1982 Mercedes W123 300D - Now mine!

[tazmaan]

Dear All,

I have bought a 1982 Merc W123 300D from a fellow BHPian from Banglore.

It has done approx 2.5 lac kms with brand new tires and almost everything stock.

I have driven it back to Mumbai approx 1000 kms non stop and the car managed it without any fuss. (It has passed the endurance test)

I intend to keep the car as clean and stock as possible and will soon post my initial experience and about the drive from Banglore to Mumbai.

I have attached the pics enjoy! (Pics taken by the previous owner).

[nandishpal]

congrats tazmaan!
thats a great car there.this car was located very close to my house.i had also spoken to this owner regarding the car.
anyways,please give us the detail report of the deal & the drive back to mumbai.

[wanderernomad]

What price? Also your detailed experience while driving it back. Will it have nay issues with the pollution norms and the PUC? what about the drive for taking all old generation vehicles off road?

[beejay]

The drive from Bangalore to Mumbai must make for an interesting read.

How much did you pick up the car for? Please PM if you don't intend to post here.

[D.V.R]

She look SWEET.All the best mate in keeping her up.

[Jaggu]

Car looks great do post some more pictures and details about your experience so far. Congratz!

[harit]

Lovely Merc, good condition. But a small querry, the interior appears to be blue, the exterior green. Somehow that does not match, though both interior and exterior look good when seen separately. Has there been a repaint?
BTW, I had heard that one could always order a Benz with trim colours and outside colour as per chart available in ANY combination. If the combination was odd, not easily sellable, then they took almost full advance at time of order because they would not be able to pass on to someone else easily if the transaction was not completed due to any reason.

Nice buy.
Cheers harit

[Lalvaz]

Looks good indeed, 27 years old and still looking lovely. And please do post a detailed report of the drive from Bangalore to Bombay.

Congratulations on your new car. Wish you many miles of driving pleasure.

[KRRaj]

Car looks great and in real good condition. A merc is a merc that at 2.5 lac kms that she still is able to make Bangalore to Mumbai without a sweat.

Please share your drive experiences on this trip and the price you paid if it is fine with you sharing it here.

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

What price? Also your detailed experience while driving it back. Will it have nay issues with the pollution norms and the PUC? what about the drive for taking all old generation vehicles off road?

I would not like to quote the price here as I have bought it from a fellow member. I just got the emission cleared before leaving banglore and the car cleared it easily. As a matter of fact it can put a lot of tata cars to shame when it comes to smoke.

Originally Posted by harit

Lovely Merc, good condition. But a small querry, the interior appears to be blue, the exterior green. Somehow that does not match, though both interior and exterior look good when seen separately. Has there been a repaint?
BTW, I had heard that one could always order a Benz with trim colours and outside colour as per chart available in ANY combination. If the combination was odd, not easily sellable, then they took almost full advance at time of order because they would not be able to pass on to someone else easily if the transaction was not completed due to any reason.

Nice buy.
Cheers harit

Thank you, the interiors are original and the exterior seems to be repainted to the same color but metallic. I am not sure about the repainting but I am guessing so because the under part of the hood and the engine bay is non metallic. The paint jobs seems to be very well done, you wont find a bad area even near door hinges.

Originally Posted by KRRaj

Car looks great and in real good condition. A merc is a merc that at 2.5 lac kms that she still is able to make Bangalore to Mumbai without a sweat.

Please share your drive experiences on this trip and the price you paid if it is fine with you sharing it here.

I knew the entire road from Banglore to Mumbai as I had driven in may 2009. Initially I was very skeptical about the car making it to Mumbai and was prepared to load the car on a truck to Mumbai from anywhere . But the car held well and got better and better. We left from Banglore at 5:00 am and reached Mumbai at 12:30 am next day. The patch from Banglore to Hubli was a pain and the car kept grounding with 3 people on board and very little luggage. But once we crossed Hubli there was no turning back. The car would cruse effortless around 100 kmph with out any fuss. Initially the engine felt little rough and was noisy but as we drove on it kept on becoming smoother and opened up pretty well. In around 20 hrs of journey we took 4 breaks of 30 mins each and I drove almost the entire way except 40kms.

Average Milage : 14 kmpl
Top Speed : 130 kms (Approx)

Pros:
1. Huge car with loads of space and comfort
2. Splendid straight line performance a true cruiser
3. Good mileage
4. Feels very safe
5. Unique factor

Cons:
1. Sluggish
2. Low ground clearance
3. Currently has a heating problem when AC is switched on
4. Poor cornering

In all a total of 980kms in 20 hrs with 4 breaks and no back pain

[scooby05]

Our Dr. Dholakia had a '82 300D in the same colour but with brown interiors. He used her daily for 10 years in self drive and when it was sold had clocked 1.50 lac kms.
Blue interior with a green body was sure not concievable, body colour has surely been changed, what the registration book show as the colour?

[jkdas]

The car looks far better than some cars that are sold now even

Kudos to past owner; lucky you

Could only view 3 pix; same for everyone?

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by tazmaan

I am not sure about the repainting but I am guessing so because the under part of the hood and the engine bay is non metallic.

It is the standard practice followed by manufacturers to save cost by painting the undersides in non metallic but similar colors shades.

[Spitfire]

I kept staring at the second picture for like a minute, until my co-worker tapped me on the shoulder and said "Lunch?".

Its a beauty. Congrats.

[GTO]

Your *new* 123 is a beauty! Superbly maintained. Congrats! Just the drive from bangalore to mumbai must have built your confidence in the car. The interiors just don't look like that of a 27 year old car. These Mercs, I tell ya! She's clean on the outside too. OEM wheel caps et al. The beauty of a W123 has to be its mechanical simplicity and robustness. Am sure that the 300D will serve you well for a long time to come.

I came this close to buying an 80's V8 Mercedes in recent time. Well, some other time I guess.