Mercedes W123 250

Mercedes-Benz W123 - the greatest (and most reliable) car on the planet!

I was 19yo in 1983 and went on my first holiday to Tenerife. I was surprised to see that nearly every taxi driver was driving a Mercedes-Benz W123.........I was used to my local mini cab firm in east London having Cortina Mark 3's.

For the first time in my life I was in love - not with the bird that I took on holiday - but by these gorgeous white Mercs flying all over the place. I couldn't believe the comfort, the build quality, the engine roar......this wasn't a car, this was simply the best thing that I'd ever seen. I didn't bother with a hire car - we went everywhere in a taxi.

Over the next 26 years, I'd often dream of having one. Other Mercs came and went - W124's, W210's.......and a raft of awful company cars I was forced to drive such as Ford Focus's and Peugeot 406's. Oh and a Vecta........Jesus Christ, how could I ever forget the Vauxhall (albeit I'd like to).

So why didn't I buy a W123? It wasn't through a lack of looking/trying! However, it had to be a white 4 door saloon, immaculate condition AND original. In August 2009, I found her.........and once again, I was in love. She's a petrol 250 - a 6 cyclinder engine that was designed primarily to go into the long wheelbase W123 limo's.

So why buy a W123? Let's look at some pro's and con's:

Economy - not good - 25/27mpg.............but who cares - you are driving a car 30 years old so don't expect it to be eco (or wallet) friendly regarding fuel.

Performance - don't buy one if you want to rob a bank. However, if you don't get sticky knickers about how fast a car gets from 0-60, but are willing to gently build up to 70-80mph then cruise/purr along, then this is your car. When you drive a W123, you don't want to eat up the road fast anyway - the quicker that you get to your destination, the less time you will spend driving her.

Reliability: If I said 100%, I'd be understating the reliability of this classic series of Mercs. All components of this Merc series were tested to the point of destruction from 1973 until their eventual release in 1976 - no wonder there was an 18 month waiting list! There are some excellent vids on YouTube showing the W123 production and rigorous testing. The W124 series replaced the W123's in 1985, and German Taxi Drivers were so disgusted with the poor build quality of the initial W124's that hundreds actually drove in convoy past the Mercedes-Benz HQ in Stuttgart to register their dissatisfaction.

Having owned earlier and later W124 models, there is simply no comparison between the hand built W123 and the 'computer produced' W124's. There is no doubt in my mind that the W123 Series was the last ever Merc to be produced by Master Craftsmen rather than accountants.

Running costs: I've given her 2 services in 8,000 miles for the staggering cost of about £30. Oil, new set of plugs, water.........and she just goes, and goes, and goes. Compare this with a grand I had to spend sorting out a computer diagnostic problem on a Mercedes W210 and I really have to question the 'improvements' in modern vehicles.

Price: if you spend anything less than a grand, then be prepared spending at least the same amount again getting your W123 up to a decent, roadworthy standard. For £2.5K - £5K you should get one with relatively low mileage for it's age with a full service history. It should also be in fair-good condition. I've seen some recently with ultra low mileage for between £8K-£10K.......make no mistake, these cars ARE an investment as well as being a practical, classic for everyday use.

Mark Cosovich of Swansea is our World renowned W123 guru that gets them up to re-comission standard via his local MB dealership - in other words, you can get a W123 sold 'as new' via Mark for £15K to £20K. That's beyond my price range for what is in effect my spare 'fun car' but if I was buying just one car, then rather than buy some boring piece of uncreative tin that looks like its been popped out of a jelly mould via a new car dealership, then I'd definately consider a 'new' W123. Some people may prefer to buy a computer on wheels; I much prefer a solid, reliable mechanical masterpiece of engineering.

What to look for: Wheel arches do rot and rust can be found underneath. Generally, W123's still running have been well looked after so this may have been cured in the past. A degree of steering 'wander' is normal in a W123 - often this can be cured by tightening the steering box rather than buying a replacement box; although the latter is obviously the preferred long term solution. Mechanical parts are still readily available and cheap as chips - however brand new 'trim' is getting difficult to source.

So getting back to my little 'babe' - or Siegfried as she's called. She came off the production line in Stuttgart in 1978 and was shipped to her owner in Dubai in 1979. The guy was 59yo and brought this back into the UK in 1981 - I have the Customs VAT receipt - it cost him £1,508 in tax alone - quite a few bob for what was his 'retirement present'! Hence she's now on a 'W' plate but this hides her true pedigree - as if girls ever lie about their age. Everything on her is original - the Becker push button radio/cassette still works a treat and her first aid kit is still in its original wrapping. To buy one of these new via a UK Mercedes Dealership, you were looking at around £12K.........as a comparison, the average UK house price at the time was around £19K.

Be prepared for one thing - you WILL turn heads in these cars and whilst waiting for the Missis, you will get questioned in Tesco's car park by blokes that appreciate such a gorgeous piece of automotive machinery.

W123's are SHEER CLASS.............and TRUE CLASS is TIMELESS!

