The devastating DANA that has ravaged part of Valencia has caused terrible human losses, but the water has also destroyed tens of thousands of vehicles. The floods and mud have rendered cars, motorcycles, and trucks unusable, with their parts and components completely ruined by mud and water. But some vehicles are more resilient than others, they have withstood the onslaught of the rains, and have come back to life with a simple tune-up.
This is the case of the Mercedes-Benz W123 300D owned by Iván Felisi Rubio, a Valencian resident in Carlet. This classic, one of Iván's possessions, was resting in a garage in Algemesí, a municipality severely affected by the DANA. After the flood that hit the city, the vehicle ended up buried in water and mud after the parking lot was completely flooded.
"Some neighbors warned me about the flood," Iván tells EL MUNDO. "The street had a meter and a half of water, imagine how the garage was, which is also in a flood-prone area, an old riverbed," he adds. "The emergency services drained the water from the garage, and I went to see how the car was," Iván explains.
When he arrived, the car was full of mud, with the interior soaked and mud embedded in every piece, in every crevice of the vehicle. But that didn't stop Iván, who in a short time, a very short time, had the Mercedes out of the garage running as good as new. "I grabbed a battery and the toolbox and started it up," Iván narrates.
"The only thing I did was change the battery, drain the water from the engine, and check the oil. It started on the first try," he explains. Now, as Iván says, "all that's left is to clean it. Disassemble it and clean it. The odometer will be the most complicated part, but luckily, it's a car with many spare parts available."
Iván is a lover of classic cars, he has several Mercedes and a few models from other brands. The story of his W123 300D has gone viral on social media and has sparked a debate about the difference in quality between cars from the past and those of today. But our protagonist is clear: "People are convinced that electric cars are the future, and they are very wrong."
Before and after of the Mercedes after cleaning the chassis.PROVIDED BY IVÁN FELISI RUBIO
The Mercedes-Benz W123 300D model was manufactured between 1976 and 1985 and is equipped with a 125-horsepower turbodiesel engine. What it hardly has are electronic components, which are the ones most affected by water and humidity, which is why with a simple battery change and a small tune-up, it is able to come back to life after a catastrophe like the one caused by DANA.
Internet users have not hesitated to praise the qualities of this Mercedes model. "That's why they are used as taxis in forgotten countries," "Classics are the only ones that come out of floods working. That's where the quality of things shows!" or "These cars were designed to last, not like today's, which seem to have an expiration date," are some of the most applauded comments on X. "Spectacular!!!! Like nothing... another wash with clean water and it's good for another 500,000 KM," said another user.