280E

Very practical and reliable classic

I wanted to 'upgrade' my classic car, while still having a vehicle that would soon be Historic and ULEZ compliant. My Volvo Amazon was no longer providing the needed confort, and all the reviews were saying that the W123 provided brilliant levels of smoothness for a 1970s car. A 280E presented itself via Ebay. The price was good but there were things wrong with it that I later learnt were expensive to fix, such as the central locking and 3 corroded window bases.

But despite the expense, I am very happy that I made the transition to W123s. The ride is supurb, the size of the boot is really useful, and the M110 just purs along, albeit a bit noisily at speed, even with the really excellent noise insulation that the MB engineers designed into the car.

Don't get a 280E if you are always worrying about the cost of petrol, because it's thirsty. In reality you probably won't do many thousands of miles, so put fuel costs out of your mind and enjoy the wonderful engineering and the quality of the interior.

I have no qualms about taking my car on cross-country trips, abroad, or to use it in deepest winter. It's supremely un-complaining as a car, and just does what you want. I love the way the automatic box changes up at different speeds, according to how urgent the car thinks your driving is. I also love the turning circle, the visibility and how you can see all 4 corners of the car for stress-free parking.

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