The W123 series Mercedes-Benz remains one of the most recognizable classics of the modern era, with its handsome styling and ridiculously overbuilt qualities. The wagon body has long been a favorite of anyone who enjoys a good “long roof” and in recent years, clean touring models have seen a fairly sharp increase in value. This particular 300TD is a desirable final-year model with the turbocharged powerplant under the hood that offers far better acceleration and general daily-driver qualities than its naturally-aspirated sibling. Find it here on eBay where bidding has reached $16,000 and is just shy of the $19,950 Buy-It-Now.
This classic Mercedes wagon has long been a fixture in society, even in the crowded estate market here in the U.S. Like an old Saab or a Crown Victoria, the W123 is a model that would be handed down from the parents to the kids as the family beater, or college car. That said, this same fate often lead to many of these W123 models being neglected and treated like beaters, mostly because they seem to withstand such treatment with no real penalty on the ownership costs side. The more durable and dependable a car is, the more its owners tend to think they can beat it. The 300TD shown here wears attractive Champagne paint, which appears to be in excellent condition.
There’s more good news inside the 300TD where the interior is in spectacular condition. According to the vehicle history report, this Mercedes been in Texas for over a decade, and it’s clear that in that time, it was garaged and otherwise not left outside for extended periods, as I don’t see a solitary crack in the dash or the durable MBTex upholstery. Even the wood trim and tan carpets still present well, and the only modification is a newer stereo with Bluetooth connection capabilities. The seller notes that the A/C is being recharged in preparation for sale, and hopefully, that’s actually the reason behind the charge and not a leaking evaporator.
The turbocharged diesel was much more livable than the earlier models, wherein you had to be very strategic about highway on-ramps and merge attempts. With 123 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, this powerplant makes a wagon like this 300TD far more capable as an occasional pinch-hitter in your daily driver lineup. The seller notes that the 300TD comes with records for over $13,000 in maintenance performed over the last decade, which should make an already reliable car darn near bulletproof. Have any of you ever owned an W123 in wagon form?
Nice car! That is, if you’re into a station wagon. Looks like it will carry you through a lot more miles.
Those ol’ 5-Bangers, we put more than a few of them through our shop. A lot of wealthy farmers seemed to think that they were the crowning glory–before Cadillac brought out the Escalade. To say the least they were good cars, but in reality, no better than anything that came out of Detroit.
When the API spec changed from SE-CC to SE-CD these suffered the same camshaft failures as the rest of the auto industry. If your camshaft wasn’t in failure mode, the crankshaft balancer would tend to come loose, consequently loosening the timing sprocket on the crankshaft. The sprocket would then oscillate back and forth, allowing the key to carve out the sides of the sprocket and the keyway in the crankshaft. We pulled half a dozen engines just to repair that daggoned keyway.
The combined boost-control/altitude compensator sucked! They would build boost off the line then, for some reason, the compensator would pull the rack back before the turbo kicked in again and send the plunger to the increased fuel setting. In layman’s terms that meant you accelerated real good when the traffic light changed, then halfway through the intersection you were taking a bite out of the steering wheel. You would limp through the rest of the intersection then the engine suddenly opened up, pulling you right back into the seat.
Whenever I got one of those in I would adjust that troublesome “anschlaag” so that it operated more as a boost control unit should. Customers were relatively happy although there were some who didn’t appreciate the puff of black from the tailpipe when he put his foot into it.
Hey! You want some power? You need to get some fuel in there to get things stirred up, even in a Mercedes.
Howard could attest to that from his trucking experience.
MB makes a great car but make no mistake, things wear out and fail.
All true, I’m sure.
But this wagon has MB-Tex! That stuff will survive countless engine overhauls and still look fresh! Heck, it will survive a nuclear attack!
Wouldn’t surprise me if some of the $13K in repair bills covered some, if not all, the areas geomechs mentions. Looks like past owners took care of this machine, which is always a good sign.
According to the listing, it has already been sold. Drat!
I have a 5 pot, and $8k for an injector pump?
No way.
$8K for an injection pump? That’s rather steep. I had some expensive rebuilds back in the day but I don’t think I had any that were over $3K. Pump elements were around $200 apiece. $500 for other parts and probably $800 labor. Of course it’s been 5 years since I got sent out to pasture and things have gone up since then. I know that electronic gadgets like the rack-position-sensors can be downright insane, price wise. I would have to say that someone saw you coming, or else decided that MB was the ultimate, when in reality, it’s just another well-built car…
I used to own a more than well used 300TD Turbodiesel Automatic thT probably had done more tha 300 k miles befire I bought. The car was scruffy but one of the better experiences in half a century of car ownership. Amazing workmanship that only can be found on German cars of that era. No other product can even come close.
I’ve slammed some secure sounding doors, 71 lemans post door, 61 corvette door ( yea fiberglass), but nothing sounds more like a tank than the 123 Mercedes, burned ton of wvo( not biodiesel) loved the smell of the bio.
Secure great cars,But the 603 then 606 were just better to me.
Mine must have had a rear end change,70 mph it would spin 4000 rpm, Many times I would forget.
already sold at the buy it now price
I love Merc’s, I have one, a turbo diesel, never again.
$8k for an injector pump, for a 2002 SUV?
Nope!!!!!!!
My next Merc will be petrol.
In the early to mid-80’s, I worked for a high volume M-B wholesale dealer as a contract driver. What a great job! I would fly to the city he had lined up the deal, do a visual inspection and call him with the details so that he could compare their description with mine, then do the paperwork and drive off, hopefully to where Buzz had pre-sold the car based on my description. I had the opportunity to drive every model in the Mercedes Benz lineup (not to mention all the BMW’s – Jag’s – Porsches and the occasional Rolls Royce/Bentley), and I had my favorites, as well as the ones I just didn’t like. SL’s were a real pain to drive cross country because they were just too small to relax in for 12 – 15 hours at a time. The SE and SEL’s were good comfortable sedan’s capable of knocking off hundreds of miles at a time without taking a toll on the driver. I have fond memories of a couple of coast to coast trips in SEC’s that showed me why all of the current Formula One drivers (save the Ferrarri guys) at the time drove SEC’s. The 240 and 300D’s were the benchmark of economical comfortable, 80-90 mph capable people movers. But every time I moved a T series wagon, I felt like I was at home. All of the utilitarian comfort of the 123 body, plus the extra room to pull over at a rest area, and instead of leaning the driver’s seat back for a quick nap, folding the back seat down and stretching out for a couple of hours before knocking off another 3 – 400 miles. I liked them so much that after I got off of the road, and began a small collectible auto sales operation, I drove 300TD’s for a couple of years as daily drivers. They are that good. This one appears to be well maintained, and in good condition, a portal back in time to when a great drivers car didn’t need to have neck breaking acceleration or swoopy good looks, it could be a utilitarian box with wheels. I love ’em. GLWS.
Beautiful looking wagon. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember when the Mercedes-Benz W123 was offered. This was my favourite Mercedes-Benz car.