W123 300CD Project but what to do....

[Styler_Colfax]

I took a rarely used way home the other day for some reason and saw a couple W123s out to pasture. A W123 300CD and a W123 Gasser

Well I was out that way again today and I stopped by for a look. Super nice lady. She said her husband brought both cars and their daughter drove the 300CD (1982). Well she stopped driving it....and now "says" her 17 year old grand-daughter might drive it if she wants.

So I asked to look at the car and she said sure. Well 3 of the 4 tires were flat and all were bald. Interior was the lighter tan and had seen much better days. Dash...bad, Wood Trim....bad. I could not get the hood up due to a broken pull cable so motor is a question mark. It's been a little dry around so no water was inside the car. Trunk has some water sitting in passenger side well. One fender had a dent but no rust I could see on the body.

Question 1) Are coupes cool enough to consider buying a "project" ?

Question 2) Are parts hard to find ??

Question 3) What should I offer ??? I don't buy the 17 year old girl driving it BS

I have been looking for a project but is THIS car worth it.

[sixto]

Sounds like you can get a running car for less than it will cost to get that one home.

Sixto
87 300D

[piccolovic]

How is the body, so far? Is the paint buffable? Depending on what you have to pay for it as it is, you could possibly wind up with one of the more desirable and rare models.

[Styler_Colfax]

They helped the car out alot by keeping it on a cement pad. The floors looked solid and the body looked rust free. One fender will need to be replaced but the car is pretty clean on the outside. The interior was trash will that seems most of what will need to be done to the car.

I was looking at a $500.00 cash offer then go from there.

[Yak]

Some coupe glass is specific, the front seats are specific and door/window rubber is pricey. Some door parts are also unique to the coupe.

I would choose words carefully and say "parts may be hard to find at a price you are willing to pay, if they need to be replaced to get the car to a state that you're happy with."

Is the rear glass clear, or delaminating at the base?

Are the door seals pliable and holding the weather out? There'll probably be a gap near the top rear corner of the door glass, that may/may not be significant.

If it's in running condition with more/less sound mechanicals, then it might be worth buying; if you have to repair/replace 4 (or 5) tires, repair mechanicals, repair/replace significant interior, do some body work, etc, then it'll depend on what your threshold for a "project" car is.

[JB3]

coupes are really cool, rare, and are generally more valuable than the sedans, but how tall are you? They have a slightly lower roof line, and personally, I found the coupe version of the 123 slightly cramped when I looked at one, at least compared to the 240 I was driving at the time.

the question then becomes, you have a rarer more expensive car that requires rarer more expensive body parts with a loss of utility and overall usefulness, but IMO much nicer lines and a cooler appearance.

You have to weigh the pros and cons, I ended up not buying that coupe I was looking at and went with a 4 door sedan because of the roof height issue and the two rear doors just making more sense for how I would use the car.

[Styler_Colfax]

Originally Posted by Yak

Some coupe glass is specific, the front seats are specific and door/window rubber is pricey. Some door parts are also unique to the coupe.

I would choose words carefully and say "parts may be hard to find at a price you are willing to pay, if they need to be replaced to get the car to a state that you're happy with."

Is the rear glass clear, or delaminating at the base?

Are the door seals pliable and holding the weather out? There'll probably be a gap near the top rear corner of the door glass, that may/may not be significant.

If it's in running condition with more/less sound mechanicals, then it might be worth buying; if you have to repair/replace 4 (or 5) tires, repair mechanicals, repair/replace significant interior, do some body work, etc, then it'll depend on what your threshold for a "project" car is.

Yes the rear glass does have delamination. I didn't look close enough at the door seals. I am looking for a true project to do a full resto. I am going to check fastlane and ebay and see how prices run.

[Styler_Colfax]

Originally Posted by dropnosky

coupes are really cool, rare, and are generally more valuable than the sedans, but how tall are you? They have a slightly lower roof line, and personally, I found the coupe version of the 123 slightly cramped when I looked at one, at least compared to the 240 I was driving at the time.

the question then becomes, you have a rarer more expensive car that requires rarer more expensive body parts with a loss of utility and overall usefulness, but IMO much nicer lines and a cooler appearance.

You have to weigh the pros and cons, I ended up not buying that coupe I was looking at and went with a 4 door sedan because of the roof height issue and the two rear doors just making more sense for how I would use the car.

I am 5'7" so I think I will fit fine. I wish I could have opened the hood. The lady said they had it running a few weeks before. The rust on the disc looked as it had to moved/stopped in a while.

[ROLLGUY]

I am on my third Coupe, and I enjoy them. I think they are the coolest of the 123's, and quite possibly the most sought after. If you could buy any running 123 (especially if no rust) for $500, that would be a good price. The wrecking yards will maybe give $400 if you bring it to them, so an offer of $500 would be a good deal for the seller.
I recently got a coupe as a "Pick-A-Part save", and it is in great shape.

My brother saw it in the yard the day before it was to be drained (all fluids drained, fuel tank removed, exhaust cut out), and put a deposit on it. The next day it would have been too late. I had to pay about $1,200 but the interior is nearly perfect.

The body is pretty good too, and it even had Euro headlights. There are still enough coupes around for parts, so don't give up hope in finding parts to restore it if you do end up getting it.

[sixto]

Check out this one - http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2440866497.html

It has to be worth $1000 more than something that hasn't seen the road in years and needs an interior.

Although these cars are classics, they're not to the point that restored value exceeds restoration cost.

Sixto
87 300D

[ROLLGUY]

Originally Posted by sixto

Check out this one - http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2440866497.html

It has to be worth $1000 more than something that hasn't seen the road in years and needs an interior.

Although these cars are classics, they're not to the point that restored value exceeds restoration cost.

Sixto
87 300D

If it is cheap enough, you can still get your money's worth, even if it needs work. I sold my red coupe for $3,500 after enjoying it for several years. I probably had about that much money into it, so I would say I owned and enjoyed it for free.

[sixto]

Agreed. I'm splitting the hair between a runner and non-runner simply because I'd prefer to fix up a runner and enjoy it that way. The OP might get more enjoyment out of taking it completely apart and piecing it back together to his standards. A different brand of fun.

Regardless, my point is that CDs aren't Talbot Lagos. You don't jump on the first one you find and worry about missing parts later. You can find complete CDs even if they're parts cars for little more than $500. I don't know the $1400 car from a lemon but it's worth investigating what it would cost over the acquisition price of the neighborhood CD to have everything the $1400 car offers.

Sixto
87 300D

[Styler_Colfax]

Thanks for the craigslist link.

This is one of the main reasons I love this forum. Most people have been there and done that on most everything MB Diesel.

I'm not set on that car just looking for feedback.