This is a final year W123-chassis Mercedes-Benz sedan, finished in attractive and hard-to-find Signal Red paint. The five-cylinder diesel engine is a tough, long-lived motor, and combined with the rare paint job, makes it a terrific option for a classic driver you can daily. The 300D shown here recently went up for auction on the Cars & Bids auction platform but didn’t meet its reserve with a final bid price of $11,000, which is a bit short of where a W123 like this should be. The car is currently doing better here on eBay, with bids to $12,600, but the reserve is still unmet.
That does beg the question as to whether the owner has his sights set too high at the moment. The W123 had a “moment”, like many other cars and trucks, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, where bored online bidders started pushing prices higher and higher. The W123 lineup was certainly a known quantity three years ago, but it had never been what you would consider a blue-chip investment. The best cars, sure – they would command strong money, but anything with average miles and equipment levels typically didn’t bring exceptional bids. This car is in an interesting spot because it does wear a factory paint scheme we don’t see too often, and it is a final-year W123. Does that make it worth considerably more?
Well, here’s a big reason why it may not be hitting its number: the paint job isn’t factory. Yes, this is a factory color, but this W123 is not an original Signal Red car. There’s also the issue that it spent time in Puerto Rico before coming to Florida a few years back. Now, this is not a deal breaker on its own, but PR has been known to suffer through the occasional hurricane, and it’s also far more difficult to track a car’s history given the CarFax report only goes so far – and that’s with vehicles here in the U.S. The condition certainly seems to indicate this 300D is in very good shape, but the interior of this era of Mercedes product can be deceptive given how durable the seat upholstery and other surface areas are.
The good news about the later cars is that the 5-cylinder diesel powerplant by this point was fairly refined and made good power for an oil burner. This means you can drive a car with a ridiculously bulletproof drivetrain that can still maintain highway speeds if need be. The detailing underhood suggests that the seller’s claim of this car having just under 48,000 original miles may very well be accurate, as it looks quite clean inside and out. The non-original paint is likely the biggest reason this W123 will struggle to hit a top-tier price, but hopefully, that doesn’t overshadow what may be a very good car underneath.
I’m curious to know what the original color was? The seller didn’t take a picture of the option plate on the core support. Looking at the pictures I focused on the door jambs because that speaks to the quality of the color change. I have done color changes to several of my cars in the past. The most recent is my Corvair which is currently at a body shop. To do it right it’s a windows out all trim and hardware, and in most cases the engine is removed. I don’t want to any remaining trace of the remaining color inside and out. If you are selling a classic W123 with claimed low mileage it’s that level or nothing. Unfortunately they did not go to that extent. While they did the jambs they did not go to the extent to remove the door latch assemblies or the door switches in the jambs. That to me doesn’t cut it. Would have been better to leave the original color. The next question is why repaint? What was wrong with the original finish? Was it trashed from the elements? Did they repair rust in the rockers and around wheel arches? All these questions keep this Mercedes from being a top dollar car.
I agree completely. There is something besides the strange hue for this model that is quite unsettling. From under the door latches it looks as this could have been black, deep blue, or what really would have sent me back in time – manganese brown
It was originally Midnight Blue.
When I am looking at a vehicle that I suspect has been repainted, the first places that I look at are the door strikers, interior light door jamb switches and the data plates. Most people don’t want to mess around readjusting the door after a repaint, sloppiness accounts for the switches and poor masking is usually revealed by the data plates (I miss the old days, when a Dodge truck VIN plate was held on by four Phillips head screws). If all this checks out, I move on to lifting the gaskets around the glass. Oh, and don’t forget your magnet…
A VIN lookup for the data card indicates the original exterior color is NAUTICAL BLUE METALLIC (929U) (a navy blue metallic) the interior color indicates MB-TEX – PALOMINO (154)
The rest of the data codes appear to be standard US specifications.
It’s kind of shame they did a color change since Nautical Blue Metallic is very pretty.
” but PR has been known to suffer through the occasional hurricane, and it’s also far more difficult to track a car’s history given the CarFax report only goes so far – and that’s with vehicles here in the U.S.”
So, last I checked, Puerto Rico was in the US.
Puerto Rico is not in the US; its a territory of the US.
1 count me out its not a wagon
2 right now its twice what i would pay for a 124,126 and 3 times what i would pay for a 123
My 1985 123 diesel wagon was awesome, there are still deals out there, plus elbow grease will save you some Ben Franklins.
All that aside im sure its a great car
w123’s are still very popular. Especially a coupe or wagon. While this car is stunning. It is a repaint. If it wore original Signal Red factory paint, this car would have sold already. I had a pristine low mileage sedan that had been repainted in the original color. It was stunning. I sold it for an s123 wagon but was hurt that it didn’t sell for me as I had spent thousands restoring it. Would have kept it but I only have one garage spot. The main complaint was that it had been repainted. Still got 22k for it tho.
When and where did you sell your W123?
I have a pristine 1984 300D sedan coming soon on a popular auction site. It’s Astral Silver Metallic with a Black Leather interior and 93.5K miles. It was a special order for European delivery and includes code 820 (tourist for USA/Australia/Japan — includes insurance, registration, emergency triangle, and first aid kit) and without a sunroof. The paint gauge indicates the trunk was repainted. I expect I will get complaints about the window tinting and the high-end stereo. Yet, someone can easily put the original and working Becker Mexico radio back in since no modifications were made to install the modern stereo system.
It will be interesting to see if I can get a good price for it in today’s economic climate.
Also, the license plate is SMELLY. Can’t blind buy this one…
If Signal Red were the original color and not a repaint this car would have done much better.