I hope that this review has been useful. If I can be of any further help regarding W123's, don't hesitate to contact me at BarryAllenMagic@aol.com

SUMMER UPDATE 2011

In August (2011) we went to Puerto De La Cruz in Tenerife. Just really pleased to report back that there are STILL quite a number of immaculate W123's in use as taxis! Doubt it? Check out Google Earth and look at the Taxi Rank in Calle Dr. Ingram (or email me for pics).

These are the self-same little darlings that I fell in love with 28 years ago. I can't say that the Missis was that pleased having to wait in Taxi ranks until they came to the front of the queue - but I convinced her that it was worth it. The average mileage was 1.2 Million Kilometers. However, one night we got into a W123 taxi being driven by a bloke in his late 30's who'd inherited the car from his Father when he'd packed up taxi driving. It was a 1982 300D and had covered 1.7 MILLION KILOMETERS - on the same engine and gearbox.

I often read the word 'bombproof' when reading about older cars. The Mercedes W123 Series TRULY IS - without doubt, the finest, most reliable saloon car ever made throughout the 20th Century.

AUTUMN UPDATE 2014

She's gone! In fact, she went twice!!

Yep, she's just gone through another MOT with absolutely no advisories whatsoever; and this week, she went through 128K on the clock. I think that the engine is finally run in; so I can start putting my right foot down a little more?

For the past three years, she's been my only car by the way. I use her daily for work and I'm always out and about at weekends - when I'm not giving her a bit of spit & polish.

She has NEVER, not once, in snow, ice, etc. EVER failed to start, or let me down. That is why I am passionate about these cars - particularly my 250 6 Cylinder lump HJ! ;-)

So what has she set me back in the last 5+ years?

- A new water pump
- A new front wing (original Mercedes panel)
- A new rear wheel arch

I'm not going to include a battery, brake pads and tyres in that list because they are regular replacement bits for any car over a couple of years old.

Just one thing to add - and I've never had this with any car previously. We buy a car and get that buzz factor for a few weeks thereafter. You know that feeling guys. We dread getting hit by someone. We keep her clean and tidy. Then, after a couple of months, it just becomes what it is - 'a car'. The difference here is that each and every day that I drive her; every single time that I look at her, I feel proud that she's mine. I adore every single minute behind the wheel driving her. Utter madness no doubt. Maybe. But that's still the way I feel about my Mercedes W123 over 5 years down the line.

And looking at the financial side of things. What I do know is that if I put her up for sale today, I would EASILY get back every single penny that I initially bought her for. I've never been able to say that about any other car I've purchased - particularly new ones.

But that's irrelevant really. She's going nowhere!

I fully realise that these cars may not be to everyone's liking. But I stand by my original words 100%. The W123 Series of Mercedes-Benz were not only Stuttgart's finest ever hour, but they were, and still are, a true landmark in reliable automotive engineering, and breath-taking longevity.

January 2015 (Update)
A new year - and already costing me dosh!

Yep, checking out a few odds & sods now that the icy weather is upon us, I noticed some damp inside my Distributor Cap. Sourced one (brand new) on ebaY for £20 so grabbed it - the 250 (2525) straight six model was quite rare (particularly in saloons as they were primarily designed for LWB models). It was the original cap that's letting in a little moisture - maybe a small crack, albeit not visible. However, as its 37 years old, I think the old girl has earned a new one. That said, that's all I want to replace this year - I'm not made of money!

Despite my username, I moved to The Midlands three years ago (to keep 'er indoors' happy) and it's certainly colder than the tropical climate down in Essex. General TLC and maintenance is therefore possibly even more important than ever before. To this end, I'm pretty astonished to see so many 4th Emergency Service vans(and others) by the roadside tending to these new jelly-mould diagnostic monstrosities. But am I really surprised? Nope - as rarely do I see anyone in my road with their car bonnets up nurturing their engines for the onslaught of winter. Perception these days appears to be "I just get it serviced once a year". Fair enough - of course, in the interim, leaks in rubber pipes and seals, etc. will never occur......will they! But am I surprised by this apathy? Not really - one only has to visit Halfords on a Saturday to see how many geezers are so devoid of any car mechanics savvy, that they have to get someone to fit their b***** wiper blades!

Renewed the car tax on Saturday. Now the proud owner of a sheet of paper printed off my email from the DVLA confirming that I've got road tax. No more tax discs to proudly display on our windscreens ever again guys. No more fun tearing off those little circles of paper from the perforations - they never did seem to get that design right did they? So welcome to the digital age. What's the excuse now - no longer "tax in post" - it's going to be something along the lines of "reminder in spam folder" I suppose. Call me an old f*** but I WANT to still DISPLAY a tax disc - and if the DVLA offered it for a tenner extra, do you know what - I'd probably go for it for the sake of posterity. I may need to source one from 1978 and display that instead.

Happy New Year to one and all.

January 2015 Update (2)

Further to the no paper tax disc debacle.

As I'm not French, I just needed a tax disc on display.. Without it, the windscreen looked naked. Found a place online that offers retro tax discs. She's now proudly displaying a tax disc that expires July 1980. It just looks so right again! :-)

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