MB 123 enthusiast...

[v22]

hello! i wish to own a MB 123 someday... anyone care to share comments on this car? what are things to watch out for?? for practicality, which would be better - 200G, 200D or 240D??

TIA

[HBOY]

halu.. practicality?.. stay away from the 200G models.. malakas sa gaso.. underpowered kasi..

as for the 200D or 240D.. very economical cars.. theveed (a poster here) has a 200D and he says he gets about 10KM/L ata....

though these models (200D and 240D) are not built for high speed runs.. they are great city drivers... a little change in driving habit is needed.. if you crave for speed, then these models are not for you.

as for the 123s, well.. they are the last of the chrome MBs.. classified as a classic just recently by MB Germany.

Things to look out for? Rust on the wheel well/arches, rusts near the firewall around the battery tray, rust sa may trunk area.. if you can get a 123 without a problem in these places, you are ok...

for the interior, might as well get a unit that has a good to great interior (complete workign lights etc).. the small things (that we dismiss as, "madali lang kunin yan") are the ones that might haunt you later on...

A/T vs M/T for the models you mentioned 200D and 240D.. get a manual tranny... these cars only put out around 55HP so having these slugs on an auto tranny would definitely tax you on speed and acceleration...

for me.. i'd stay away from an A/T tranny (quite expensive to fix) and if it hasnt been serviced or broken yet.. IT WILL....

just my two cents po.

[v22]

thanks for the comments HBOY! i really hope to get one someday!

another question.. how come the 200D engines seem to be a lot nosier than the 240D and the 300D...

also what are wheel wells??? sorry for the dumb question.... ;)

[me_jake13]

hello v22.. i own a 1977 280c coupe,thats a 123 model.. what can i say about the 123 models? well maganda talaga and mga 123 models, lalo na ang 280c ko ganda pa rin ang takbo.. never pa ko nasisiraan sa daan ng car na un..

i used to drive a m/t 240d..tama si HBOY medyo mabagal nga talaga pero very economical nga..

[kimpOy]

tama ka hboy, matakaw sa gas ang 200G
naka park na nga lang yung 200G ni erpats eh.

[v22]

meron nakapagsabi sakin na dalawang klase ang 200G... yung isa daw e parang twincam ang cylinderhead.... how true is this?? better performance din daw.....

[theveed]

mas maingay talaga 200D, 4 cyl lang kasi... it's really a slow but reliable car, I love mine sa city, dread it sa highway or really long uphill climbs (like sa may Ultra) hehe... di naman sa di kaya, but syempre, 50+bhp on a 4K lbs car isn't a lot of ummphh..

Straightaway or city driving, 100kph is not a problem, stable sya and for a 20+ year old sedan, it's really comfy and stable.

10K/li average ko, but kung bago ang mga filters and di traffic (like let's say during holiday weekends), i can get 14k/li easy.

[HBOY]

Originally posted by v22
meron nakapagsabi sakin na dalawang klase ang 200G... yung isa daw e parang twincam ang cylinderhead.... how true is this?? better performance din daw.....

you might be referring to the pre 80s w123 with teh M115 carb engine... afterwhich a different engine (M102) was used.. but still a carb....

[OTEP]

Bakit wala sa choices mo ang 300D? Yun ang top of the line diesel ng W123 series. 5 cylinder siya with 88 bhp (normally aspirated) or 115 bhp (turbo diesel). hehehehe.

[HBOY]

otep... practicality eh... kung economy.. medyo sablay yung 300D sa konsumo... but yes.. very quite reliable and dependable engine ang OM617 (3.0L diesel) ng MB


as for the difference in 200G engines.. yes... the m102 is quite a better engine than the M115 2.0L carb.. then you also get the M102 Fuel injectedin the 230E


kimpoy.. wala kayong balak gamitin??.. ano plano nyo sa mB nyo???

[v22]

hello, after neglecting my hearts desire.. here i am again and about to look at an 83 model w123 200d...

care to give me any inputs on things to check/look out for?? Owner said it had been overhauled 4 years ago, needs a minor body repair on the front apron and has a dent on the bumper.... asking is 75k

tia!

[OTEP]

With a car that age, expect everything to have problems. hehehe. Bonus na lang kung maayos pa.

The last 300D I checked ['83 model ata] had a pretty straight body and interior. But meron nang leak sa floor (prolly just rust through), some tranny slipping at high speeds, and other minor annoyances. Owner promised to fix floor leak and throw in an extra set of euro bumpers. Asking was Php 135k. Sayang we were unable to get it. When we broke off the deal, he sold it for Php 150k. hehehe.

