W126 or w123

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Mike210

Active Member
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Dec 15, 2018
Messages
98
Location
UK
Car
W210 W202
Alright so,

I've £7k burning a hole in my pocket and need a third Merc in the family. I have it narrowed down to a W123 or a W126. What is the consensus among fellow enthusiast? I will say, the car would be a Sunny Sunday and take to club meets etc car. I have a 1993 W202 and a W210 if that makes any difference. I've my eye on a 74k miles 230e with or 116k miles 420se both very similar money and both in very comparable (above average) condition.

Help a brother out!

M.
 
w126 all day long, the w123 is a good car but its no S-class
 
W126 as it’s for special day trips. Special car. :)

W123 is lovely but it’s not in the the same league.

Good luck with your choice - a nice dilemma to be in :):):cool:
 
As someone who currently owns a W115 (240d), W123 (300d), W124 (E220) and W126 (300SE), allow me to share my perspective.

If I had to pick one car out of all of them, it would be the W115. It's the most "Classic", the most fun to drive (yes, even the diesel 4 speed manual puts a huge smile on my face), the most nimble, and the most frugal. Also gets the most looks believe it or not! Ties with the W123 on dependability. If there is a downside, it is that parts supply is slightly lower than the W123 (but not by much).

Next would be the W123, then the W124 and finally the W126. Don't get me wrong, the W126 is a GREAT car. It's just the most cumbersome of the above to drive given its size and weight, and is the most expensive to own (again, not by much). I love driving it on special occasions but avoid driving it on a week day, or anywhere where parking may be an issue. On the flip side, once the suspension and braking is renewed with OE dealer parts, it is definitely the most solid and comfortable on the highway.

So if you're going to be cruising long distances all day, get the W126. Otherwise, the others offer slight but crucial differences.
 
I have a w126 300se and it’s brilliant. They are pretty cheap to run with no major vices aside from rust, and I believe they are less prone to rust, generally speaking, than w123.

They are long cars which has upsides and downsides.

They feel special to drive and whilst they may look similar to a W123, are far more sophisticated.
 
As someone who currently owns a W115 (240d), W123 (300d), W124 (E220) and W126 (300SE), allow me to share my perspective.

If I had to pick one car out of all of them, it would be the W115. It's the most "Classic", the most fun to drive (yes, even the diesel 4 speed manual puts a huge smile on my face), the most nimble, and the most frugal. Also gets the most looks believe it or not! Ties with the W123 on dependability. If there is a downside, it is that parts supply is slightly lower than the W123 (but not by much).

Next would be the W123, then the W124 and finally the W126. Don't get me wrong, the W126 is a GREAT car. It's just the most cumbersome of the above to drive given its size and weight, and is the most expensive to own (again, not by much). I love driving it on special occasions but avoid driving it on a week day, or anywhere where parking may be an issue. On the flip side, once the suspension and braking is renewed with OE dealer parts, it is definitely the most solid and comfortable on the highway.

So if you're going to be cruising long distances all day, get the W126. Otherwise, the others offer slight but crucial differences.
I appreciate your input. I would love a W114/5 however the prices are astronomical and in my mind way overinflated. Having said that, if I had the money I would get one without hesitation. As far as a W124 or even a W201 well; ive had a W201 and currently have a first year of production (1993) W202 and I fear I would be essentially getting the same car. Yes, I know a W124 is far superior to a W202 but I feel like people are overly harsh in the W202's, especially the pre-facelift models. Having run a W201 and driven plenty W124 I would say the difference is negligible between them and an early W202 not to mention the savings when buying one. This is the process that led me to W123 Vs W126. The former is the first car I ever loved the idea of, the later seems like a grown up version of the former. I would use the car on sunny Sundays to take to the coast or on trips with my little boy so in terms of size I am not worried.
 
I ran and maintained a W126 (380SE) for about 8 years.
It was used by my wife or myself as a daily driver - And we loved it.
If you're worried about easy parking or fuel cost, the W126 is not the car for you.
If you want a car to love ... Buy a 126
 
"I would love a W114/5 however the prices are astronomical and in my mind way overinflated. Having said that, if I had the money I would get one without hesitation"

I paid <£7000 for my 240D on Easter of last year. Received an agreed insurance valuation of more than double that and have a separate thread on the rolling restoration of it.

Harder to find in pristine condition for sure but they're out there. Also, I'd avoid the W114s. More costly to own and run, though more desirable. I posted an excellent example for sale on these forums late last year. If I didn't believe that it was the best purchase of the 3, I wouldn't suggest it.

