I picked up a very interesting car yesterday from an elderly relative, I'm sure there were folks on HJ (was mapmaker one?) who talked years ago about being very keen on these older models but said finding a genuine tidy example was getting harder.
It's a 1986 W124 200 that my relative bought in 1989 as his retirement *special trips* car... they've always had a small diesel for daily use. It's this model/colour but the slightly earlier style without the plastic lower body trim...
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/1990-1993_Mercedes-Benz_230_E_%28W124%29_sedan_01.jpg
He was the second owner and it has covered a genuine 59K with all previous MOTs and service/repair invoices to prove. It's been garaged from new and is as clean and genuine as you'd ever see. Most important it has never been out in the winter salt and rarely in the rain so with it being garaged all the time there is no rust at all.
As retired folks there has rarely been anyone in the rear seats... ie no kids with crisps... so it is unworn. It's exactly the same interior trim/colour as this one but RHD...
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Mercedes_e200_w124_cockpit.jpg
It has both keys, the original Blaupunkt stereo, the original first aid kit in the parcel shelf hatch, original Mercedes fitted mats, all handbooks/service records, recent battery and 4 recent Michelins with 7mm tread. MOT'd to Aug'11 and taxed for several months. If you were looking for this type of car it ticks every box for condition, originality & history.
This may read like an advert bit it isn't as I'm not sure what to do with it yet. I'd always talked about having a classic like a Citroen DS in a few years time but it could be this is my classic landing in my lap.
Supportive comments or grumbles welcome!
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Nice car FL, i've had 4 but never a 200, not the engine for belting around but then that's not the reason for driving it, certainly the most economical engine apart from the Diesels and finding one of those with that astonishing mileage would be almost impossible.
Magic carpet ride, with smooth handling..cheap parts from GSF and Euro as you well know.
Pull the jacking point covers off and have a look inside, if the (covered) sills have any rust that's where you'll find it, and check in the boot at the sides where the wings meet the bumper at a ridge, moisture can collect there, front wings at the lower edge just in front of the wheelarch, inner bonnet bracings too....sounds like you have a peach though.
They can suffer with head gasket's so check the header tank.
If you like it keep it, you might be a bit disappointed as to the value just yet but put another few years on it and it can only increase.
If you need one of the best MB indies in the country (E Northants, might appear like a scrap yard at first sight but you're not paying for carpets and dolly bird receptionists) let me know.
NC still runs a 124 Diesel, there's not much he doesn't know about them either.
I've got 4 as new (but later facelift model) 15" wheeltrims for one of these in my garage should you need them...;)
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>> I've got 4 as new (but later facelift model) 15" wheeltrims for one of these in my garage should you need them...;)
Wants a bike rack too that does...
:-)
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>> Nice car FL, i've had 4
How's the coupe GB? Are you keeping it fettled, driving it every now and then to keep things running nicely? It's a shame to leave a good car standing too long.
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It's a shame to leave a good car standing too
>> long.
>>
Agreed C, decision time soon, if i'm selling it then i'll have to get it over to my indy for service and MOT, keeping it nice but SORNed so no driving.
Never driven a manual Benz that wasn't a truck, the foot operated parking brake doesn't lend itself to hill starts, but not many of those in the Fens i suppose..;)
By the way, the pre facelift 124's like yours FL always felt much better built than the later ones.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 16 Jan 11 at 11:58
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give you 500 quid cash for it.
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>>>give you 500 quid cash for it.
That's praise indeed from you Zero :-)
Just come to mind...don't you have a top spec one of these as a coupe GB? You are right the 200 isn't a fast car. I forgot to say that it's a 5 speed manual. I know when this class of car was new everyone always said manuals were unwanted. If I did run this car as a future classic though it would very much suit me that it has a manual box and simple 4cyl engine with a single carb.
I've looked in the places you mention GB but there really is no sign of rust anywhere. I think the fact that it's hardly got wet has meant the bodyshell is one of the best about. The coolant has been changed from time to time and is bright blue to correct level. Temp sits at 90 on the gauge.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sun 16 Jan 11 at 11:46
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Was sounding good until you mentioned the manual 'box...
