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.