Apologies if I've added a dimension your decision. If I can help with your decision as an owner of these, feel free to PM me.
 
w126 would be my choice because it's an s class. They also appear to be much better value in the uk than a w123 so you should be able to get a pretty special w126 for your budget.

Best of luck in your car hunt.
 
I just sold my W123 280TE (yesterday) after 6 years of ownership. I've also owned several other W123's including a 240D, 230CE, 280CE etc. As screwdriver indicated, they don't feel as sporty and as fun to drive as a W114/W115 which is quite a chuck-able chassis but they will be more agile than a W126, even though they share much of the same components underneath in terms of suspension setup so there is some overlap.

The W126 is going to be less prone to rust and will be built from much better materials, I expect parts availability will be better also. If you have 7k and want a notable difference, don't buy a 260SE or 280SE and expect much of an upgrade from something like a 230E or 280E. Buy a 560SEC or SEL because when you get to that level, the W126 will become a revelation and the overlap will be very small.
 
I just sold my W123 280TE (yesterday) after 6 years of ownership.

Out of curiosity, which model did you sell and why? And what Classic will you own next?

I enjoy the post 1982 300D the best of all W123s. Drives great in most conditions and comes with all the virtues of diesel ownership, especially indestructibility and frugality.
 
It was a 1980 280TE with a manual gearbox and I sold it to thin the herd. I have several other Mercedes Benz models including 107,109,113,114,116,124,126,129,210,211,215,220,230 (and a few other brands). I don't intend to buy anything new to replace it (he says), but I might put a 94 Jaguar XJ12 or the 88 W124 300TE into rotation.

The main reason as to why I sold it was because it did not have A/C from the factory which made it unbearable to drive in Texas during the summer.

1589030828859.png

I've had a couple of diesel Mercedes including a W115 300D, W123 240D and now a W211 E320 CDI. The CDI is probably the first diesel i would consider running daily. I had my foot buried in the floor on the others so much the fuel mileage was not much better than i would get out of my more modern V8 Mercedes.

The W123 with the M110 engine is quite a lively car and with a manual gearbox. It can scoot. It's definitely the one to have if you can stomach the fuel bills. Right now a gallon of gasoline is about $1.20/gallon. V8 Mercedes, it's your time to shine.
 
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It was a 1980 280TE with a manual gearbox and I sold it to thin the herd. I have several other Mercedes Benz models including 107,109,113,114,116,124,126,129,210,211,215,220,230 (and a few other brands). I don't intend to buy anything new to replace it (he says), but I might put a 94 Jaguar XJ12 or the 88 W124 300TE into rotation.

The main reason as to why I sold it was because it did not have A/C from the factory which made it unbearable to drive in Texas during the summer.

View attachment 95988

I've had a couple of diesel Mercedes including a W115 300D, W123 240D and now a W211 E320 CDI. The CDI is probably the first diesel i would consider running daily. I had my foot buried in the floor on the others so much the fuel mileage was not much better than i would get out of my more modern V8 Mercedes.

The W123 with the M110 engine is quite a lively car and with a manual gearbox. It can scoot. It's definitely the one to have if you can stomach the fuel bills. Right now a gallon of gasoline is about $1.20/gallon. V8 Mercedes, it's your time to shine.
I had a W114 280E with 5 speed close ratio box , one of the limited edition ones from the end of the run , and it was a brilliant car . Think the box was shared with Porsche 928 .
 
I had a W114 280E with 5 speed close ratio box , one of the limited edition ones from the end of the run , and it was a brilliant car . Think the box was shared with Porsche 928 .

That's the car I (literally) wanted all my life. A 2nd gen 280E in Signal Red with a 5 speed manual.

1589034698608.png

They never officially imported a fuel injected W114 in the US or a manual. I currently own an Italian import 72 280CE with a 4 speed. I have all the mechanical bits and bobs to build this car from another 280CE 4 speed that I dismantled. I've also considered using the drive train from my 300SL-24 with a 5 speed getrag.

The 928 uses a transaxle so unlikely to be the same gearbox.
 
That's the car I (literally) wanted all my life. A 2nd gen 280E in Signal Red with a 5 speed manual.

View attachment 95990

They never officially imported a fuel injected W114 in the US or a manual. I currently own an Italian import 72 280CE with a 4 speed. I have all the mechanical bits and bobs to build this car from another 280CE 4 speed that I dismantled. I've also considered using the drive train from my 300SL-24 with a 5 speed getrag.

The 928 uses a transaxle so unlikely to be the same gearbox.
Cool - mine was a light metallic blue - I'll try to find a pic . Similar to Diamond Blue .

Perhaps not the 928 , but I'm fairly sure the box was used by Porsche somewhere . I still have the handbook and service book with the data card somewhere .
 

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