W124 saloon - what to look out for when buying - buying info

[CharlesStevenson]

I wish to purchase an early W124 saloon (1985-1989), without leather, air-con, or cruise control.   Are there any specific points, beyond usual checks of any car, that I should be aware of?  Is one engine size 200 / 230 / 260 or 300 better than another?  Is automatic more reliable than manual?  All replies gratefully recieved.

 

[RUSSELL WHEELER]

W124 saloon - what to look out for when buying

If it's anythigng to go by, my car rattles when cold, as the cam/hydraulic tappets have failed.

This is only noticable when cold, so make sure you see the car from cold.

Also check the service history - it is worth having on mercs.

Dont pay over the odds, my 1987 300e cost £2000 a over a year ago, with 150K on the clock, and that included £500 of private plate.

That said, it needs £1000 of work to bring it to scratch, so choose carefully.

I have been told the larger engine cars (260e, 300e, 320e) are better. It's a very heavy car

 

[paulcallender]

If it's anythigng to go by, my car rattles when cold, as the cam/hydraulic tappets have failed.

This is only noticable when cold, so make sure you see the car from cold.

Also check the service history - it is worth having on mercs.

Dont pay over the odds, my 1987 300e cost £2000 a over a year ago, with 150K on the clock, and that included £500 of private plate.

That said, it needs £1000 of work to bring it to scratch, so choose carefully.

I have been told the larger engine cars (260e, 300e, 320e) are better. It's a very heavy car

Yes, I'd echo that too. These days, its worth buying an estate rather than a saloon. These large estates are really practical and so you'll more easily be able to find a buyer, once you decide to sell it on.

 

[tom7035]

Have a look at the front suspension lower arm pivot bolt chassis mountings for corrosion.

 

[flagstaff]

optimum engine in these models is the 2.6: loads of power, silky smooth, surprisingly economical. having owned one of these, i thought the power/weight balance was about right. if you end up going for a 4-cyl model, try and choose one that had the later duplex timing chain (take off the oil filler cap and have a look) as the earlie single row chains were prone to snapping if servicing had't been stuck to. they need changing every 60-80,000 miles in any case, so ask if it's been done (and for evidence!!)...

the 2.0 is probably underpowered, and the cylinder head bolts were liable to stretch on certain models. rear springs can crack; symptoms (apart from the crack, obviously) are car sitting low at the back, rear of car skitting around under power. rear anti-roll bar stays snap too.

have a look at www.honestjohn.co.uk for more in depth analysis.

 

[Russel Weston]

124

Hi there, I currently have a 300e and am very happy with it. It is smooth, powerful and very easy to maintain. The rear shocks and springs need to be done, but other than that it is a fine car. The fuel consumption is a bit high though, I am getting around 30mpg. Regards

 

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

Russel- if you're getting about 30mpg on a 300E you're very lucky!

Charles- you're better trying for a later car with perferably a multi-valve engine. The E220 saloons are pretty cheap, the engines are more powerful and economical and all the bugs were pretty much ironed out by then.

If you save money on an old 124 now you'll probably end up paying for the difference in repairs and running costs.

 

[tom7035]

Plenty of advice here, but you still have to make a lot of decisions for yourself. You've started well by choosing W124, they were top of the league for build and reliabilty at the time. I have a 2-litre which I agree is a touch underpowered and would have preferred a six cylinder model like the 2.6 Flagstaff suggests. There's not much difference in fuel consumption up to this size, and in any case one driver's 25 mpg is another's 35mpg, this is all driving-style-dependent. As for FSH - great if it has one especially at this age but is it genuine? How many owners continue to spend the mega-money MB Dealers take for 15-20 years - not many! You can actually buy bogus FSH's on eBay! Your eye should tell you if a car has been/is being looked after.
Enjoy your search and my advice is (1) don't be in too much of a hurry, it's very true there is always a better one just around the corner. (2) be prepared to budget a couple of hundred pounds for 'bits and pieces' after you've bought the car. (3) choose an automatic - MB weren't too bright with manual gearboxes. and finally (4) relax! You're not going to be involved with a life or death sum of money here!
Good luck and hope to see you back on the forum soon with good news.

