So there we were, enjoying a Sunday afternoon lunch while waiting for news from Hagerty roadside assistance that our new-to-us Mercedes 240D was safely ensconced in a parking spot outside my favorite Mercedes mechanic’s shop. In this case, the lucky receiver of the wounded car was Peter Fuchs, owner of Silver Star Motors in Vienna, Virginia. I got the text that the car had been left, and awaited the Monday morning call which I anticipated would start with something along the lines of “what is this thing doing here??” – or words to that effect.

Now I should mention that I’ve had Silver Star Motors work on my cars for over 20 years now, which probably amounts to in excess of 70 cars I’ve brought them. I like to say that I have purchased a small island for Peter’s retirement. But I digress. I’ve dropped the odd car on the shop once in a blue moon when it made more sense to do that than to have it brought to my house only to have to have it hauled again to the shop. Nonetheless, when the call came I braced myself.

Admittedly, I’ve always felt a sense of reassurance when Peter calls about my latest Mercedes disaster thanks to his German accent. He could be completely incompetent (which he’s not, for the record) and I’d believe him thanks to the accent. Thankfully, there was no anger in his voice, rather he wanted to know what the story was and why it was there. He sounded a little less than impressed when I told him that it was too cheap not to buy, but agreed that it appeared to have solid bones, and that they’d dig into it as soon as they moved some of the cars with appointments through the shop.

A few days later I got the call – which started the same way they usually do: “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news”. The good news was, as it happened, that the whole reason I’d had it towed into the shop – the rhythmic thumping noise under the car – was literally a non-issue. Basically a rubber boot  had come loose and was flopping around. I guess like they do. The other good news was that Peter and the technicians looking over the car were actually pretty impressed with its overall condition and the care it had obviously received over the years. Despite a couple of small rust spots here and there, the car is solid, runs well, and wasn’t just run hard and put away wet.

Then there was the bad news. Because it had been left more or less unused apart from the periodic startup to move it in/out/around the barn, some of the bits you’d probably expect needed attention. It was mainly suspension, but also glow plugs, brakes, water pump, a few hoses here and there, and of course being a diesel the fuel filters needed to be replaced after so much sitting. Of course, this didn’t include the air conditioning, which I’d actually planned and budgeted to replace.  Gentleman that he is, Peter offered to adjust the valves for me gratis – ostensibly because he enjoys doing it and these were the cars he was trained on, but maybe also because the final bill was going to be just a little painful.

I talked it through with my wife, and we agreed that since we’d gotten the car for a song, felt good that the overall condition report was good, and had just seen a comparable car sell on BringaTrailer for silly money, we wanted it done right. I did pull back here and there on little things that I could easily take care of at home (oil change, etc.) but wanted to use the pros to help establish a solid baseline. After all, I intended to use this car regularly and wanted it reliable. I also planned – when I got it home – to take care of a host of little things around the car that needed sorting, such as the hazard switch, the console wood, a complete detailing, and so on. So while the Silver Star team did their magic, I began ordering the parts to do mine.

If I’m honest, I started ordering things for the car before we’d even taken possession of it. It’s a problem I have: I get excited about a car, I take what I have observed in terms of needs and wants and start foraging for parts while anxiously awaiting our new arrival. Maybe it’s some sort of twisted automotive version of nesting – who knows? Anyway, I ordered tune up parts, a new OEM shift knob (yes, it’s still available!), a cup holder for the console tray (because I’m a proud American who loves his cupholders), a used hazard switch and stereo fader, a hood pad, headlight bezels, and even a set of rear headrests with mounting kit and in the correct Palomino MB-Tex upholstery.

A few weeks later I received the call that the car was done and to come and get it. As soon as I got on the road I could feel a marked difference. It was quicker (yay new fuel filters!), tighter, and the air conditioning was ice cold. While not inexpensive, including the original purchase price I was still in the car for less than I’d seen comparable cars sell for, so I felt pretty good about it.

Almost immediately I set to work on my list of things that needed doing, starting with a thorough exterior detail. Years ago my family gave me a cordless orbital polisher purchased from Griot’s Garage  which really hasn’t seen much use, so I charged it up and went through the whole Griot’s process from compounding to polishing to waxing, then finished it off with a ceramic sealant. The 90% original Mercedes paint was chalky and dull, but being a quality single stage paint came back very nicely . The masking tape was a trick I saw in a video since these cars are riddled with black trim that is a royal pain to get wax residue off of. There are still a number of small chips, rubs, and dings that need further attention – but those will have to wait until the touch-up paint shows up.

I also installed new headlight bezels to replace the pitted and cracked originals, as well as Hella H4-style headlights that fit neatly in to the US-style sealed beam housings. These are easy and inexpensive upgrades that any W123 owner with the most basic of DIY skills can handle, and they really transform the look of a tired car. Usually I go for the square-style European headlights on a W123, but they were significantly more expensive, and for some reason I just wanted to keep the lights on this car as it came. I may at some point change for the round-style Euro lights, but they’re even more expensive.

So at this point what I have is a car that looks good (from about 8 feet), runs well, and is fully functional. Subsequently, of course, my day job and the insane heat and humidity has meant time not fiddling with old cars, so the interior projects are on hold. Still, for a car with 221,000 miles I am downright smitten with this one. No, it won’t win any races (anywhere, ever) and there is still sorting to do, but it is a “happy Jürgen” as my younger daughter calls it. She should know, she’s been using it to practice her stick-shift driving.

In all I’m a lot of the way there, but still have a way to go. Hopefully, with fall rapidly approaching I’ll get to tackle some of the outstanding items. In Part 3 we will delve into regular use, interior work, the things that I am procrastinating, and fuel filters. Again.

Don’t touch that dial!