21 year old 250 Quid Benz Euro tour

[Tiff]

1 week and 2500 miles through 5 countries in a 250 quid W124 200e,taking in Bremen,Nurburgring,Koblenz,Brussels etc. The car was my car,bedroom,dining room and van all in one, never missed a beat the entire journey,and averaged over 37MPG on 100MPH+ Autobahn dashes,15km traffic jams, and rush hour cities. No oil or water used either! Comfortable,quiet,economical and reliable...how many of these have been crushed or scrappaged??

Where it all started.. Bremen Mercedes Benz factory, pretty dissapointing actually. They make the SLK, GLK and C class estate here I believe. Not much info,and not much to see really. Did spot an SLS though, and these..

Old No1:

Perfect 300SL

The factory visitor centre:

View from above:

2 wheeled Mercedes..over 500 quid!!

Made in Bremen:

Arty 200E pic

These things are HUGE!!

The Nurburgring upset me a bit..I'd heard all about it years ago,and wanted to visit the last speed freaks playground where you just turn up and drive as fast as you can..it was closed. It seems to be rapidly turing into a corporate Disneyworld type place..All very expensive shops and shiny new buildings and vending machines...and seems very BMW oreintated..stayed about an hour then left in disgust.The surrounding scenery was beautiful though.

German Autobahn behaviour is still as good as ever, but the traffic jams are immense, and the whole of Europe seems to be a building site just now..Roadworks are very well managed though,and no average spped cameras.. No speed bumps in towns either! Begian drivers and roads are as bad as ever too, they are mad! France was fine, but this priority from the right takes a bit of getting used to..

A short Autobahn vid..strangely enough with the same song on the radio as the vid I took on the same Autobahn over 10 years ago in my VW Santana GX5..

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A vid of a MASSIVE downpour on the Autobahn..never seen rain like it..and I live in Scotland!!

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[joshmerc]

Good on you Tiff! Looks like a great trip! I would hate to brake down somewhere abroad though! What would you do?

 

[flango]

Great trip and what a £250 bargain, Nurburgring is only usually open to the Public on selected evenings and selected weekends best to check the website first to make sure its open, the rest of the time it is used for private manufacturer testing or corporate work.

 

[Tiff]

Good on you Tiff! Looks like a great trip! I would hate to brake down somewhere abroad though! What would you do?

LOL, that happened to me twice, 4 years ago on an Aprillia Pegaso motorbike.. the head gasket went, so I pulled out the engine and replaced it in my aunties garage, then on the way home from VW Autostadt, the cam sprocket retaining pin sheared..fixed on the forecourt overnight with tools bought from the petrol station and I was back on the road again.. next time I went with a BMW motorbike, now with a Benz with no trouble.. there is a lesson there somewhere!!

Seriously- if a 250 quid car brakes down, and its terminal..it's probably best to scrap it there and then and find another way home.

 

[Ted]

Now THAT is a proper road trip. Congratulations!

 

[SilverSaloon]

Sounds like a superb trip Tiff.... nice photos.

I hope RH doesnt see your videos though

 

[warren t claim]

Superb trip Tiff. What will your early 200E do flat out then?

 

[Tiff]

I saw 120 on the sppedo for a short time,I found it to be very long geared,so this was in 4th. 5th really seems to be an overdrive..

 

[crockers]

Nice trip..........but who was holding the camera?

 

[Tiff]

Nice trip..........but who was holding the camera?

It was me! Naughty I know...

I suppose now My computer is up and running again ( 2 viruses in 2 weeks..given up with Bill Gates altogether and now running Ubuntu..) I'd better finish the story..

Heading away from the 'ring I saw signs for Remagen, so went there to have a look at the remains of the bridge,was a damp foggy morning so couldn't see the other side of the river,but the two towers of the bridge are still there and a good few plaques telling a bit of the story of what happened. carried on up the road after stopping for fuel near Francorchamps, unsure of which language was required.. Pointing seemed to work! I don't speak a word of French, even after having it in school for 2 years.

Decided then I wanted to go home.. dunno if it was homesickness, the thought of another night kipping in the back seat, or what, but I headed for Dunkirk, round the Brussels ring road, watching out for the mad Belgians..their driving is atrocious! Got to Dunkirk to see if I could change my ferry ticket, but could't find a ferry office, had a look around and decided I quite liked the place! Sat on the beach with thoughts of all the soldiers in my head, and what the must have gone through, then sped off down to the Chunnel to see if I could get on the train,just for a change.. Rolled up to the barrier and asked for a price.. 220 Euro's says the man. "**&^%*^" off said I and proceeded to test the W124's turning circle..

Up to Calais, and into the P+O office.. "120 Euro's" says the man.. "^(*&&^( off" says I.. "there is a later ferry, 60 Euros he said".. "many thanks" says I and having time to kill, I went for a look around.. Calais must be the most depressing ferry port ever!! Anyway, on the ferry, off at Dover.. coffee, king size Snickers and hit the road, and before I knew it I was home.. I'd just driven from Koblenz to Fife in 1 go pretty much, no sleep, and no hassles.

Gotta say I love Mercs.. especially ones that cost the same as a good night out!!

Spotted this in Dunkirk.. anyone remember them?? !

 

[trapperjohn]

Que- The Righteous Brothers.

(sits and waits)

 

[Tiff]

Am I in trouble?

 

[mercmush]

Great post of a great trip !

 

[st4]

Nice work, great pics and review.

 

[MJH]

Spotted this in Dunkirk.. anyone remember them?? !

How could any red blooded male forget, can't go wrong with a Denim skirt

 

[Classic_car]

Great road trip thanks for sharing and one i'm sure you will always remember. Made all the sweeter by having paid only £250 for such a good car no doubt.

 

[Tiff]

How could any red blooded male forget, can't go wrong with a Denim skirt

LOL! Not exactly what I meant...

 

[A140driver]

Looks like a lot of fun! I'd like to do a similar trip in my Rover 2000 at some point! Hardly ever see Avengers like that, even at shows!
Your 124 looks like it's been an amazing buy for £250!

 

[Tiff]

Hardly ever see Avengers like that, even at shows!

You fell into the trap... its not an Avenger!!

 

[SL300-24]

Opel maybe?