A 3 year review owning a Mercedes W123 300TD Wagon. The car i'll never sell. Part 1

[@DanielH874]

An old neighbor of mine had one of these and I was shocked to see it had 485k on it. He told me that was common for those old diesels and that he hardly ever had any problems with it despite the age and km's put on it. The idle on the car still sounded mint and it ran smooth. What a shame the quality has gone downhill so much. Nothing but a bunch of expensive gadgets and computerized nonsense to break down and cost you an arm and a leg now with modern cars. The consumer sure got the shaft.

[@oleksandrkarlash2934]

It's impressive it still has the original turbo. Just unthinkable for any modern car.

[@captainchaos3053]

I very hard to prove if it's original turbo or not but a turbo is not really a wear item.

[@RUfromthe40s]

when the first 300 turbo-diesel was released i bought it in germany made 3.500km´s but when arriving home the turbo was gone and it still rides like a regular 300D but after the first ones the turbo was no longer an issue how about the switches for opening the 300D windows and sunroof that all are original since then and in other brands only work for several years but sometime will need substitution

[@Setnof.]

I had a C250TD (OM 605.960) and drove over 300tkm with 100% vegetarian oil with 0 problems. I loved that car so much.

[@mathisnotforthefaintofheart]

The old Benzes were superb. Then came the mid nineties and the merger with Chrysler came. And that meant the end of Benz's reputation for reliability. And as far as I know, they never regained it

[@SirDrifto]

Agreed whole heartedly

[@Hairybarryy]

OM606 was the last good engine they ever made

[@motomatt4266]

we have a 2011 GL450 in the family and it has been solid all the way to 190k miles. Only problems have been the air bags on all 4 corners being replaced once and the diff being replaced. engine and electronics have been solid. Too bad the thing gets like 13MPG on premium.

[@mathisnotforthefaintofheart]

@@motomatt426613 mpg...

[@ToloGF]

I once read that what really changed things was that the marketing people started to get paid better than the engineers.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Former, retired, Mercedes-Benz of No America factory Field Service Manager. The absolute best M-B was the NON turbo Wagon made in Bremen. There is nothing else like it.

[@SirDrifto]

Very cool. Do you feel that the turbo is not as good?

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@SirDrifto Absolutely.

[@domasch3k]

I drive a 200d (manual switch) since two years. I've never had any problems with the car. you just have to move the car regularly, take the annual maintenance seriously and stay tuned for rust and then it will run forever i think. your 300d turbo is a dream for me, unfortunately there was never the engine for the german market in the sedan. ps great video as always : )

[@SirDrifto]

Thank you!

[@domasch3k]

@@OM617a Yes, I've had that thought a few times. the market here is quite manageable, but from time to time nice us limousines with the 3 liter turbo engine appear. It would definitely be a dream because the US vehicles are usually very well equipped. you can also see that on sir drifto's car...full leather, automatic...this is not the normal standard on the german market.

[@hugolafhugolaf]

Same could be said for a lot of cars though. Maintenance is the key.

[@nickshotgun3760]

I’ve had that too, 55hp never felt that powerful

[@hardiscodata]

Holland too I think.

[@rainermaria]

I drove a 2.4 W123 for two years. Got most problems on it sorted myself and therefore went around talking about its reliability ,but in fact when thinking back, it was a bigger headache than any other newtimer I've owned. Running in the winter was painful while the engine hadn't really heated up; the system kept getting clogged despite having washed the fuel tank and added filters; the engine developed various leaks; the door mechanisms were acting up; in general the slowness in everyday situations did not make it the most comfortable ride in a city environment - and the noisiness at high revs in the fourth and final gear did not make ideal for the highway. Despite it all, it was like driving a ship, a very nice and soft experience. A friend of mine owns it now.

[@3rdpartyU5er]

Back in the eighties my granddad had a W123 200d as a taxi. It did 1,5 million km to the odometer. We live in Finland so the winters were cold and the diesel back in the 80s' Finland had so much stearine in it (during subzero stearine would clog the fuel filter) so that my gramps didnt turn off the car for 2 weeks due to that reason. Another reason why you wouldnt turn off the engine was that the differential oil would get really sticky. That was the tipping point where my gramps changed all the taxis in the company from citroens and Vw's to Mercedes W123 only.

