New to the Forum, but my second MB (W123)

[DiksmuideSteve]

Dear All,
I owned a pristine 230E in thistle green back in 1998 (A 1984). I lived in Tonbridge and used it as my daily to Enfield! It was sold on to a mechanic at the Tonbridge MB Dealership; I got myself a Smart Car which drastically reduced my running costs.

FastForward nearly 20 years, and I'm now living in Belgium. I've just sold my beloved '78 MkIV Mini that I have had for the past five years. Now it's time for a change. Back in 1998, it was a mini that I sold prior to me getting the W123.

So.? I have a healthy budget. It's nearly Christmas, so prices are at a low point. I'm very excited!

I've been looking to get my second W123 for about six months, and being on mainland europe, there's 1000's to choose from.

I belonged to the classic mini forum, and it was invaluable. That's why I've started early, in advance of getting the new car.

It's always 'love at first sight' for me with my cars, so I'm not looking for anything specific, just from the W123 stable. Diesel vs Petrol is always a conversation starter, but I'm not going there. If it's 'love', then I'll go with whatever fuel she uses.

So no photos of my beloved yet. They'll come in due course.

May I be so bold to ask my first question;

I have a 'short list' of two at the moment, both in extremely good condition. 230E at 150k and a 300 diesel at 300k (km). Should I be scared of the 300.? Knowing full well, these cars ability to go to the moon and back, would I be foolish to choose it.? Both at the same price, not that a grand here or there matters.

Thanks in advance for all the help you're going to provide,

Cheers from Belgium

 

[jaymanek]

Hi!

I love the W123.

I have my yellow car which has been in the family since it was 1 year old. It now has a 560 engine!
I also have a white 230TE.

I have never been a fan of the diesel. They are noisy, slow and usually owned by people who have worked them hard and treated them poorly.
There are exceptions of course.

the 230E is the most popular engine in the series. Its super reliable, has enough power and is nice and easy to look after.

As you say, it all comes down to condition. Engine, colour etc are all secondary to condition when it comes to a W123. There is a lot of tarted up junk out there.

 

[DiksmuideSteve]

Cheers for the reply.

If you could try and answer another question for me, that would be appreciated:

IF a 230E was worth 'x', then what would the extra premium for the exact same car, but the CE.? How much more, for two less doors?

cheers

 

[jaymanek]

The CE and TE are the most desirable W123 models now. CE's can be around double the price.

 

[grober]

In my experience most of the older mercedes non turbocharged diesels are pretty sluggish to drive- Heavy engine and surprisingly little torque at low revs means glacial progress. 230E everytime-only thing perhaps worth investing in might be a fully electronic distributor if you have any ignition problems along the line. 123ignition