Merc 230e w123 ?

[wrighty]

well unfortuantly the head gasket has gone on the triumph and with a few little problems its going of the road

so as i just go myself a new job and we be needing a car i will be looking for a new car, i went and saw a merc 230e w123 . Was just wondering if anyone has owned one or knows much about them, where they go wrong , how reliable

heres a pic

if anyone can shed some advice or knowledge it would be thankful

[kevinw]

Not owned one, but driven many as hire cars, mostly in Germany over very long distances and at unrestricted autobahn speed. Very comfortable, extremely well built and by virtue of the fact that for many years, these were the default choice for a taxi in Germany (although with a diesel motor of course), I think you can conclude that they are very reliable. Also built in the era when Mercedes built to a quality standard, rather than to a price.

Kevin

[Alan Chatterton]

and, if you use someone like Europart or Swedish and German, they are peanuts to fix.

I used to have a 420SEL (huuuuuuuuuuuge barge, but great fun!) that I bought for about £600.

It was cheaper to buy bits for than for Sam's Mini........

Go for it, then use the money you save to replace the head gasket on the PI!

[sorbs]

Buy buy buy! They are superb cars. I often find myself looking for them on ebay. The diesel ones should run on chip oil.

Watch out for rust (the youngest one is now 26 years old), play in the steering can be caused by a worn steering box which is a bit pricey but if you get a decent one it should last forever.

Goes to search for W123s on ebay..............

[Mike Stevens]

Didn't one of these have some monstrous V8 engine? I seem to remember one of the Practical Classics writers putting a big engine into one.

If you have a hankling for one, you have to go for it. If you don't, you'll always think "I wonder"... Been there, didn't do it and got the T-shirt!

Cheers,
Mike.

[sorbs]

I think the 2.8 litre straight six was as much as the factory gave you but installation of the Merc 5.0 / 5.6 V8 engine is fairly common amongst enthusiasts.............

[Mike Stevens]

Cor. What was that about a shiny shovel?

Cheers,
Mike.