[@TheBTG88]

One point of disagreement - the 1980s Saab 900 had the best seats. More supportive and comfortable than the Benz.

[@SirDrifto]

I had an 80s 900 turbo. It was an amazing car. So much fun and felt like a solid built car. Agreed 👍

[@Kevin_Rhodes]

Peugeot 505 seats are better than either.

[@chrisgilda5853]

Yes ,the BEST car ever made!! I owned one for 6 years and it never left me stranded even with a blown head gasket in the mountains. I miss it. This is a good example.

[@evancourtney7746]

First car was a W116 based '79 300SD with the turbo OM617! It drove like it was on rails, no really like a locomotive; it wouldn't accelerate so much as accumulate speed! It was a great first car.

[@tony64t]

If you love the sound of diesels, You should try out a Peugeot 404 or 504 diesel wagon, which was almost as well-built. Throughout the 60s and 70s, they ruled the streets of Port-Au -Prince as taptaps.

[@SirDrifto]

I need one haha

[@sunshinefireboulder]

Peugeot Diesels are very, very good.

[@andreigruntov5836]

Peugeot diesels are great indeed but nothing can compare to MB diesels back then, it's an icon of diesel sounds 😁

[@Learnmoretoday59]

Great cars. I own a 1985 W126 300SD and agree with the durability and overall quality of theses car. I’ve been looking for a well maintained W123 but they are becoming difficult to find. These cars are now very collectible.

[@SirDrifto]

They are getting harder to find!

[@daan3298]

W126 300SD is a unicorn. In my humble opinion the most reliable off them all. And I’ve owned a dozen of older MBs.

[@w123h]

My first car was a W123 200 in the color "wheat yellow". I still have it. The 300 td has become very rare even in Germany. especially in this condition. keep it up. greetings from Germany

[@cashlance4863]

Mercedes Benz had several great diesel models over the years. I currently have a W166 OM642 ML350. Solid driving vehicle. Heavy, solid ride, quiet interior, good fuel econ., plenty of tourque for driving in the mountains, 4-matic. Always cranks, never left us stranded.

[@jacak47410]

I dont usually enjoy the sound of a diesel, but this is simply incredible. It reminds me allot of my old 300 straight six I had.

[@marcelpatel9017]

This is a great car but any 80's-early 2000's Toyota could do this mileage routinely. Still drive my 2005 Camry with over 400,000 kms that i bought used. No issues. Toronto, Canada

[@SirDrifto]

I think Toyotas are one of the best modern day drivers when it comes to reliability.

[@0gewoonik]

Have a ' 82 230TE with according to the km-counter almost 400k kms. In real life probably almost 500 or even 600k kms. Still going strong, had some weird parts that reached end of life (that is why I guess, the kms are higher) made some nice modifications (orginal w123 5-speed manual from a 230TE that had to much rust), did already twice a de rusting project on it (have a 3th coming up, the rear windows, the sharp corners are holding up water like crazy, lots rust underneed those corners, so do mine). All bushings in the suspension are replaced, ... Long story short, I agree with a lot of things you mention in your video. I did drive it without any problems for long trips and with smaller repairs would do it again tomorrow without any problems. Only the seats I don't agree, after 400-500kms I want to get out, I feel them in my back and bottom. Good thing, the car needs fuel, comes out handy. But I love mine and after seeing your film, time to order the broken parts, install them and plan a road trip.

[@DeerKoden]

Cleanest and best kept diesel mercedes ive seen in quite a while. Nice rims too.

[@mrreziik]

Got a w201, can confirm, old diesel mercs are crazy reliable and will never go wrong if you maintain properly

[@babybenz.190]

Beautiful car! Love the W123 wagons ❤ I currently daily drive a rescued 1987 300D Turbo with a swapped 5-Speed manual gearbox and the original 2.65 differential. It can go like 75mph @ 2k rpm, which is quite remarkable for highway cruising 😊 Although, having been imported from Canada to Portugal by some previous owner, needless to say, it DOES HAVE quite a bit of rust on its floor 😬 I intend to eventually repair it though 😅

[@SirDrifto]

Sounds like a fun car!

