We are living in an era when cars are simple objects that we use to get from point A to point B or means of transportation we use to carry goods or make a living. We usually get rid of a car after a few years and buy a new one. But some enthusiasts take good care of their cars, especially if they're of the vintage variety, collectibles, or worth more than the average vehicle.
Of course, you'd expect the owner of a Ferrari 250 GTO to keep detailed records of his car, but a certain Canadian fellow amassed no fewer than 1,200 pages of service records while owning and taking care of a 1983 Mercedes-Benz W123 wagon.
The Canadian owner purchased the German station wagon as an almost brand-new car in 1984. The car's first owner relocated to Canada and was allowed to bring with him a vehicle from his own country without paying any import taxes and fees. He purchased the car specifically to sell it for a profit in Canada and ordered it with a handful of cool and special options. The wagon is finished in Petrol Green Metallic and features a Mushroom leather interior, Bosch foglamps, honeycomb wheels, and a Zebrano wood horn pad cover.
What's more, it's the 300TD version, which means that it's the range-topping turbodiesel model. The owner drove the wagon for 35 years until he sold it in 2019 with 535,000 km (around 332,434 miles) on the clock.
What's more, he bought a second vintage Mercedes-Benz in 2010, this time an S-Class model from the W126 generation, built in 1985. But the really impressive thing here is that the full-size sedan features the same Petrol Green Metallic exterior color and the same 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine as the station wagon. But wait, there's more.
Both cars were purchased by the same guy and he published the entire story on The MB Market website. He also arranged an interview with Mr. Milton, who took care of the station wagon for more than 30 years, and it's all in the view below.
What Is a Mercedes-Benz W123?
One of the most iconic Mercedes-Benz models ever produced, the W123 was introduced in 1976 as a successor to another legendary car, the W114. A predecessor to the W124, the first midsize sedan officially called an E-Class, the W123 remained in production until 1986, with almost 2.7 million units built in almost 10 years. The W123 became a big hit globally and gained a reputation of being well-built, durable, and reliable.
These cars are known to work without major mechanical issues until they hit at least 500,000 km. Some cars were driven beyond the one-million-kilometers mark, a figure that makes the W123 the epitome of Mercedes-Benz quality. While the sedan was by far the most popular body style with more than 2.3 million cars built, Mercedes also sold almost 200,000 wagons and almost 100,000 coupes. It was assembled in six different factories and offered various gasoline and diesel engines.