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April 30, 2021 12:00 am by

A Brief Personal History of the W123

240D wheel cover

The first time I ever encountered a W123 generation Mercedes, I was twelve years old. It was my first day at a brand new school in a brand new city. Waiting somewhat anxiously for my carpool to arrive, I saw a dark blue 300D pull into the driveway.

As a child, I had been fascinated by big diesel trucks and happily spent hours on road trips identifying them. Kenworths, Macks, Peterbilts — I knew them all. I even liked the way they smelled. And now, from this handsome sedan before me, emanated that same distinctive diesel thrum.

I climbed in, closing the famously vault-like door behind me, and buckled myself into the blue MB Tex rear bench. As our smiling carpool mom piloted us away, that five-cylinder diesel rumbling its way through the gears, I was smitten.

Since then, I’ve owned a number of W123 examples. My first was a 1982 300TD in Classic White on Sienna MB-Tex, and while it was a pretty cool old wagon, it was also an early lesson in used car buying. Because I made all of the rookie mistakes. I bought it sight unseen. I trusted the seller — a used car dealer in Florida, no less. And I paid too much. Oops.

My last W123 (prior to this new 240D) was a humble 1979 300D in Pastel Blue (pictured below), which I bought off eBay for $4000. It was an honest car with some some familiar W123 flaws, like a cracked dash and a few battle scars. Nevertheless, after some sorting, it happily served as my faithful daily driver for a number of years.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300D in Pastel Blue

My other W123s have been all over the map. A few diesels and a few gassers, including a Euro-spec 280E. They’ve all been relatively cheap buys — but which showed some clear evidence of a prior owner’s love. Driving them and tinkering on them has done nothing to erode my fondness for these cars. In fact, the more I’ve gotten to know them, the more I’ve grown to appreciate their simplicity and charm.

So when I spotted a remarkably clean, one owner 240D in the Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s classified listings not too long ago, I couldn’t help but reach out to the seller to learn more about it.

Next Post: 240D Love at First Sight

 

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