[@babybenz.190]

@@SirDrifto It sure is an interesting one 😅 I have a driving video on my channel if you want to check how it drives 😊

[@ItsTimePictures]

I foolishly sold my gorgeous 1991 Mercedes Benz 350SDL (the sudden drastic increase in fuel prices was killing my budget), which was easily the most comfortable car I’ve ever owned. The prior owner had been methodical in his maintenance so it was completely reliable. Sometimes I really want to kick myself. Your wagon is a terrific example. Yes you could sell it and make a good amount of cash. But if you don’t need the money, do not sell it. Keep driving it. Good ones are going to be insanely expensive as time passes (they kind of already are).

[@huugo8278]

try buying it back

[@bicyclist2]

I've dreamed of owning one of these for many years. I love this color blue with the blue interior. I've seen a few Mercedes sedans like this for sale, but never a wagon. Thank you.

[@b4804514]

I owned these wagons starting in 1986 for 22 years. My mechanic was a critical part of ownership. The 300E wagons was not nearly as good a car. This is as solid a car ever made. Safe and spacious

[@kermitefrog64]

I have a 1981 Mercedes 240d with a 4 speed manual and it is my daily driver. The car industry forgot how to make cars when you look at the quality and longevity of the W123 series. I see other Mercedes Benz W123 body style cars everyday and I live in a community of 60,000 in the Southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, California.

[@SirDrifto]

I love the 240d

[@JohnGarland-y6p]

This is exactly how i describe my 12 valve Cummins to people. I work on it all the time for little maintenance stuff but it starts and drives no matter what issue may be going on without question. Everything is mechanical.

[@CaptHollister]

Between my wife and I we've owned 6 Mercedes and still own one each, so I'm definitely biased towards them, but in my ownership experience, when it comes to car seats, not even Mercedes can beat SAAB.

[@ferrisl2]

Nice color & Condition. Note: your roof rack’s cross rails are incorrect for that car. The thin cross rails with the rubber rings are meant to keep luggage in place, NOT to mount any thing on (like bike racks or storage pods). But they ONLY were for roofs that had the rub strips mounted to the roof. That option also included extra structural support in the roof to hold the weight placed on the rub rails. To use a roof pod, like a Yakima, purchase the more substantial cross rails that mount to the chrome side rails

[@SirDrifto]

Good to know!

[@rolanddutton]

Everything about that Wagon is great. What a superb spec! I think blue interiors are always best on that era of Mercedes. Blue on blue 123 wagon with dog blankets brings back memories for me. I've since owned a C107, W124 and W126. All amazing cars.

[@billrbca]

Had a 82 300SD ....making me want another turbo diesel.... yes had one in Colorado and the turbo was key...would go right up I-70 from from 5k feet to 10k without downshifting..incredible torque

[@apuuvah]

Legend, with legendary reliability. And the doors... man they shut nicely.

[@11guyinthechair]

Great video. For me personally most reliable car ive peraonally owned has to be my beloved golf 3 wagon. 1.6l petrol. Converted to run in lpg. Drove 100k km with it over the span of 4 years. Yes. It needed stuff to be done. But it always got me home.

[@georgecurtis6463]

I have always preferred wagons. The mb one was very nice. I would have gotten one but I no longer can work on them myself so today I drive a subaru outback wagon.

[@MotorWisdom]

Great car and an event greater owner. These cars are really special and only educated and mature people like yourself understand how historic and unique they are.

[@infernoking7504]

I drive a 1988 Lincoln Town Car I've owned it for 3 years now it's only had minor problems but that's due to the previous owner it had 80,000 miles when I got it now it has 95,000 no problems with the engine or transmission in fact I've improved them basically back to factory condition

[@Ghostrider-71]

If I could only find one of these………would love to have one. Classic car.

[@KimathiTheLeopard]

Great review, and lovely wagon. Definitely don’t drive it in the winter as that will kill these older MBs in short order. I’ve had various MB diesels of the 80s and 90s, including a couple of euro spec cars, but the venerable om617 is always my favorite. Right now I’ve got a 1980 300sd and a 1983 240d, just because. I don’t nearly drive as much as I did a decade ago, but occasionally when I do take out these old benzes it’s truly a pleasure and even therapeutic.

[@lennie617]

Sounds fantastic, in fact the idle says it all..

[@Rick2010100]

There are masses of W123 in Northern Africa, they use them as Taxi and the most have over 1 Mio miles on the clock. A friend of mine had a Taxi company and sold his MB Taxis to N.A. when they reached ca. 300k mi on the clock.

