You guys hit a lot of soft spots on me..... A W123 300D Turbo is my current every day work car. I agree with Michael, JP, Douglas and Cees that these are quite easy to live with and easy to fall in love with. They are tough, durable and comfortable for everyday use. They require the minimal amount of care to keep them dependable. My first W123 was a 230C coupe (four cyliner gas) all euro specs and another very lovable car. You could remove anything under the hood (including the engine) in about a half hour! Yes those MB coupes are always the best deals, the most quality at the best price. Craig, Dan and Hauser like myself appreciate those beautiful coupe "lines" and are willing to sacrifice some of the inconvenience of those big long doors and rear foot room for the beauty of those "lines".
My wifes 91 300 TE wagon also impressed me as did Peter's. It is truely impressively smooth and well manered. My wife preferes it to anyother MB. It is just right for her, the two grandkids and the three Dobermans! Unbelievably reliable even at the ripe age of over 300,000 miles!
Bob, previously to her 300 TE, she drove two different W123 wagons both 280TE, quite fun with the euro gasoline injected six cylinder engines. We have a 1981 300TD turbo wagon we use a work for a sevice and delivery vehicle complete with ladder rack. The self leveling suspension is great when five full grown men with tool boxes and ladder pile in! Saves gobs on fuel over our large box trucks.
Matt, I have many fond memories of years behind Finbacks like yours. These were wonderful cars, built like tanks, plenty of room inside, cavernous trunks, and decent handling, frequently with stick shifts. The interiors of these Finbacks and the later W108 sedans had seating more comfortable than in most living rooms and almost as much room!
Richard, I grew up behind the wheel of a 190SL and it also is a romance story. I also recall fondly my daily drives in the old 170's and pontons. The W114 cars were also such great, tough modles, as look back on the Rally and Autocross versions I built back then.
I guess this is what Mercedes-Benz is about! There are easy to love and hard to live without! If you have an appreciation for fine engineering, superior quality, character, safety and the "experience of driving" you can fall in love with these cars!
I hated to see every last one of them pass.