Merc's should be autos, in my book, but all said, that does sound like one of the best around!
Very good build quality, the 124 was the last mid stream Merc that was built properly, S & SL were built well for a while longer, and that quality has never been repeated.
Forget what your told about the current 212 E class, its loads better built than the 210, and early 211, but not as well as the hype would have you believe.....
A 124 is THE Merc Id go for, maybe a 190 (201), but its so hard to get a good one now.
(of course Id love a proper classic Merc, (50's 60's) but you need DEEP pockets to do that!)
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This may read like an advert bit it isn't as I'm not sure what to do with it yet
Give it to a motoring museum. Ask merc if they want it for there showroom.
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550 quid, and I am stealing my kids dinner money here.
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As GB hints above, these cars aren't currently exciting people who are MB deviants, enthusiasts, cognoscenti, and so, prices aren't high. There is a niche though of people who understand how good the cars are.
While the W124s are good solid cars, this doesn't translate into them being a car you can simply run without spending on maintenance. Thankfully, in most cases, these cars were very carefully designed to allow them to be maintained, and just about the only job that would have me in any serious worry would be replacing the rear wheel bearings - which, thankfully, is a very rare job.
As an example, you can buy things like brake caliper repair kits, and individual suspension bushes from MB without having to buy the complete assembly, and the parts back up from MB is absolutely tip top.
Being a basic and early model, it will avoid the problem of the disintegrating wiring loom.
One piece of worthwhile preventative maintenance which isn't obvious, and isn't written down in the book is to remove the electronic ignition amplifier and renew the conductive heat transfer paste between it and its mounting plate. The paste dries out over the years, and if the amplifier gets too hot, it goes pop!, and they aren't cheap to replace!
If you hear any squeaking as you turn the steering wheel, it's likely to be the lower ball joints. Many garages miss these, as they clog up with rust and don't exhibit any free play, even when they're about to fail - so you have to ask the garage to simply renew them, the garage probably won't be able to diagnose them. New ball joints cost about £13 from MB, and a good garage can press one in in about an hour if they don't have the special tool, or about 15 minutes if they do!
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...550 quid, and I am stealing my kids dinner money here...
Six hundred and you can keep the rent.
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When I said grumbles welcome I was preparing the ground for mentioning it's a 5-speed manual. It's a personal choice but I've never liked autos so would only buy this type of car in manual form. Considering running it as a classic this gives the lowest maintenance liability and a half decent fuel consumption.
I've heard the *truck like* phrase before when talking of a manual Mercedes. Of course all the 124 Mercedes are a bit truck like after a modern FWD car but there really is nothing wrong with the manual. The clutch is about the same weight as my C5 and the gearchange... well you change gear with it and it's fine.
Swiss Tony mentioned liking the 190. Always a dream car of ours until we could afford one and then didn't like them compared with what else was available. Going back some years we had the chance to buy Dad's mint 190E (manual!) to replace a Xantia TD. In the cold light of day the Xantia was the better car in nearly every respect. The 190 just seemed a bit tight for room.
NC is spot on with the maintenance issues. At the last MOT/service Aug'10 (only 800mls covered since) the Mercedes specialist changed those ball joints (bargain £13+vat each as you say) as well as the brake fluid.
Regarding it not being worth much.... that's as fine its value isn't the slightest bit important to me if I keep it. If it sells it will go to someone who wants one in particular and I don't really care how much the final figure is.
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When GB mentioned 'a truck' I think it may have been an actual HGV-type truck he had in mind.
}:---)
Never driven any MB myself but always admired the solidity of the 124. Back in the 90s I used to use an airport taxi firm that ran them; I remember early one morning on the M3 glancing over the driver's shoulder to see that the spotless, rattle-free car we were in had done 135,000 miles. Seemed huge to me at the time but I now understand that it had barely begun.