 

[andrey]

benz choice

:-D

Plenty of advice here, but you still have to make a lot of decisions for yourself. You've started well by choosing W124, they were top of the league for build and reliabilty at the time. I have a 2-litre which I agree is a touch underpowered and would have preferred a six cylinder model like the 2.6 Flagstaff suggests. There's not much difference in fuel consumption up to this size, and in any case one driver's 25 mpg is another's 35mpg, this is all driving-style-dependent. As for FSH - great if it has one especially at this age but is it genuine? How many owners continue to spend the mega-money MB Dealers take for 15-20 years - not many! You can actually buy bogus FSH's on eBay! Your eye should tell you if a car has been/is being looked after.
Enjoy your search and my advice is (1) don't be in too much of a hurry, it's very true there is always a better one just around the corner. (2) be prepared to budget a couple of hundred pounds for 'bits and pieces' after you've bought the car. (3) choose an automatic - MB weren't too bright with manual gearboxes. and finally (4) relax! You're not going to be involved with a life or death sum of money here!
Good luck and hope to see you back on the forum soon with good news.

they all good but 250e diesel even better

 

[steve_k243]

W124 Buying

Hi

As an example of running costs for a '92 300E.
I recently bought brake pads all round, 2 rear discs, front l + R wheel bearings, autobox filter, oil filter, Air filter plugs, prop centre bearing and a viscous coupling. Parts were about £190 if I recall and I did the oil & filter myself along with the plugs, antifreeze and air filter.

The discs, pads, bearings, diff and auto oil and filter, prop bearing and fan coupling were done by a local garage for £185! I have used the same bloke for years now, and he is perfectly happy doing labour only. All parts are sourced from GSF. Turns out the diff oil was not too bad, but it is a 12,000 mile item. Autobox feels better and no vibes etc. The rh front wheel bearing was terminal!, and the cause of all my paranoia (Christ it's the diff-box-propshaft) I dread to think how much an MB Stealership would want for the parts and labour.

Another plus for the w124 is that tyres are cheap--standard rims being 195/60/15 i.e Vectra, Mondeo etc prices.

Mine has no rust apart from some scratches under the bonnet (tools!)

Running from Herts to Devon on a frequent basis has returned as high as 32 MPG.

Lastly I believe my 13 year old W124 is quieter than my friends 2005 W211!
OK his is diesel, but a testimony to an old car.

 

[SJMaxson]

As for FSH - great if it has one especially at this age but is it genuine? How many owners continue to spend the mega-money MB Dealers take for 15-20 years - not many! You can actually buy bogus FSH's on eBay! Your eye should tell you if a car has been/is being looked after.

My W124 estate has a partial history before my time, and a full history in the years I have owned it - some with main dealership, many with independent (Andy Gayle). I previously bought a W124 estate without recent history, and regretted it. It cost us over £1000 in immediate (ish) repairs, and would have cost the same again had we kept it until the MOT was due. We didn't!

Choose a good one, and they are wonderful cars,. Choose a bad one, and it will be a wonderful car, once you have spent a lot of money on it!

 

[Keith]

E300D is superb

Charles
slightly surprised no one has pointed you towards the diesels in particular. The 300D especially 24v is an absolute peach and IMHO smoother than all but the 3.0 petrol. I've had my 1995 model 5 years I bought it with 50k on the clock it now has 175k on clock and I am totally confident with it. Only problems have been.

Aircon temp control went awol and took me a while to figure out
Heater blower fan died
2 batteries have died
rear tail electric lock burnt out (who needs one anyway)
the odd suspension part worn out (none expensive)
1 exhaust
tires
usual service parts
cant think of anything now , really struggling to anyway.

I dont think i could run a new car on less than that.

W124 is the best ever built . period.

K