1980 w123 230E

[tim4h92]

A friend's friend is selling me his, says the only issues are the driver's side flooring and a/c cleaning. What things should I look out for in this model, and how about fuel consumption? Thanks in advance

[ronw123w124]

A friend's friend is selling me his, says the only issues are the driver's side flooring and a/c cleaning. What things should I look out for in this model, and how about fuel consumption? Thanks in advance

I'd say watch out for rust as this is a common problem on a w123 body, common areas that rust includes the area below the battery tray, the flooring, the area below the wiper drainage, the running boards also take extra caution on the door sills, another area that's prone to rusting is the tail light panel.

My w123 had undergone a major body repair in 2005 and it seems that rust are starting to appear again, I'm having mine scheduled for another round of body repairs but this time it isn't as severe as it was in 2005, its just annoying to see rust spots again.

As for the fuel consumption I can't say much about the 230E, but my 200 (M102) before averaged around 4.5-5.5km/liter in the city, that's why I opted not to fix that engine when it was due for overhaul, I swapped it for a 300D engine instead and an automatic transmission along with it, now, I'm getting around 8.5km/liter.

As for the A/C, what type of compressor does it have? If it still has the York piston type compressor then better convert it to a Sanden or Denso compressor as the York is known to strain the engine. Two things that really helped in improving my A/C's cooling performance is the installation of a 16 inch auxillary fan from a w124 in place of the stock 12 inch unit and the replacement of the condenser to an aluminum unit. Bear in mind that the A/C of a w123 can never compete with the newer cars out there, it cools sufficiently on a normal day but is practically ineffective during noon time in the summer.

[tim4h92]

I'd say watch out for rust as this is a common problem on a w123 body, common areas that rust includes the area below the battery tray, the flooring, the area below the wiper drainage, the running boards also take extra caution on the door sills, another area that's prone to rusting is the tail light panel.

My w123 had undergone a major body repair in 2005 and it seems that rust are starting to appear again, I'm having mine scheduled for another round of body repairs but this time it isn't as severe as it was in 2005, its just annoying to see rust spots again.

As for the fuel consumption I can't say much about the 230E, but my 200 (M102) before averaged around 4.5-5.5km/liter in the city, that's why I opted not to fix that engine when it was due for overhaul, I swapped it for a 300D engine instead and an automatic transmission along with it, now, I'm getting around 8.5km/liter.

As for the A/C, what type of compressor does it have? If it still has the York piston type compressor then better convert it to a Sanden or Denso compressor as the York is known to strain the engine. Two things that really helped in improving my A/C's cooling performance is the installation of a 16 inch auxillary fan from a w124 in place of the stock 12 inch unit and the replacement of the condenser to an aluminum unit. Bear in mind that the A/C of a w123 can never compete with the newer cars out there, it cools sufficiently on a normal day but is practically ineffective during noon time in the summer.

Thanks for the informative inputs. Wow 5.5? And that's for the 200, the 230 has a bigger engine. I have yet to check on the car this weekend, though now I'm leaning more on the diesel 123s,or 124s.


Thanks again!

[Benzmizer]

Thanks for the informative inputs. Wow 5.5? And that's for the 200, the 230 has a bigger engine. I have yet to check on the car this weekend, though now I'm leaning more on the diesel 123s,or 124s.

Ron is correct on common areas to check... particularly the rusted areas. i would also suggest you rather go for a W123 280e (wherein the fuel consumption is comparable to that of a 230e) or better yet, go for a diesel.

[tim4h92]

Ron is correct on common areas to check... particularly the rusted areas. i would also suggest you rather go for a W123 280e (wherein the fuel consumption is comparable to that of a 230e) or better yet, go for a diesel.

Thanks Bob. How about the diesel 124s? Hopefully these are less rust-prone than the 123s Is there a siginificant difference in acquisition costs between a diesel 123 and a diesel 124?

[Benzmizer]

Thanks Bob. How about the diesel 124s? Hopefully these are less rust-prone than the 123s Is there a significant difference in acquisition costs between a diesel 123 and a diesel 124?

You're welcome.

Oh yes, decent 123 sedan diesels range from 120-170k while the price of a decent 124 sedan diesel would be 280k-350k.