo, ambulance and hearse) units from November of 1975 to January of 1986. Offering many different engine and trim options through the nearly 10-year run, they were some of the most over-engineered and overly-well-built passenger machines ever created, and can still be found in just about every country on earth. Some say they were actually too good for their time, for multiple reasons.
The one we see today is a 1980 U.S.-market car, which according to some sources is in the second series, and sports a naturally-aspirated 2998cc diesel engine, producing a peak of 87 horsepower and 127 lb-ft of torque when new.
Inside, we can see the light beige perforated-leather seats appearing to be in good shape, the door cards not all wrinkly, and the carpets needing what looks like only a good scrubbing. We see air-conditioning controls and 105,000 miles on the odometer, as well.
Outside, the gold exterior shines well, we don’t notice any obvious rust, and the only issue appears to be a dent in the lower front fender. The U.S. bumpers and round lights look to be in reasonable shape.
Other than needing a good cleanup and maybe some mechanical maintenance service, it appears at first look to be a very nice example. We aren’t given much in the way of details from the seller, so we can only go on the multiple pictures presented. Lucky for us that a picture is worth a thousand words!
I can’t really say anything -new- about them, since they are so well-known and well-documented in Automotive history. What I can say is that, for what it’s worth, I like the W123 cars. They were not fast but they were built to last! Some see just another old car, but I have a personal connection with these cars, since my late grandmother had a 240D on which I learned to drive manual transmission at 16. That noisy, shaky-at-idle, beige-on-beige machine is forever etched into my mind.
That’s weird the evil bay link takes you to the add and says $1650+/- reserve not met scroll down and the same car is also on a different evil bay add for $2600+/-. Back in my younger years I wanted to get one of these cars and pull the engine and drop it in a small truck like a Datsun or Toyota just to put the torque of a diesel to the test. Never got around to it because life gets in the way. Looking back that was probably a good thing. Now I just enjoy seeing them pop up here and reading the article and the comments.
Actually, it appears that there are 2 different ads on E-Bay for the same car. (2 different cars that have the exact same mileage and different expiration Times/Dates? Pull up the seller’s other items for sale…. I don’t think so! The odds would be overwhelming.)
I’ve never sold anything on E-Bay, but I’d think this would violate any terms and conditions E-Bay has for a seller.
I have owned a 220D, 240D, and a 300D Turbo. They were great cars. Don’t remember the miles on the 220, but the other two were in the quarter million mile range.
With just over 100k, this rig is barely broken in.
I owned a ’83 300D Turbo Diesel. I sold it with 250,00 miles on it. Wish I still had it.
My mom bought a used 1981 300d in the German taxi pale yellow color and had it for the rest of her life. My dad bought a 1985 silver 300d which featured a turbo. He kept his for the rest of his life. When I was home after my dad died she had me drive the 1981 to pick up our favorite restaurant items and to the gym to keep the battery up. My thoughts was that the non turbo version was underpowered and diesel noisy, the handling and braking were precise, the ride was controlled and the boxy style made it super easy to get in and out of. Both cars were automatic which fit the luxury intermediate character of the car perfectly. I could not determine if the car for sale was a manual or automatic transmission but it brought back some memories.