1979 Mercedes-Benz W123 240D review from North America
"The best car I've ever owned!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
At 240,000 miles the vacuum system began to leak causing the automatic door locks to not work, the cruise control to fail, and eventually the engine to not shut-off. It became necessary to shut the engine off under the hood.
The fuel lines clogged after allowing it to run completely out of fuel.
A/C failed after approximately 220,000 miles.
Leaked oil excessively after about 200,000 miles.
The front seats eventually began to lose their straw-like stuffing into the rear floorboard.
General comments?
What a car!
This car is a tank! You can't kill it even when you try.
This car is absolutely remarkable, and remarkably slow. It's 0-60 MPH time is over 19 seconds. So it's definitely not the modern AMG hotrod Mercedes of today. It does however have a great running gear and will run at 90+ MPH all day long, even with it's 60 something horsepower. The interior of this car is luxurious and comfortable, trimmed in wood and chrome. It has an old fashioned sense of luxury and charm that can no longer be found in todays high-end cars.
This car does something to your soul. It becomes like a member of your family. I sold this car at 275,000 miles and the last time I saw it (2 years later) it was running liike new. This was the best car I've ever owned. If you find one with low mileage, jump at the opportunity to own one of these machines.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1979 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.4 diesel Automatic |
| Performance marks | 2/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 10/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 15000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 275000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 23rd February, 2005 |


