30 years old...

d215yq

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2008
Messages
2,664
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Age
39
Location
Valencia, Spain
Your Mercedes
1987 W124 300D 280k miles
Not me unfortunately (I'm 33) but today as I took the W124 for the itv (Spanish MOT) I noticed the build date was exactly 30 years ago! And it passed...so to celebrate I will hoover it and clean it for the second time in the nearly 3 years I've owned it.

Was wondering if anyone else actually uses these old timers daily and not just as classics? Mine has done 24k miles in the last year, taken all my furniture when I changed cities, taken me all over Spain on business, been up to 2500m fully loaded many a weekend (both in 35 degree summer heat and 0 degrees for skiing), transported all the materials for renovating my flat (including 450kg in boot when I overloaded it accidentally) and not to mention the daily commute/weekend trips. Been 15 months since the last big bill and in that time just oil/filter change, new fuse, refitting a coolant hose and a puncture repair. Total cost 70 quid (did all but the tyre repair myself! 0 breakdowns and 50mpg + average so certainly can be used as a daily and not pampered if that's what's required :)

Of course not all plane sailing and it picked up a fair few advisories, though mostly stupid stuff to do with number plates, cracks in light units, etc (my favourite being "tape used to secure drivers door mirror not of sufficient quality" - so I've promised to buy some "proper" gaffer tape and redo it more carefully before next test).

That said two struck me as being worth investigating:.

1. Left headlight not very bright - does that mean bulb or more likely wiring/bulb holder needs some switch cleaner/replacing?
2. Defects in the state of the steering box - he did say that it's normal and not worth worrying about yet and is very expensive to replace so leave well alone. Would anyone expect free play in the steering box normally?

Other than that it's all serviced on schedule so plan to just enjoy it until the clutch goes and then maybe think about what else I might want to fix at the same time (something I've been waiting to happen since I bought it but that never seems to get worse despite biting very high up and juddering occasionally).
 

davemercedes

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2012
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4,345
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2,099
Location
Glos
Your Mercedes
2007 Merc 220 CDi Est Auto Av (s203)
In the late 60s I had a Standard 10 van. I put petrol in and drove it - that's all. It sailed through 5 x MOTs then failed for a worn tyre with a free retest after I replaced it. Then I got a company car and gave it to a visiting Aussie cousin. He cut windows into it and he and his mates "did" Europe in it. When he was due to go back down under, nobody wanted it and it wasn't worth the cost of advertising it so he decided it would go to a breakers. I went with him to bring him back home. The lovely old battleship started immediately when he turned the key and took it on its last drive.

We agreed afterward that it felt a bit like taking the family cat/dog to be put down.
- OMG, it had a "heart".
 

brianbrian

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2008
Messages
2,758
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190
Age
81
Location
cockney in the West Country
Your Mercedes
w124 250D, SL129-deisel
My wife's daily car is a 1990 124 250d auto, drives as good as new 45mpg.Yes biggest and expensive job 10 years ago changed the steering box,radiator, water pump, vaccumm pump, injectors other than that just normal servicing materials,pads disc tyres oil atf filters.
 

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