1985 Mercedes-Benz W123 300D Turbo review from North America
"Strong, stoic, a true warrior"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Very little has gone wrong with the car.
Welded a hole in the floor pan.
Replaced alternator (open on winding).
Replaced right rear CV shaft.
Replaced old exhaust mid-pipe.
Replaced 24 year old suspension bushings.
Replaced 24 year old guide rod mounts.
Replaced 24 year old shocks and struts.
Replaced front and rear rotors (normal maintenance).
Rebuilt calipers (normal maintenance).
Replaced pads (normal maintenance).
General comments?
Excellent car. Extremely overbuilt. 3rd owner. Bought from 2 second long term owner for $400 cad. Needed new rotors and pads, a small hole in floor pan welded up and an exhaust mid-pipe. Living a snow belt will do this..
Daily driver for the past two years. Incredibly reliable. Starts with one flash of the glow plugs. Seats are excellent build, one can sit in them for hours on end and NOT feel fatigued. Sturdy MB Tex material looks great even after 24 years of service.
Virtually everything is user serviceable. Lack of electrics is a wonderful thing. Car handles quite well for a car it's size. Its turning radius is amazing to say the least.
Parts are not as expensive as one may be led to believe. Tons of aftermarket support for this car. I haven't stepped into a dealership for years.
It's not as quick as one would expect - 125hp diesel pushing a 3600 lb sedan does not equate extreme "off the line" speed. Once turbo spools up, it moves quite nicely.
It is critical to make sure, if one was to buy one of these fine cars, that they make sure they get some sort of maintenance history on the car. It is very important. A cheap Benz can turn out to be a very expensive Benz if one is not mechanically competent.
As long as the maintenance has been kept up, these cars will run for years..
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| Economical luxury that lasts and holds value |
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| 1984 - W123 300D Turbo Diesel 3.0 Liter turbo diesel Luxury, Beauty, Simplicity, one hell of a solid car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1985 |
| Year of manufacture | 1985 |
| First year of ownership | 2007 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2009 |
| Engine and transmission | 617.952 turbo diesel Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 255000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 317000 kilometres |
| Previous car | BMW 5 Series |
| Date of Entry | 30th March, 2009 |