[@cal48koho]

I have had an 84 wagon for ages and much of what he says is absolutely true. I have no rust and will not drive it in the winter. The hydraulic rear suspensions fail and forget finding parts. I put in HD replacement springs from Japan. Forget using sedan springs. Too weak. Would I sell it?Never.

[@arthurdardalis]

Love the 123, I miss my 280E. They are built like tanks but the door cards wrinkling even with very low miles is it’s biggest fault.

[@inspireaspire278]

Great, German pride,adorns driveway, warms owner's ❤️ and commands respect on the high ways 👏.

[@captainchaos3053]

I would care to disagree in that I owned one of these back in the 90s and in broke down about 15 times. It had about 98k on it when I scrapped it due to the rust rot and unreliable running.

[@TK-ec5bv]

I'd say that Volvo 240 and 740 seats are equally as comfortable as these Mercedes seats. Both makes had incomparably comfortable seats.

[@SirDrifto]

I’d agree. Volvos of that era are wonderful

[@MissionaryForMexico]

I own a 126 chassis Mercedes Benz 300SD 1983 turbo inline diesel. I will never sake my favorite car. It is bullet proof. If the engine turns over, I am going somewhere! I have a multitudes parts from LKQ junkyards in Houston, Texas. And ordered many after market parts online at considerable savings! I perform much of the manitence myself, with the close supervision from Renee Martinez in Spring, TX.

[@andreigruntov5836]

Awesome car 👍 owning a 1984 280E, being restored now. Yeah, winters are main killers for them now. Funny thing US owners are searching for EU headlights, EU owners are searching for US headlights 😁 if you have a pair of nice US lights with yellow halogens in mint condition I'm ready to buy them from you 😁🤝

[@satyakammisra]

Our 40 year old W123 220, Bertha is pride of our garage. Both Bertha and I were born in the same year. She has 298,000 in as of Today

[@SirDrifto]

That’s awesome

[@jamesonobrien1496]

Great wagon! You need to showcase that sweet manual moonroof. I’d give my left arm for that set up in my 82 300cd!

[@johncunningham4820]

This was the Era of Mercedes that cemented them as the PREMIER Car Maker in the entire world . Superbly Built vehicles at a Price Point that was attainable to the majority of people . Robust and virtually indestructible . Of course EVERY vehicle needs servicing regularly and diligently . Failing that will break Anything .

[@brienmacgearailt7801]

Best part was the manual t-handle sunroof.....never fails

[@kermitefrog64]

There is some nice suggestions on Mercedes Source on dealing with rust. With regards to oil I run the Amsoil diesel oil for European models.

[@SirDrifto]

I'll have to check that out!

[@latexsolarbeef4990]

...I have a gold 85' 300d w/235k that runs beautifully...Ky. car rust free with all records...most folks took care of these cars....paid 2k...put 1k into shocks..half shafts..glow plugs..calipers...eveything was fairly straight forward...elegant..solid as can be in every way....just have to respect them....

[@DinoPasic]

Very good example of 123, if you need acceleration there is a guy in UK, specialized for om 606. Im sure that he can make your merc faster... But you are right, quality is really good, so good... So it's purpose is not a speed, it's reliability. Enjoy!

[@andrewgregg4389]

Hi I own a 1982 300d . Non turbo sedan . I love it

[@SirDrifto]

82 is a great year for the wagon. How many miles?

[@acarcalledmercedes4750]

It’s the most beautiful estate car in the world and the diesels Do a million miles if looked after and I just love em

[@SirDrifto]

They are fantastic machines indeed

[@SpikeArrowood]

I have been Jonesing for a manual 240d especially after watching your video. I was wondering how reliable the ATC hvac setup is on the 300td, some costly parts if needed to replace! I know most parts are shared with the whole line of cars then, so replacements aren't to bad for wearable items. Thank you for all your videos!!!

[@thereallotharmatthae]

Looks amazing. Loving it! I own a BMW 335d estate (wagon for you guys), still a young car from 2015, but I don't intend to ever sell it. New cars just don't appeal to me - too many screens and computers, and the new BMWs are even ugly as hell. Continued safe travels with the 300TD!