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There are W124 taxis here with 800,000 - 900,000km on the clock still in remarkably good condition. I'm a big fan personally of the W124 series. At the time it combined advanced engineering (e.g. multilink suspension) with the long life and robustness of the W123 without that model's tendency to rust. The styling is (to my eyes) timeless and I've been asked on 2 occasions whether my 1994 Coupe is for sale. Good ones are becoming rare here and command surprisingly high prices.
I have no intention of selling it, I can't really claim it drives like a modern car, but I like the compliant suspension, the overdamped steering and the relaxed feeling older Mercedes convey on the driver before the company decided to try and produce copies of BMWs. Having said that, a 200 manual saloon wouldn't be my first choice, but if you don't keep it it'll probably end up as either a taxi or mobile machine gun post in Africa.
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My old boss had one of these with the autobox. I was surprised how fast it was (although that may have been because of what I was driving at the time) and I think a manual 200 would be OK.
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I went in a W124 taxi in Brussels a couple of years ago with 620,000 km on the clock. It was an automatic diesel of some description, but I don't know which engine. What struck me was the way that it felt as taut, quiet and smooth as the new E220CDi that had brought me to the meeting, and had none of the bagginess, interior creaking or wallowing that one normally associates with starship mileage taxis.
Of course, you only get a certain impression from the back seat, but the car's reputation for toughness and high mileage ability certainly seemed to be borne out. The guy wasn't exactly being gentle with it either (140 km/h seen on several occasions)
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>>> it'll probably end up as either a taxi or mobile machine gun post in Africa.
Mobile machine gun post in Africa would be a fitting end should it leave here.
Just spent a couple of hours doing a DIY valet on the interior. The quality of seat/carpet/door trim materials stands way above modern cars and look really good for little effort.
It's the same length as my C5 give or take a few ins... but somehow they found a massive amount of space for the rear passengers that seems to have gone from many newer cars. Boot is a real *open it to find a body* space too which may suit if it does head overseas.
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>> Just spent a couple of hours doing a DIY valet on the interior. The quality
>> of seat/carpet/door trim materials stands way above modern cars and look really good
I would agree that the quality is top-notch, but the appearance is somewhat dated, in a spartan sort of way.
To my eyes, the standard 'Zebrano' wood trim looks unnervingly like Formica - the optional walnut trim seems far better in this respect.
The seat coverings also remind me of 'old man's slacks'. That said, some colour combinations do work better than others....
The saloon remains the least 'desirable' W124 version, though this does work for you when buying. Estates of any engine size/trim will sell easily - coupés need good spec (leather/5spd auto etc) to do well.
The orange-indicatored cars seem to suit the character of the W124 better than the last facelift models. The cut-down radiator grille of those latter-day models also doesn't look quite Mercedes enough :-(
Be careful, Fenlander - they can worm their way into your affection!
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Fairly quickly realised if I get a classic car it will be something I really want not something near enough just because it falls in my lap. I don't like white cars and this Mercedes is white. Probably most important we may well move before proper retirement comes and it would be useful to know what space we have to fill before taking something on.
So Ebay has done its job and it was driven away an hour ago by a guy from London who wanted a *properly made car*. Fetched £1021 which was good.
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i never saw this thread
i think you did right to sell as the back end is too slabby and white is a big no no unless you are into weddings which is probably where its going
looked at one of these in the scrappies last week,built like tanks and those bonnet springs under the front wings massssseve just like the coils in the old rover AC mentioned last week
oh and no good as an auto as they needed booting everywhere to get anywhere reasonably fast and to me it was mechanical no no to my ears
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The buyer was Polish and said he had another back in Poland... he wanted this model in particular. This car was in cracking condition but more than anything else it was the white paint that killed it for me to keep. If it had been almost any light metallic and a set of proper/pattern Merceded alloys fitted it would have looked loads better.
Still it made the right money and it's gone which is the main thing.
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Mercedes Benz E-Class W124 - Amazing W124, not on ebay/autotrader - yet. - -
