he's right on about the C-Class.

Though the 123 bodies carry the E insignia at the boot.. it was not really considered the E-class of MBs at that time. The monicker E-class only came in the body 124. E stood for Injected (in german of course) in the 123 body. In the 124 body.. it stood for the class code actually....

Tips?

Get a fresh 123 as possible. If that cant be had due to budget constraints... get a fresh body, and interior... the engine can be worked at. If possible.. stay away from A/T.. why?..they are expensive to fix if it fails on you... my A/T failed me. and it costed me 45K to get it fixed.... and the M/Ts are more fun to drive... except in traffic.. .hihihi.....