PilotAlan

Howdy all,

I have a nephew who is a tinkerer, and likes getting his hands dirty (he built a tattoo gun, just to see if he could make it work, makes chain mail from wire, and disassembles and reassembles stuff).

I am thinking an older Mercedes would be a great car for him, but I want to get something that is mechanical (as opposed to being run by brain boxes) so that he can fix it up and keep it running himself.

Suggestions? Would a W123 be the right car? What years, if any to avoid?
Thanks for your thoughts!

BF_JC230

I bought my first w123 at fifteen. They are a dream to work on - not much more than a tractor. Taking the front sway bar out meant removing a lot of the components - but more time than anything. Dealer can still get you a good amount of OEM parts...aftermarket is ripe. Had to shim down OEM washer on a axle replacement to get correct lash...again not hard - just needed a surface grinder...My last w123 (pictured) was a mutt, a supercharged ford powered unit - I would ask around for engine info...but I have not read too much to ever scare me off. Basic stuff, especially now. They are tanks - I would look for ROTT and RUST...pull up carpet, especially passenger side near fire wall, check water traps in hood hinges, pull up trunk liners and under spare tire...look at rocker panels and rotted out rear lower control arms - windows are not glued in - they use rubber and with age they weather and fail...etc. etc.