Bishkek is W124 Central

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CreosoteChris

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Aug 16, 2014
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115
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CreosoteVille
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1993 300CE
(This is one of an occasional series of posts, last one was here, where I visit the capitals of ex-soviet republics, and assess the prevalence of out-of-date Mercs)

(Yes I realise this is a rather exotic and leftfield hobby, but I’m enjoying it)

I spent Monday seeing the sights of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan – the only remaining capital of the former eastern bloc where statues of Marx, Lenin, and Engels still stare proudly from their pedestals.

Alongside these dinosaurs of the political world, another remnant of the not-so-distant past is still in evidence – an extraordinary number of Mercedes W124s are still roaming the streets of the Kyrgyz capital – if you hang out for a few hours in the city centre, you’ll see a hundred of them easily. There’s a general preponderance of low-spec vehicles, and a lot of them are in a beat-up condition, but a fair few nicely-kept examples – nearly all saloons, I saw two or three wagons, no coupes. Plenty of 124 taxis working the city – you can find one within 3 or 4 minutes, if interested (a few seconds if you aren’t concerned about the make / model of the vehicle)

A few photos here – these were all taken within a four-hour period, whilst generally doing the tourist thing, not specifically looking for cars - these were probably 10% of the 124s I saw during that time.

Cool place, and for the W124 enthusiast, it’s hog heaven.

Chris
93 220CE, auto, red / black leather, 117k, Manchester
 
Wonder if they put salt on the roads in winter?
Unlikely, I think - general road maintenance standards in Kyrgyzstan are pretty bad.

There are a few bits of highway with decent-quality surfacing, but most of it is pretty bumpy / patched-up, + occasional stretches where the surface is absent - Kyrgyz drivers expect and take that sort of stuff for granted. It's the developing world, not similar to Europe, where safety-oriented niceties are the norm.

On the plus side, those highways are set against a *stunning* backdrop of 5000m snow-capped mountains, and you can get a 300km ride in a shared taxi for $10.

Cheers

Chris
 
Older cars do seem to survive well in very hot/dry -- very cold/dry climates--- Warm/wet/maritime seems to be the killer.
 

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