Tell me about w series mercs...

[Bioshock]

After the fiasco with the shogun,we're still looking for an estate car,now the 411's gone.
Bizzarely enough the missus has mentioned a w series estate(Touch!)
It's another car I have no idea about.
My mate paul had an incredibly rusty 2.0 litre beige one,and thought it was dire to drive.Still managed to get twice what he paid for it though
Can anyone point me in the right direction as to how much to pay,best engine etc?
Cheers

[DarrenW]

All Mercs are "W"-series, it's the bit after that's important - W123, W115 etc. That's the code they use to identify model ranges internally. How old is it?

[toni]

Mercedes uses the "w" for saloons, "s" for estates, "r" for roadster, "c" for coupe and "a" for cabriolet. The 3 numbers after that are the model ranges as mentioned above.
A w series estate is thus non-existing. My guesses are you mean the 123 series.

[Paul H]

W123 is the Beruit taxi shape, W124 was the replacement (boxy but with leaned back nose), & any Merc estate built after that is a POS

[rmad]

I thought the W in the model code meant 'wagen' meaning car...but of course they were never marketed by code - W124 is a model code, rather than a model name.
The actual model name is an amalgamation of the engine size and body type...a 300TE being, a 3.0 Touring (estate) the E is for injection (Efi) I believe. I'm sure a Merc expert might know more than me though!

ps:
W123:


W124:

[rustingdeathtrap]

Rmads right.
My 280 coupe has a W123 chassis number.

[rustingdeathtrap]

To answer your original question, they're lovely to drive, fairly easy to work on and have cool factor by the truckload.

On the downside they do like a bit of rust. and anything bigger than a 230 will cost a fortune in juice.

[toni]

Well, I am a mechanic at a MB-dealership.
The internal name for the 280CE is c123. Chassisnumber probably begins with wdb123.
The 300TE is either s123 or s124. The estates have an s internally and are called a t-model. Germans.... pfff
The E in 300TE is for einspritzung. (German for injection)

Edit: found a nice link for the non-believers. www.mbspares.com.au/default.asp?d=17992&p=17935 look halfway down the page for an explanation.

[DarrenW]

They are all here;
seems they all have "W" designations, regardless of body type. with an exception or two

[rustingdeathtrap]

toni said:

Well, I am a mechanic at a MB-dealership.

So am I

However i don't work on anything smaller than a vito so i don't really have a clue when it comes to cars.

[toni]

www.mbspares.com said:

Following this VIN code is the Type code (three numbers) doing the same job as before. Types of this period include the W/S/C/A124, W/Cl26, W201, through to the latest crop. (Note: in this era, instead of using just W for chassis Type codes, S was used for wagons, C for coupes and A for cabriolets. Thus, a Cl26 is a Series 126 coupe while a W126 is a Series 126 saloon, etc.)

[rustingdeathtrap]

I paid £450 for my coupe with tax and test.
I wouldnt pay more than a grand for any 123 unless it was a stunner.

[BenzBoy]

I thought that MB started using anything other than a W only recently (the '90s or something). Or at least if Mercedes did use letters after the W to denote body-type, it's not that well known.
For instance, the W113 Pagoda is a sports car, but I've never heard of it being referred to as anything other than a W113, both by Mercedes and others.
I've also never heard of the W123 estate being called an S123 or W/S123, by Mercedes, the Mercedes Club or the general public. Or a W114 coupe called a C114 or W/C124.
I think I'll keep referring to it as a W123, that way everyone will know what I'm on about, perhaps with the exception of a few in Dutch MB dealerships

Anyway, your question dazmax...
With the W123 estate, engine-wise it all depends on what you're after in a car... The 2.8 is a nice big wafty six-banger, but you're MPG might be a little on the low side. If economy is important, I reckon the 300 5-cyl diesel is great, and a far better choice over the other 4-cylinder diesel engines (i.e.: you don't need a calendar to time it from 0-60!). In a choice between the 4-pot petrol engines, I think a 2.3 injection is probably the best of the bunch - slightly better economy than the carbed ones, and a bit more power too.

[Bioshock]

Hmm see told you I didn't have a clue!
This is the one I mean



I think I'll be looking out for the 2.3 version then.Although the speed of the beast is'nt really a problem.After all,the 411 wasn't exactly an S4 ;DAnd thats why I also ride a supermoto.
What is the going rate for something like the one pictured?
I know the coupes seem to command quite a premium.
Cheers guys.

[rmad]

In a recent not-buying spree of W123 estates I found this guide invaluable:
mercedes-w123.net/buyers_guide.htm

[skinny]

I paid £750 for mine.

I saw a really shonky W123 200T on a Volkzone (or was it VZI) for £950+ with no MOT or Tax.

[Paul H]

Sounds like that one does have (scene) tax

[Lankytim]

wasnt there a 2 litre petrol available that was really really R E A L L Y slow?

How bad were they? Fpr an old motor theres still loads about, every corner of a Birmingham street has an old A reg saloon parked on it!

[mercmad]

This a W 123 wagon with a full ///AMG conversion.

[BenzBoy]

lankytim said:

wasnt there a 2 litre petrol available that was really really R E A L L Y slow?

It's not all that slow - it's the same engine as in my W115, and although it's no dragster it doesn't do too badly. It'll do over a tonne, it's just the 0-60 time that's a little... errr... stately, although I'd say it was around the 14 - 15 sec mark.
Now the 2.0 diesel, that's pretty slow! That's why if you were gonna go for an oil burner the 3.0 is the only one I think I'd go for, although they're a bit harder to come across.
I think you pay a bit more for an estate, but you should get a good 'un (t+t, no major rust, etc) for £800 tops I reckon.