Massive Mileage: 1983 Mercedes Benz C123 280CE – SOLD!

October 9, 2022, Update – We confirmed the seller of this “Classifind” deleted their listing, so we’re now able to call this one “SOLD!” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

Some believe the reliability of modern cars means the 200,000-mile mark is the new 100,000. We see your 200,000 and raise you another 100,000 with this European-spec, 309,000-mile, 1983 Mercedes-Benz 280CE originally listed in September 2022 on Craigslist in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.  The Mercedes Benz W123 chassis, produced from 1976 through 1986 in various body styles, proved to be one of the company’s most reliable cars ever made.  It’s common to see examples exceeding 300,000 miles, such as the gas-powered example spotted for sale.  Benefitting from an older respray and an A/C conversion to R134A, based on the pictures provided, most people would never guess this stylish Mercedes hardtop has so many miles.

Once offered for $6,000, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is slightly below the one-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for W123 Diesel versions produced from 1982 to 1985.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the Mercedes featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #4 “Fair” estimate of $3,150 and its #3 “Good” appraisal of $6,800.

Mercedes Benz introduced its new W123 platform in a four-door sedan and sleek coupe to replace their aging W114 and W115 platforms, better known as the “Stroke Eights.”  Mercedes made a point to design the new W123s similar to their new S-Class, which was a clear break with the classical style of the Stroke Eight. The W123 offered a longer wheelbase, a wider track, and a larger body. What sets the 280C coupe from the sedan is its slightly shorter length combined with the absence of a typical B-pillar, which gave the car a unique hardtop styling other manufacturers we’re walking away from due to roll-over safety regulations that never materialized.  The new W123s cars were immensely popular, and less than a year into production, many dealers had a 12-month waiting list. A black market offered cars for immediate purchase at a healthy premium.

In the U.S., the W123 was available in all three body styles, but due to stricter emissions regulations, a limited range of engines. The naming convention was straightforward, with the first two numbers representing displacement in liters and the letters representing body style and fuel. Top of the range was the 280E and 280CE, which featured 2.8-liter, inline 4-cylinder, fuel-injected engines capable of 142 hp.

The W123 platform came equipped with many optional and standard class-leading features. The car was better engineered for crash protection – accomplished with a strengthened passenger cage and reinforced roof. Optional was a safety steering column engineered to crumple rather than enter the cabin in a head-on collision.

The Old Benz YouTube Channel features this picture overview of a typical W123 280CE Mercedes:

With its much slimmer bumpers and Euro headlights, this 1983 Mercedes Benz 280CE looks even more attractive than most US-spec W123 generation cars. As long as a car is rust-free and parts remain readily available, we’d prefer cruising around in the stylish vintage Mercedes hardtop than any jelly bean-styled, look-alike SUVs the company currently pitches to consumers.

Here’s the seller’s description:

Show or go: What would you do with this high-mileage Mercedes Benz 280CE?  Please comment below and let us know!