1982 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

W123 Wagon

diesel

Automatic

WDBAB93A2CN008033

Clear

Diesel

This is a very nice example of the highly-desired Mercedes W123 turbo diesel wagon, with low miles and mechanically excellent! It's not perfect though and I'll describe both the good and not-so-good in detail. First, the engine starts immediately, runs very strong, smooth and cool—even with the AC on in the hottest Southern California weather! Oil pressure is great and all gauges work. It doesn't leak or smoke, and has been serviced regularly. The transmission shifts smoothly and properly—no lurching or hard shifts. The brakes and rotors are relatively new, the rear axles were just replaced (an expensive job that any W123 Mercedes is going to need after 150,000 miles or so), and the rear self-leveling system works great. The ride is smooth and luxurious. Steering is a little loose on center but typical of these wagons—a simple adjustment I've not gotten around to but not really that noticeable. Very nice power steering and super easy to park. Three of the electric windows work fine, the left rear doesn't (probably a switch but I never lower that window anyway). The Sony AM/FM/CD is iPod ready and sounds great and the electric antenna works fine. This car is equipped with cruise control but the module went out so it is unplugged. An easy fix to plug in a good used one from a wrecking yard. The big, sliding sunroof is manual and works fine. The rear interior light in the cargo area is missing, another cheap fix with a used part. The body is the worst part of the car. While it is very straight and solid for the most part, there is damage to the right side, notable the lower doors where the previous owner side-swiped a metal pole in her parking garage. You can see this in the photos of the right side. There is also a little bit of rust down in the lower left quarter panel and the bottom of the driver door corner, also photographed closely for you to see. The paint is losing its clearcoat in places and the car requires the mentioned body work and repaint...and therefore the price reflects this work needed. I drove it this way and it doesn't bother me but you might want a pristine car, and investing maybe $1500-$2000 in bodywork and paint will result in a car worth closer to $10,000, a very good investment which I would do if I had the extra dough. There is a factory roof rack and I made some transverse rails for carrying camping supplies up there, which you can remove or leave in place. The tires are very good and mounted on factory "Bundt" allow wheels. The windows are tinted all 'round which not only looks great in contrast with the silver body, but lowers the interior temperature in summer by quite a bit! The interior is very nice in navy blue. The seats are excellent, with only the side bolster of the driver's seat showing a small wear patch. The headliner is excellent as are the sun visors. A set of fitted factory floor mats are in place. The woodwork is shiny and in very good condition, especially for a west coast car. The dash top has a few cracks (see photo) and a dash cover protects it from further cracking. And a big plus is that the car is equipped with the very desirable third row seating as shown. This is a very reliable, comfortable car, and I'd not hesitate to drive it anywhere. I just did a 1500-mile road trip with it, and it returned an average of 25.9 MPG on diesel fuel (it is not converted for veggie and it doesn't need to be). In fact, I put the rear seats down and slept in the back on my camping trip, using a sleeping back and was very comfortable! A very versatile car! I've described the good with the bad to the best of my knowledge. You're free to come check the car out in person or have someone local come do it for you. Please feel free to email me with any questions. Now enjoy the plethora of pictures which hopefully will give you a very good "feel" for the car.