Feeling a little cruel - keep or break the 300TE?

[Will]

Seems a little ruthless but I'm wondering what I should do with my '91 W124 300TE.

It's been a good workhorse for the last couple of years, never let me down and has been handy for moving things and a spare car as well.

But - I'm reluctant to spend any money on it. It cost me £320 two years ago with a new MOT, and aside from a couple of oil changes and some service bits when I first got it I've not spent a penny on it since. Seriously - nothing I can remember - not a tyre, battery, exhaust, brakes or anything AFAIK - oh except a set of parking brake shoes for the last MOT - £20 from MB.

Anyway, the MOT test must be due up again soon, if it's not already out it'll be in the next week or two IIRC, and the tax the month after.

I don't forsee any major headaches with the MOT, but I've a feeling it could do with some front pads soon, maybe one or two other service bits in the near future as well, and the front wings are getting a bit tattier than they already were (I'm not wasting a new set of wings on it). Currently just under 200k on the clock, smooth engine and gearbox - doesn't burn any oil or water etc.

As I'm not using the 190E much at the moment, I'm tempted to out the pair of them - should get a grand +/- for the 190E or thereabouts, and I can't help but feel that the 124 would be worth more in bits than it is as a whole car - should break some of the main spares for £500+ easily I'd have thought?

Anyway - makes me wonder, could buy something like a W210 E320/430 estate for similar cash (£1500?), even with a bit of cosmetic rust it would be a nice upgrade for the DIY/gardening/dump runner. The 300TE is getting a bit tatty on the outside now and a change would be nice.

What do we reckon - axe the trusty (but slightly tatty/tired) 300TE or stick it in for another ticket?

If it passes another MOT I can see I'll never get rid of the bloody thing...

 

[wemorgan]

It's always nice to try out other cars, so yes I'd sell the W124 and move on

I'd personally find it too much hassle stripping the car for spares. My lazyman view would be to put it through the MoT, then you'll have maximised its value, ready for sale.

So is the CLK your daily drive these days?

 

[Scott_F]

Breaking a car for spares is always going to be a hassle, never quick and you'll be left with a bodyshell and lots of other parts to dispose of at the end of the whole process.

For the cost of an MOT and a potentially a few service parts the old girl is worth more than you will realistically get for spares. See what happens with the MOT and if she isn't going to need much to pass then keep her or sell her to a new owner.

 

[Will]

It's always nice to try out other cars, so yes I'd sell the W124 and move on

I'd personally find it too much hassle stripping the car for spares. My lazyman view would be to put it through the MoT, then you'll have maximised its value, ready for sale.

So is the CLK your daily drive these days?

I wouldn't bother stripping the whole car down, just the easy bits that I know would make good money, I'm sure £500's worth of bits would be easy enough - ASD relay (+ diff I I can be bothered), instrument cluster (with 160mph speedo head/ASD - NLA and used in the 2.3/2.5-16 ASD cars), SLS bits, refurbed 15-hole alloys, 2k mile genuine MB dizzy cap and rotor, EZL/OVP/FPR + other electrical bits - window motors/switches, mirrors, wiper motor, grille, recent backbox for the exhaust - mint 7-seat interior/leather wheel + shifter etc - scrap man can take the rest

Battery can go in the 190E - handy as the one on the car is getting weak I think.

That's the dilemma with the MOT, not sure it's worth the hassle as the car is worth more in bits than as a whole - ignoring the £40 or whatever test fee.

CLK is the weekend/evening car, I've another vehicle for daily use.

I guess if I threw the car away for nothin I'm still quids in regardless - £320 over two years, about 50p a day or something like that - bangernomics for sure there

 

[d w124]

What color is the interior Will?If is grey,a member could do with it http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/90474-what-should-i-pay-w124.html

 

[SilverSaloon]

if the car has done you well and you dont see any major issues anytime soon, i'd MOT it and keep it for the workhorse, instead of buying a later model, potentially with lots of problems...... selling good one old car for another old car with lots of potential problems isnt worth the risk IMO.

 

[d w124]

if the car has done you well and you dont see any major issues anytime soon, i'd MOT it and keep it for the workhorse, instead of buying a later model, potentially with lots of problems...... selling good one old car for another old car with lots of potential problems isnt worth the risk IMO.

