I finally joined the W123 club - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Rick Miley · #1 04-22-2003, 09:35 AM

My "new" 1980 240D just arrived last night. My partner drove it nearly non-stop from Brooklyn, NY to Tampa, FL. Here are the partinent details:

Cabernet over Palomino
4 speed manual
Working air conditioner with manual controls
Manual crank windows
No sunroof
New Michelin front tires, 75% tread Michelin back tires
Odometer broke at 76K miles, previous owner estimates an additional 40K miles for a total of 116,000
Paint job 4 years old
Working Kenwood stereo with cassette player
A trunk full of parts I haven't even looked at yet

Price $500.00

Yippee!!

Peyton300TD · #2 04-22-2003, 10:04 AM

Welcome. you love it now, it will just grow on you more and more. everyday you will notice something esle you really love about it.

it is beautiful. that was a great color for 123's. i can't believe the price!

it seems to have upgraded headrests. if i remember correctly, older 123's have a concave dip in the headrest whereas the newer ones 83 and newer have your style.

eric

#3 04-22-2003, 10:29 AM

Rick

I was hoping to see a post that my trusted 240D made the distance. I hope the worst part of Brad's trip was finding his way out of Brooklyn. I had the vehicle for over 10 years and am sure you will have it at least that long too!

mike

Rick Miley · #4 04-22-2003, 10:52 AM

Hey Mike, I'm glad you saw this. Yes, NYC was definitely the worst part of the trip. He left at 1:00 AM and got lost going through Manahttan looking for the Lincoln (?) tunnel. When Mapquest gives directions with mileages but the odometer doesn't work, things get kinda interesting. He said if had to do it in the daytime with traffic that he would have turned around and gone back.

The car developed a clacking in the rear about 1/2 way through the trip, which I am thinking is a CV joint. Haven't had time to look at it yet. I just drove it for 5 minutes this morning and it seems really strong. Gotta get the Florida paperwork done and investigate the driveline noise before I can drive it to work.

Hey Warden, hows that $65 CarQuest halfshaft working out? I may need one of those.

edge · #5 04-22-2003, 10:54 AM

Nice car, nice price AND it made it all the way to Tampa! Wow!

#6 04-22-2003, 11:40 AM

Now THAT's the way to buy a 123. Manual everything!

Great car!

BTW, I'll give you $550 for it. Nothing like 10% immediate profit!

Enjoy,

leathermang · #7 04-22-2003, 12:32 PM

Larry, AND NO SUNROOF !! a spitting image of mine...
However, you will have to get in line for when he sells it ....

jhal · #8 04-22-2003, 12:57 PM

Hey Rick, congrats on the car. Maybe we could get together some time. I would love to see both your cars in person.

#9 04-22-2003, 02:14 PM

leathermang,

I was first in line with my post before yours!

My first 240D was a '77 that I bought new. It had NO options. It had no sunroof, no alloy wheels. I only got 280,000 miles out of it though. I used to say that if I had known how long it was going to last, I would've taken better care of it.

To me the sunroof on most cars are a down side. On an MB, however, at least for me, they have been trouble free and leak free. My '84 Euro car has a manual sunroof.

Have a great day,

Rick Miley · #10 04-22-2003, 02:30 PM

It's so nice to see you guys fighting over my car.

But I have to say that leathermang and I had corresponded prior to the purchase and he is first in line. Sorry Larry, you'll just have to put Ol' Silver back on the road.

I like the glass roof in my E300, but I very rarely open it fully - I just open the shade. So if the choice is between metal sunroof and solid roof, I'd rather have the solid roof. No drain tubes to clog up.

leathermang · #11 04-22-2003, 03:13 PM

Larry, it was more than that... I pointed Rick to this car.. although it was in a branstorming session ... he really wanted a faster car... and I wanted this one.. so I suggested his partner drive it down to there.. .and I drive this beautiful Teal Coupe here in Austin over there... and drive the 240 back.... but it worked out that he would 'settle' for a manual 240 afterall.... but that is how I got first in line if he sells it.... but I will put you first in line if I sell my present car... and his if I wind up with it... OK ?

The Warden · #12 04-22-2003, 04:33 PM

Congrats on the car!! Looks like a beauty...how'd you get it so cheap?

Quote:

Originally posted by Rick Miley
Hey Warden, hows that $65 CarQuest halfshaft working out? I may need one of those.

The halfshafts (I replaced both of them so that I wouldn't need to do the job again in 6 months) have been working perfectly. In fact, between that and the new upper shock mount, the rear end of my car's in great shape. I just wish I could say the same thing about the front end... *sigh*

If I remember right, I've got a lifetime warranty on 'em as well...I just need to make sure I don't lose the recepit.

Rick Miley · #13 04-22-2003, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by The Warden
...how'd you get it so cheap?

Well, I only said the good stuff in the post this morning. The car is not without its "issues." Mostly, the previous owner (mickeydo) was concerned about blue smoke at startup. I'm almost afraid to admit publicly, though, that it did not smoke at all when I started it this morning. Maybe it just needed some exercise and a warmer climate.

There are some other things for me to take care of, like a new driver's seat, but it won't take much to make a great daily driver.

#14 04-22-2003, 05:38 PM

It's okay, if I can get through putting ol' Silver back on the road with it's original engine, I plan on rebuilding the one that's in it now and make a manual transmission 240D out of my daughters 300D. Maybe I can actually work on these projects this year.

Have a great day,

#15 05-12-2003, 12:29 PM

Larry, you need to get that 84 Euro back on the road!! Then we can park 'em side by side at the next TX meet.