1977 Mercedes as a Daily Driver?
 

Not familiar with these old cars, but for some reason they appeal to me. I'm looking for a cheap daily...something low stress to drive and own. My mind is telling me to get an "appliance" (Honda/Toyota/etc.), but my heart says try something interesting. So I found this 1977 Mercedes "Euro Coupe" locally. Haven't gone to look at it yet, but...again...something about it speaks to me. Any thoughts on a car like this? I've always thought of old Mercs as the epitome of reliability...am I wrong here? Would appreciate any thoughts...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1427314208.jpg

112k miles. Recent "service" including new plugs and wires. Clean interior.

SmileWavy

I used to have a W114 and loved it. Built well, drove and rode well. Classic MB styling.
1977 was the start of the W123, I think. They are good cars, IMO.

For the money, you can't go wrong if it checks out on a PPI:

1977 Mercedes-Benz 190 for Sale in Portland, OR

The seats suck and become very nonsupportive, beyond that they are close to bullet proof

I've owned several 123s. Great cars! Most of the Euro ones were either 230s or 280s. One of my favorite cars ever was a Euro `85 280ce with a factory Getrag five-speed (only one I've ever seen - heard of another, but that's it). I'd buy that car back in a second.

So which model is this one?

190? Hmmmm.

Do it!

For that price yeah! Sweet ride

Wow. Killer car. Bog slow. I'd drive any Benz from the mid 80's thru mid 90's as a dd. 77 is pushing it, but its a freaking nice car for the money.

I can check it out for you if you like. DC Motors is around the block. Kind of a gold chain dealer though.

Those cars are slow but well built.

I caught that.....I have a 1960 190SL.....Many years later, they had a 190 again and this ain't it.......

Well, MB did make their version of an econobox in eighties and nineties in the 201 series 190, but never in a 123 body that I'm aware of. My guess it they saw a four-banger and assumed it's a 1.9 liter, but in the 123 it's a 2.3.

The model is a 230C. 110 hp, and weighs approx 3,000 lbs. You won't get into trouble with that one.

"CE", actually.

I DD'd an 83 380SL for about 3 months. Honestly it was a much better weekend car than DD. Ergonomics are not good, steering is loose, slow, very cool with the 60+ crowd and not very good fuel economy. That being said, this white 230CE looks like a gem and for the money I'd be on a plane first thing tomorrow if I was in the market for another 70s German car.

Do it!

I would love to get an older SL for Mrs. Motion. She is always dressed to the hilt, and she would look great toddling around town in one.

I had a W123 300D and loved it. It was worth the low horsepower in cool points.

Be careful. It's still a 38 year old grey market car. At this point it could potentially need a ton of deferred maintenance. In good shape I would think it would be a nice driver. They can still bite you now and then and hard. A good car for the right price isn't easy, so get a high quality PPI.

Great car but they are getting on now. I know someone who daily's a convertible MB of similar vintage.
His is pretty reliable but things do go wrong. (mainly electrical)

When I look at old cars with electric windows I always check the doors all the way around and door trims.
A careless DIY owner often leaves the door trims loose and the clips and hardware can be missing.
It's not a big deal to fix but it can tell you a lot about the history of the car.

Also check...

Is the "boot" clean and are the rubber mats OK? (rear trunk)
How does the engine bay look? Dust is OK but an engine coated in crud and oil is not desirable. It's easy enough to fix but again it tells you a lot about the history of the car.
Any service or ownership history?

I would not do it. Dump truck steering wheel, heavy, thirsty. Another thing that scares me is safety. Chances to get banged up good in a daily driver are pretty high (compared to a weekend car). I like to be in something that has the latest safety features. As an extreme example, I have daily driven lap belt 60s and 70s cars for decades and am really glad I never got into a wreck in any of them. Scares me to think about it now ...