[@Wok_Agenda]

a 2015 car also has too many computers even a 1998 car has too many computers

[@thereallotharmatthae]

@@Wok_Agenda well said my Gigolo

[@Princess_n_TheDuke]

My 300D was a beast Went thru 13 inches of snow SUVs on the shoulder Facing in all sorts of directions

[@nirfz]

I would say that complements more your tyre choice and driving abilities than the W123. (and about the poor tyre choices and driving abilities of said SUV drivers ;-) ) Having driven one in the alps in winter for several years i would say it is one of the most fun, but not the easiest on slippery ground. (especially braking without ABS) I have a "small" SUV for years now too, (a 11 year old GLK 4matic 2.2L Diesel) and compared to the W123 you can almost be a complete idiot and still drive easily on snow with that. Almost boring, but also a little more dangerous as it absolutely hides how slippery it is. And i think that could also play a part in why the SUVs you mentioned were in the state mentioned... With the W123 you were always aware of the traction level.

[@Princess_n_TheDuke]

@@nirfz grazie mille

[@joshqunismayilov1996]

Hello from Azerbaijan. Oldtimer Mercedes-Benz cars are always the best because they have soul and best quality, and they not like plastic and electric scrap which produces now.

[@monocogenit1]

always loved wagons. specially the older benzes and bimmers.

[@SirDrifto]

They’ve aged well

[@kickacopsassdaily]

I had also one, the same car in beige with green fabric seats. I sold it with 580'000 Km for a good price. The only problem was rust. We have salt on every road in the winter here.

[@headwerkn]

I had a 1986 190D 2.5…. Beautiful car, extremely rare here in Australia (diesel passenger cars didn’t get popular here until the late 1990s) and just lovely to drive despite its measly 92hp and bizarre torque curve and gear ratios. There’s just something about a 5 cylinder (I’ve also had a Volvo 850, just as awesome). Alas despite having a mere 140,000km on the clock - barely run in for an engine known for half-million-plus lifespan - it ended up destroying its head through a bad head gasket. Being one of maybe four cars ever delivered into the country, the replacement head was going to have to come from elsewhere and would cost 60% of the car’s value. Sadly had to let it go. Shame, it was so lovely to drive. Would take its sweet time getting up to highway speeds but once there you could sit on 110-120kmh all day getting 7L/100km in total comfort. Suspension was soft AF yet the car just gripped.

[@nirfz]

Just wanted to say something about the "this car will always get me home" part: After driving Mercedes cars for over 25 years now and having owned several over the last 24 years i can say that in my opinion this "requirement" seems to have been lost around the late 2000's really with Mercedes. I had a 1984 W123 300D Wagon (4speed manual), a 1994 W202 C200 (4speed auto), a 2002 W211 220CDI (5speed Auto) a 2009 W212 E350 CDI (7speed auto), a 2010 W212 E63 AMG and a 2012 X204 220 CDI 4M. And the W211 still had that "mentality". When the battery started to get weak you would notice as at some point when inserting the key for starting, the dislpay informed you that the car had turned all non vital electrical consumers off to enable you to still start the car. So you knew that it was time to replace the battery. The next gen e-class, the W212 and i had 2 (i still have the 63) adidn't do that anymore. The battery in both my 212's died (after almost exactely 5 years of battery life) without warning, without chance to start the car from one day to the next. I heard somewhere that this is due to emissions legislation, as cranking the car too slow for start produces emissions the regulatory bodies forbid, but i do care more about getting home than 2 seconds of bad emissions. And thanks to this the 212 was the first Mercedes i had that didn't get me where i wanted because of a battery failure. I have an additional little story about my time with the W123: i used mine to get to the army base and back home at the weekend (where i am from, we have conscription) and 3 of my collegues would travel with me. This meant 2.5 hours of almost full throttle, no cruise control and that for months. The car never showed any issues. Then i started working, and did the same sort of "commuting" for 2 hours each direction. And shortly before i sold it and bought the W202 we had a conversation at the table of the cantina at work... Where i am from there's a popular road assistance "club" almost everybody is paying membership for. I wasn't (and still am not) and my older working collegues talked about the stickers they got for 15 years, or 20 years of membership. And then naively as i was (my dad had used the W123 before me and he beat the shi... out of it when transporting stones and cement for building the house and the car always delivered) i asked them _sure, but have you ever needed them to help you_ ? Boy was i in for some weird looks. They were all adamand that they needed road side assistance at least once a year because their cars had broken down. (They owned VW's, Peugeots, Toyotas, Mazdas, Opels...) And that's when i realized the difference between others and the 3 pointed star (back then).