If you plan to restore, just buy a junker. W123's are pretty easy to restore. Medyo magastos nga lang.

[v22]

otep; what do you think should be the price for this??

tia!

[OTEP]

I've yet to see the unit but the price you quoted is the running average for 200D's. Manual or matic? Unit on the pic seems like the more desirable Euro model (not the U.S. model with ugly bumpers and rewired lights). Other features like sunroof, power windows, rear headrests?

Mine still has the OEM first aid kit. hehehe.

[v22]

have yet to determine.. most proly its a manual.. assuming there are only minor body repair involved, i wouldnt want to by something that would need major body repair asap, and it has no power windows etc.. just the standard P/S and a/c.. is this a good buy??

also assuming the engine is in good cond..

[OTEP]

Not having power windows is ok. My 300D is M/T with manual windows, no sunroof, no front armrest, no rear headrests, no rear seatbelts. Though it is powersteering and the power locks are now electric (not vacum) in the interest of reliability and to make it easier to interface with the aftermarket anti-theft system.

For me the price is ok. Just factor in how much you need in restoration. Is the a/c OEM or converted already. Mine's a Sanden system for easier maintenance. Though the blower is kinda weak already (very old blower).

[theveed]

My sister in law's husband bit the bullet and bought a W123 to play with as well...

Halos lahat pare-parehas ang problems if not extremely well maintained by the previous owner... Rust spots will creep up to you, especially near the firewall, flooring and trunk...

To be honest, it's very costly to maintain such an old car, but it comes with the territory of owning one. The cost, of course, depends on your financial capacity to pay hehe, the deeper your wallet, the more negligible the cost is.

Other frequently replaced parts (due to age) will include bushings, engine mounts, steering column bushings, shocks, flexdisc, pcv valves, tappet adjustment (for diesels), antenna, upholstery (esp driver's side), etc...

Again, I strongly believe that rust is the biggest obstacle with cars 85 and older... If you can get a unit that is almost rust free (not from the outside, but from the inside), then the mechanical repairs are very reasonable in cost since they do last quite a long time and the parts are quite abundant.

Basta NEVER assume na "madali lang irepair yan" if you see any defects sa car that can't be fixed by mere part replacement. Coz it's not madali nor cheap hehe.

Kung umangat ang side trims na chrome, you need to take the whole thing out and buy 5 pairs of thimble shaped clips that cost 30 bucks a piece (i think), so that's 300 bucks already just for some plastic clips.

Vacuum locks may be cool, but they are A PAIN to trace if there's a leak since it affects the whole vacuum system of the car.

If I have the dough, I'd get another one (but good one this time) hehe.

[v22]

thanks for the inputs! So rust is what i should be wary off...

theveed; you mentioned a lot of bushings. are the bushings for the w123 affordable?? or do they cost a lot compared to jap sedans?? is it true, i heard from my uncle that parts for a honda is more costly than parts for the w123??

otep; not yet sure about the a/c.. but i would'nt mind conversions... had my fair share of conversion experiences, you just have to know how to hide the ugly parts from plain sight btw, malamig pa ba kahit naka sanden?? i think even a surplus denso compressor from a pajero might be ok.. also these newer compressors would help relieving the engine since the orig compressor is way heavier to operate.. me thinks

haaay.. dont know what it is about these benz's... matagal ko na siya pinagpapantsyahan

[theveed]

bushings are cheap if i remember correctly... as for the honda comparison, i sincerely doubt that unless you're comparing it to some electronic components of a modern car.

Just to give you an idea... an average balljoint for jap sedans go for 300 bucks replacement 600 bucks OEM, W123, 800+ each and you need a big press thing to get it to fit right...

one monotube bilstein oem shock for W123 costs almost 3K... which isn't that bad coz it's gas tube.

mahina talaga blower ng lumang benz, maybe there's a way to change the blower to a stronger one... dunno... as long as the brackets are the same, I don't think it'll be an issue what compressor to use.

[v22]

i see... thank god there's ZEE and CRUVEN btw, i heard madugo ang rubber mouldings.. a set will st you back 10k??

with regards to the blower.. i guess a change of the whole evaporator is in order... remeber the one's used by old school cars, yung mga lata pa yung housing, there's a plastic unit that can be bought, ducting hoses na lang katapat i replaced my gen1 pajero with this.. am quite satified naman .