Is this rust something to worry about?

[W124addictionhigh]

Looking to buy this w124 1995 with rust. Good car but does trouble lie ahead with this rust?

 

[Blobcat]

If it's like that where you can see it, it will also be where you can't...

 

[rifiki]

C pillar rust, could be an expensive fix, glass may have to come out for more rust.
Move on, plenty of good W124 for sale

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Look like easy jobs,, but like Blobcat above said , you need to look at the chassis on a four poster . And the first thing thsat comes to mind is,, if that bodywork outside its due to neglect .So what about the running gear and service its had ..Going off the body --none ...Me i would pass this one by. Try and buy a car thats maintained and looked after from a forum member .

 

[Jim2]

As Blobcat said, if you can see it, it will also be in places where you can't see it.....having said that, and going by the pics, it does not seem to be at an advanced stage yet ( by that I mean there are no holes visible) so therefore could be saved albeit with some work. Be better of course if you can find a rust free alternative. Or if you know some one in the repair business who could do an economic but good repair ( assuming such things exist ) Personally, if it was me and I wanted the that particular car, the mechanicals good,and the price was right ( especially because of the rust ) I'd buy it and work on it myself.

 

[DREAMER NO2]

W124 Would this have the 200 engine you never said in your post ..i recon both front wings have gone in the usual places . Look under the battery . and under carpets .

 

[joderest]

That all appears to be surface rust caused by the paint being removed down to the metal, if the owner had touched them in when they appeared, would not be half as bad.
Above advice is correct, if car is solid underneath and engine/transmission etc all good, then as long as its a decent price you can either live with the rust, or have it done somewhere. (depends how long you wish to keep it)
One thing to consider, if the exterior has been neglected, what is the interior like ?

 

[DREAMER NO2]

And these jobs will cast a fair penny ..Buy a good car that needs no body work .. ..Only way to do the rust is to remmove it - its cancer to metal ./ I would say its a basket case and comes at a cheap price .. Worth about £400 .. A set of standard alloys wheels and tyres will knock you back about £400 .Body work another £1000 so get yourself a good car anything in the region of £1000 is work .

 

[Frontstep]

There are no "easy bits" of rust most are in awkward places and some will clearly go into bigger holes its certainly not just "surface rust".

If your are good at bodywork then fine or if you don't care what it looks like then fine as well.

 

[Jim2]

The car is from 1995, so 26 years old. At what age do these cars start to appreciate in value??? ( actually, for that age, its not showing a lot of rust ) Would it be possible to find a rust free model, same year , price etc? Are they still in plentifull supply?

 

[mioba]

You would be luck to get a rust free W124. I had mine from new on an M plate. It went to car grave 3 years ago due to too much rust. Only had 110k on the clock.....sigh
Neglect is not a cause of rust. Frontnwings are first, then door sills, then sunroof, ariel and light recesses.

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Well i cant grumble can i, at 32 years young ..

 

[davidsl500]

The rust doesn't worry me - it's not my car...

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Davidsl55 Thats a good comment from a senior member .. to a new member just starting off on Mercedes .. Bet you never had anything like that did you David ? We all have to start somwhere dont we . Some of my early cars were like that , back in the 50s .

 

[Jim2]

Well i cant grumble can i, at 32 years young .. View attachment 69757

Smashing!!! Beautiful car. Shows that care and attention can do. Did it ever show any rust ever even in the usual places? My friend had a 1995 one, only sold it last year, only problem he had was with the handbrake cables. True, there were small patches of rust starting to appear, but nothing major. A local panelbeater bought it. So I would say that its well back to its original condition by now.

 

[Jim2]

You would be luck to get a rust free W124. I had mine from new on an M plate. It went to car grave 3 years ago due to too much rust. Only had 110k on the clock.....sigh
Neglect is not a cause of rust. Frontnwings are first, then door sills, then sunroof, ariel and light recesses.

Yes Mioba, the "Usual Suspects",,,front wings, door sills,..all places that trap dirt and water. In the sills, I expect that the drain holes get blocked, and thats the beginning of the end. And replacing the sills would be a much bigger job then replacing the wings. But if you did replace them, then they could be rust proofed at that point...loads of anti-rust material injected into the cavities. But when you have to go into the sun roof area..... And to add salt to the wound, mechanically, it was probably in perfect condition?

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Jim I did replace both front wings due to the bottom corner rust ..I was lucky finding the passengers side wing .A seller on Ebay had his car wrote off by a run away lorry . And then he listed the W124 to sell it whole .. I told him if he did not sell it that i needed just the front passengers wing ..It was the same paint code as mine.Well a week went buy , and i had a message to say he was stripping it down for parts no one wanted it whole .. and i could have the front wing .He removed the wing and listed it on Ebay . I bought it .It came ,I bolted it on to the car after i waxed the back side of it along with the body of the car . pics . Had wors on Christmas Eve about the wing on the dinning room table haha no safer place at the time .

 

[W124addictionhigh]

Thanks for the comments guys. I’m gonna pass on this one and find a better w124 to buy. I liked the gold one as my uncle had the same. Don’t let nostalgia cloud your vision eh.

 

[DREAMER NO2]

Look at a prospective car to buy ,,one day ... And go back again the next day to view it again . You will see more on the second visit ,,than the first .
And i think that the W123 was a far better car than the W124 ...Thats just my thought after owning both models .

 

[SL63 Mark]

Is this rust something to worry about?​

Yes