[@davidsmith9325]

Ive had multiple w123 300d there built like tanks had 79 model with 1.4 million kms on the clock the vacuum system was completely shot wouldn't go into overdrive because of the vacuum wouldn't switch itself off because of the vacuum little bit of string tied to the diesel pump into the cab pull it cuts off the diesel and stopped I took that car off road had a airborne it was a monster

[@brrrt6666]

Reliability and practicality and decent economy, this has got so much on modern cars it's ridiculous!

[@madcat4563]

Unfortunately we never got the TD in my country.😥 We did, however, get the 2.4 en 3.0 NA Diesels and the 2.4 en 2.8 petrol. Owning a diesel was a bit taboo back in the day due to trucks and the military getting the priority over those fuels. Thankfully, we still have one of my dad's first diesel cars still in the family. Though it's a "pickup" and not a Mercedes. Though he said it was interesting having it in 1998, and it was memorable. On road trips, he had to go to the truck stop side of the fuel stations to get diesel.

[@alexmercer8042]

Up until W212 (up to 2016) you could get the 7 seater. I think that is the newest of that kind you can get. From what I know that is an not an option in W213 and W214

[@ChaChiVooDoo]

The reason the W123 was so successful and built so well was because it was the first time Daimler-Benz gave each dept a blank check on budgets to design, develop, and test the vehicle. I dont think they've ever done it since. The W123 is legend. And people that dont agree should stick to their Pontiacs or Buicks, Fords, etc because they were built with a far shorter lifespan in mind. The w123 was more than twice the price of an Impala and people always say they were overbuilt. They werent, you paid dearly for that quality! Same with the Volvo 240 of the era. You got exactly what you paid for and if you didnt want to pay that much money you had to make a sacrifice.

[@SirDrifto]

Spot on with that 👌

[@marcelpatel9017]

This is a great car no doubt. But Toyota's routinely are high mileage across their model line. 356,000 miles is a lot but not that impressive.

[@kermitefrog64]

I have also been putting some Marvels Mystery Oil and Amsoil Cetane with fuel system cleaner and the Cetane gives I nice boost to the power.

[@SirDrifto]

I love MMO I use it in my plane aswell.

[@adamscarchannel5578]

I have a 210 Mercedes-Benz wagon. It is the last of that Era of quality. I also have a lot of the same Part Issues.

[@gamingbigfats3934]

Waited 3 years to film with the sun in the eyes😂😂. Great car. My grandma had a yellow sedan❤

[@SirDrifto]

Perfect timing 😂

[@etasi5619]

What you did not mention is, although your alternator seized, you can still drive it because the engine requires no electricity to run. This car can survive an EMP and keep driving.

[@TK-ec5bv]

Saturate all seams under car with Fluid Film, and also saturate folded metal areas at bottom of fenders - and the chance of future rust will be slim.

[@SirDrifto]

Great suggestion

[@Redblock_Alex]

to be fair i think with most idis its about servicing and mindfulness of egts and not turning them up, have a d24td anx its got 367k on it and runs quite happily with just oil and both diesel and oil filter changes.

[@germanbeer2466]

Excellent review. I have a 1985 300TD with the original motor

[@SirDrifto]

Thank you! How many miles?

[@Random59427]

Just bought a 300D Turbo sedan in light ivory. Gonna put some Ronal R9 AMG wheels and an AMG body kit on it.

[@SirDrifto]

Awesome 😎

[@creosl]

I remember sitting as young in this type of car when it broke down on the highway. I think it was a fatal engine blow out.

[@hayest4468]

Iron head Iron block baby! I would start that on a cold morning and just watch it idle. Sold mine for 91 rod bender. My throttle actuator sheared the other day in a kroger parking lot so just bought some zipties and duct tape to get it home. Luckily it wasn't NLA.

[@LarryButler-kp3se]

I want to make sure you all know my experience with replacing the little 60A OEM alternator with the powerful 115A Bosch AL129X alternator off the Saab 9000. It;s a tight fit but replaces the too-little-for-AC original directly with no modifications except rewiring. The original field energizer circuit works great and 14.2VDC with every load in the car at max setting! Just do it! Hook the little wire from the dash light to the FIELD terminal and use a stranded copper #2 wire from the output directly to the battery + terminal. 115A will melt the original alternator output to the distribution terminal block. The wire is too small. Clean up all the ground terminals. Brand new AL129X is $273 from Amazon with no core return charge.

