300CE Restore or sell?

[Andreas187]

My dad bought a W124 300CE about 26 years ago. It was my dream car back in the day, I loved the look of the pillarless coupes.
He hasn't been able to drive it for the past 2/3 years so it has sat on the driveway slowly deteriorating.
Do you think it is a car worth restoring? I think they can still look pretty nice even amongst today's modern cars.
Is it an appreciating asset worth putting money into or do I stop reminiscing and sell it on?

 

[John Laidlaw]

Depends your appetite and patience
It will appreciate but in time and just depends how much work needs done
There are a few members on here would be interested in a project I’m sure

 

[Flyinspanner]

Ah, just saw your other thread and wondered - you’re right, they are cool, and may be worth you keeping hold of it, and slowly going through it to restore it to its glory.
It won’t currently be worth a huge amount, but it may well be one day in the not too distant future.
(And how cool would it be to own a car in the family, with that history & connection?)
Being sat on the driveway, I imagine corrosion will be an issue, give it a power wash and post up some pics from all angles, interior, underbonnet, boot and maybe you can get a better idea of what work you may need to carry out from other owners on here.
Has the engine been turned over now and again?
It may help to get it running and start it up just to help it stay ‘free’.

 

[Cole@MBS]

How can you not love a coupe!!!!

 

[grahamcol]

Fabulous cars. Resurrect it if at all possible !

 

[Andreas187]

I moved over to Cape Town 12 years ago so I'm spending the day finding out what it would take to ship it over.
They are extremely rare over there but it's only worth it to me for nostalgic reasons.
Either way it can't stay where it is because it would deteriorate very badly in the next few years.
If I do get rid of it I would just be happy if it went to a good home, I'm not looking to retire on the profits!

 

[John Laidlaw]

Not looking too bad apart of course from the body damage which is easily fixed

 

[Andreas187]

It's not all good news, the hood is feeling the effects of sitting outside. Taking it to South Africa is going to be a royal pain in the rear, especially because the car is registered in my dad's name. It will need to be in my name for 6 months before I can start the paperwork, I think the car will suffer badly if it sits through another winter.
Let me know if there are any interested parties that have a soft spot for this old coupe. You can take it away for a very, very fair price.

 

[A.J.]

I would love to take off your hands but I have nowhere to store it and work on it. Somebody is sure to fall in love with it on here.

My son in-law is South African from Durban. My Daughter would love to go but Warren is quite succinct and say there is no way he would ever set foot on South African soil again. Even her Dentist who is also South African said the same. I did used to work with a South African guy who had lived in Jo'Burgh. All he said was that he didn't take his dog for a walk at after dark. I am wondering what attracts you. ?

 

[om613]

Whereabouts in North London are you?

 

[Flyinspanner]

I think SA will get more problematic, the new leader Cyril Ramephosa (spelling?) was promising on his inauguration in Feb, that land owned by white South Africans will be confiscated.

That hasn’t worked well in Zimbabwe.

It’s such a shame, Mandela made such strides in bringing the nation together, it could be fantastic if that unity could continue, and the decades of social inequality could be worked upon, the majority getting a better education, preparing all for a new future. (And that’s not just B&W issues, but also that of tribal rivalry.)

 

[Andreas187]

Whereabouts in North London are you?

In Woodside Park, just off Southover

 

[Andreas187]

I would love to take off your hands but I have nowhere to store it and work on it. Somebody is sure to fall in love with it on here.

My son in-law is South African from Durban. My Daughter would love to go but Warren is quite succinct and say there is no way he would ever set foot on South African soil again. Even her Dentist who is also South African said the same. I did used to work with a South African guy who had lived in Jo'Burgh. All he said was that he didn't take his dog for a walk at after dark. I am wondering what attracts you. ?

It's a difficult topic, it was getting better but the (Black) ruling party is corrupt and has kept the majority uneducated. This allows them to continue to steal the wealth while blaming apartheid for people's poverty. It's always an easy 'out'. Joburg is bad re crime, Cape Town is not so bad, it's beautiful and the climate is terrific. I love it but I fear we may come back within the next decade?

 

[Capra]

It's a difficult topic, it was getting better but the (Black) ruling party is corrupt and has kept the majority uneducated. This allows them to continue to steal the wealth while blaming apartheid for people's poverty. It's always an easy 'out'. Joburg is bad re crime, Cape Town is not so bad, it's beautiful and the climate is terrific. I love it but I fear we may come back within the next decade?

What, a black filling party in Africa is corrupt, shock horror!
Have friends that have moved here from SA (they worked in Jo'burg). Some of their stories are absolutely shocking.
I've no idea what attracts anyone over there?

 

[Andreas187]

I won't be able to take the car home with me. Is anyone interested in my dad's 300CE? I leave in a couple of weeks and don't want to leave it sitting on the driveway for another winter. You can contact me on 0759 924 1060.
Thanks

 

[L John]

How can you not love a coupe!!!!

Nice looking but I much prefer a door for each seat.
I hate being in the back seat of a 2 door or having to get out of the front to let a rear passenger out.
It just makes no sense to me, especially on most cars with rear seats that are too small to be of any real use.
Great looking for 2 occupants but impractical for any more.
I know people love them and will say I'm wrong but that's what I think of them.

 

[d215yq]

A facelift one of these was my first Merc and lead to a love of W124s. I can't understand why these are so unpopular, they're barely worth any more if anything than the saloon and the estates fetch 2 or 3x as much. The estates are nice and very useful (I replaced mine with one of same year and engine) but I think as they get more expensive then surely the whole point of the estate (i.e. workhorse) gets lost.

As the rear seats of the saloon are fixed the bigger boot and wider doors would make a coupe more prcatical in some ways and they just look so right in a way the saloon doesn't.....I only ended up with a saloon as they did no diesel version and hence over here the coupe is rare as hen's teeth (and are almost all 300s and not 220s) and would bankrupt me with 20k miles a year of fuel.

Good luck with the sale, I imagine if it isn't rusty and has no engine problem it will be worth keeping going.

 

[Andreas187]

Come on guys, grab a silly bargain. I go back to South Africa in two weeks so trying to get this sold so it doesn't sit and rust on the driveway over the winter.
The car has been in the family for over 20 years and would hate to see it deteriorate.

 

[L John]

My apologies, I hadn't realised it had evolved to a for sale thread.
It's in the wrong section now it's for sale / open to offers.
Either start a new thread in the right place to get the right audience or ask a moderator to move this one.
Hint: Getting a moderator to move it could take too long as you're looking for a quick sale.

 

[Andreas187]

My apologies, I hadn't realised it had evolved to a for sale thread.
It's in the wrong section now it's for sale / open to offers.
Either start a new thread in the right place to get the right audience or ask a moderator to move this one.
Hint: Getting a moderator to move it could take too long as you're looking for a quick sale.

Yes, I have sadly decided to sell it. I have just posted an ad in the classifieds.
Thanks