1985 Mercedes-Benz 230CE

This 230 CE has an overhead cam 2300cc four cylinder petrol engine, with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and enough grunt to waft the mid sized coupé along at respectable speeds, plus the ability to deliver very good fuel efficiency at the same time.

We wouldn’t be at all worried about what might appear to be a relatively high mileage for a car of this vintage either. During this period Mercedes Benzes were built to incredibly high standards (standards that sadly slipped in later years) and there are thousands of W123s in Africa that have covered many hundreds of thousands of miles.

The seller tells us this car was professionally restored at some point in the past, and it certainly presents very well from the images.

We’ve listed this car as being coloured beige, although with this metallic hue it’s actually quite hard to pin down the exact shade. Pale metallic gold, perhaps? Either way the finish itself has seemingly lasted very well and the car shines nicely in the images.

The panel gaps appear as they should do and the car’s flanks look straight too. All in all it’s a very well presented classic coupé. In the gallery, we spotted some light corrosion on the inside corner of the passenger door (pictured) but if treated promptly it doesn’t look as though it will become a major problem, and the driver’s door seems unaffected.

There’s a slight mark in the bodywork on the nearside at the rear at the base of the rear screen, but it’s very small. The sunroof looks slightly misaligned and some of the internal seals are protruding slightly along the join between the sliding panel and the roof itself. It looks like some adjustment is required here.

The Mercedes Top Hat alloy wheels appear n very good order, with a silver metallic finish and no obvious signs of kerb damage on any of them. Similarly, all the lamp lenses appear OK and the brightwork seems to be shiny and free of corrosion. In addition, the rubber inserts in the bumpers are appearing undamaged.

This 230 CE’s cabin is its crowning glory really: this car could have had a cloth interior, or one made from MB-tex, Mercedes’ own brand of extremely hard wearing vinyl. But the original owner specified leather on the options list and here it is 37 years later, still looking great.

Some leather is tougher than others and you won’t be surprised to hear that Mercedes leather interiors of this period are amongst the very hardest wearing there are. This one has survived very well indeed, and aside from some very light wear on the driver’s seat, appears to be in very strong order throughout.

Some of the plastic seat trim that covers the reclining mechanism on the driver’s side has some cracks and marks, but nothing major. All the wooden dash and centre console inserts look very good, seemingly with no peeling lacquer or cracked wood showing in the images.

The car has cruise control fitted, controlled from a slim stalk above the main controls on the right hand side of the steering wheel, which itself is in great condition too. In the centre console sits a period, and very possibly original fitment Blaupunkt radio cassette stereo system, although we’re unable to verify whether this works.

The 2.3-litre overhead cam M102 engine employs Bosch fuel injection and makes 134bhp. It’s a relatively short stroke engine that likes to rev and, with regular oil changes, it will last many hundreds of thousands of miles. It’s cam cover has some paint chips and looks a little scruffy, but when you bear in mind its age this is hardly surprising. Besides, a couple of hours with some wet and dry and a rattle can of satin black paint would have it looking almost as good as new.

It starts straight away and settles to an even idle, with no signs of untoward smoke and no odd noises. The engine bay itself isn’t going to win any show ’n’ shine competitions but everything looks in its place and perfectly serviceable. An enthusiastic new owner could certainly improve the aesthetics with a weekend of cleaning and TLC.

The car’s underside has the usual thick underseal applied, and there’s a pair of new rear brake calipers fitted, as supported by the history file. There’s also a new fuel filter in place, as evidence of recent servicing work carried out. There seems to be no signs of leaking oil, from what we could see underneath from the images. Perhaps come see it for yourself at The Market HQ in Abingdon?

This 230 CE was first registered in the UK on January 1st 1986, and has just five former keepers. It comes with its original handbooks, including one for the Blaupunkt stereo that still fitted to the car. Also included is the original Mercedes Benz build sheet for this car, listing all the options chosen, it’s colour and engine type.

There’s a bill for nearly £1,000 for a major service about a year ago, including fixing a fault with the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection metering head. Another invoice with the car, this time for £800, indicates that the rear brake calipers were replaced in March this year, and another for around £500 from this summer for work on the car’s fuel system.

A selection of historic tac discs and old MoTs is also included.

Classic Mercedes from this period are so well built that you could easily use this car every day, although we’d get it wax rust proofed if that was our plan. In many ways an old Mercedes is the perfect route into classic car ownership, as they’re well built, dependable and require minimal maintenance compared with other marques.

This one is also very affordable, listed at No Reserve and with a guide price of between £9,000 and £13,000, so represents a great opportunity to acquire a solid chunk of classic Mercedes from the company’s golden age, without breaking the bank.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.