[@prehistoricpig]

Nice seiko 🤓! Found your video because I have the opportunity to buy a 1980 w123 locally. It’s absolutely gorgeous and im having a hard time convincing myself to not buy it..

[@SirDrifto]

It will be one of the best cars you'll own. Just be prepared to have black hands after oil changes 🤣

[@ChamaeleonMustermann]

The W123 is a fantastic car. But as a German, I wonder what this signature Türbo-D license plate is for? In German at MB it means TD = Turbo Diesel, no ü is used. I seem to remember that there were new vortex chambers at some point. I think it was the successor to the W124. It should be possible to retrofit these. Brings 3-4 hp.

[@brienmacgearailt7801]

It can't be replaced, there is just nothing like it in existence.

[@ferencszathmary9689]

Having the exhaust on the driver side you might get inhaling the fumes when your window is down.

[@SirDrifto]

I did that on purpose to smell the glorious cologne of a OM617

[@ferencszathmary9689]

@@SirDrifto 😀

[@mrndnjn]

Love the fog lamps.

[@kosiekoos9408]

I loved my 123. It was a very reliable car. But for me my most reliable car was my Toyota corolla.

[@SirDrifto]

Toyotas are awesome

[@stefanthegerman3575]

Oh nice a turbodiesel. I dont know why these only sell in the us. I drive my 300td for now nearly 10 years daily. I think its 800000km or 500000 miles right now but i m not sure😆 Greetings from Germany🤟🏻

[@Philip.Magnusson]

Where is part 2?? :) I'm getting my 3rd S123 this Saturday, a 1983 240TD also with the 3rd row seats!

[@SirDrifto]

Part 2 releases Sunday!

[@taxus750]

Mercs of this era weren't merely assembled - they were *built*. See also the R107, many of which have the same material used for the seats and interior trim as your wagon.

[@SirDrifto]

That couldn’t be more true

[@AirsoftAddicted]

Old but gold, I love it.

[@SirDrifto]

True statement

[@zibi1988pl]

That alternator should have been replaced long ago. To me it seems like you would not make it to California with the sort of service you're doing. You don't replace when it brakes. You replace before it fails. My advice is to find a Mercedes Garage that is owned by a Enthusiast. Someone like me knows what will go another 100k and what will fail. I love the video. Many truths were spoken. Pss. Check on your vacuum pump if it was recently done. You don't want to lose brakes. That one is a biggie.

[@stevenstjohn9207]

Hi- Great Video! I daily a 1985 300SD 5cyl Turbo Diesel w/ aftermarket air-intake - chng oil w/ Liqui Molly Syn Oil @ 2500 MI.- Mileage @ 323,000 MI as of 10/2024 Also in Denver 😊

[@wititudez]

Does he have 3rd searlts in the boot?

[@SirDrifto]

Yes sure does

[@franciscozabalaga4871]

300td 87 love it and my 4 kids more like me jeje, very good video, thanks!!

[@SirDrifto]

Thank you! 👌

[@apuuvah]

In-line six TD is definitely a nice sound.

[@MrBlaze256]

They are 5 cylinders

[@ekim000]

Gold wheels on that Meisterstück might be capital offense. The side exhaust definitely is.

[@georghansson8178]

Ohooo... now we talking cars👍...w123 is my favorite too🤩

[@SirDrifto]

They're the best

[@MsMycene]

Looks so cool! Great video

[@SirDrifto]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ilkerer1397]

very nice car , i wish you a good long time drive ..best regards frome germany

[@litestuffllc7249]

It is a very nice vehicle; you didn't happen to mention the fuel cost ? Did I miss that? I do agree a lot of the old tech is going to be something people are going to miss when a hacker, government or bank can stop their car remotely. When you can be tracked where ever you go; when you have to pay a subscription to listen to music, or get permission to put on more miles. When their CVT transmisson can't be fixed. All my cars have been manuals; 911, 1 million+ miles same engine, gave to my nephew. P1800, 500,000 miles; Gen 1 Insights 350,000, 250,000 and 200,000. A properly broken in manual car generally can last for ever; particularly Toyotas and Hondas which are still afordable.