+1

 

[EDZ649]

Will, as others have said, breaking a car is a bit of a hassle and you are not guaranteed to sell stuff quickly.

I did ok from the 300e 24v I broke up but mainly because of the AMG kit and wheels. I also used the virtually mint wings for the 320e.

I have lots of bits still for sale and I'm getting to the stage where I'm thinking I can't be bothered anymore.

If you have somewhere to store it and you enjoy taking things apart then break it, if not I would put it in for MOT and see what happens.

 

[Will]

Good feedback guys.

I'm thinking that the last MOT cost me £60 (£40 + £20 for the brake shoes)

It's not that I think it's right at the end of it's life, it's just that I'm a bit tired of it now and I don't think it's worth even the cost of a new set of tyres, or any kind of service bits.

Even if I MOT for say £100 all in, I'll still need to tax it next month, and IMHO I'm going to have to service it soon (check brakes/tyres etc if nothing else) - just doesn't seem worth it considering how little it cost and what it's worth.

I guess I think I'm done with it, and I reckon it's worth hardly anything as a whole MOT'd car (£300-500?), but probably more than that in just some of the main/desirable/easy bits.

I might stick it in for a £40 MOT just to see, but I secretly don't want to so that I can get rid of the thing...

 

[d w124]

I can get rid of the thing...

Have a bit of respect Will,if the car served you well and was trouble free

Also I don`t think the word workhorse would suit w210

 

[SilverSaloon]

if you really want to get rid of it, then just stick it on ebay and let it go for whatever it goes for. that way, it will hopefully get used again by the new owner.

or see what webuyanycar.com offers you for it...

 

[Will]

Don't get me wrong, I like saving older cars where it's worthwhile. Just that with approaching 200k miles and rusty front wings/bubbling near the side window/getting tired elsewhere it's got to be worth more in bits that as a whole car.

The only reason I'd break it would be because it's worth more that way - I just don't think it's worth taking on as a car anymore, even at say £500 complete when you can buy relatively good condition 210 estates for £1-2k nowadays.

I'd want the cash from the 124 (circa £500) + the value of the 190E (say £1k) to buy something like this:

Mercedes E430 Elegance Black 7seater est fully loaded on eBay (end time 27-Aug-10 23:37:51 BST)

(tints and silly badge removed though.. )

Considering I'd be doing maybe a couple of thousand miles PA max in the new 'shed', can anyone say that it's a totally ridiculous idea.

The 300TE is starting to look tatty sitting outside too

 

[Adam230K]

Wouldn't you consider a diesel as a work horse? or is it because they're too expensive to buy to begin with? or are they too slow for you?

 

[Will]

Pretty much - don't really need a diesel for a car that's probably going to do a couple of thousand miles PA.

I'd much rather take a powerful 430 estate with the usual toys (electric seats, leather, climate etc) - even if it only did 15-20mpg it's not going to matter as the cars are so cheap to buy now. Really at £1000-1500 or so, it's a lot of estate car for the money.

I do feel guilty as I sound as though I'm being a bit unkind to the 124 I've got, but I just can't bring myself to spend anything on it anymore (time or money), so it's got to be nearly time for it to go.

 

[dinoya]

the specialist mercedes scrap people pay around £150 - £200 for one without mot, with mot u should get double that, does it have leather interior??

 

[Will]

the specialist mercedes scrap people pay around £150 - £200 for one without mot, with mot u should get double that, does it have leather interior??

Nope, no leather - but actually the interior is in really good nick - cream/biscuit cloth, no wear to the driver's seat at all, good leather wheel + shifter, 7-seats - even all the door cards and wood trim are in perfect nick IIRC.

I'm sure I'd get a couple of hundred in scrap, and as you say probably double that with MOT, hence I reckon it's worth more in bits?

 

[gaz_l]

I'm pretty unsentimental about cars, and although it seems a shame to scrap yours everything comes to an end and it sounds like it doesn't owe you a penny.

If it was me I'd risk the MOT cost (someone will always be on the lookout for a banger with 12 months ticket), if it passes happy days, you should get £500 from an advert in the local paper. If it fails, too bad, strip the valuable bits and rent a trailer to drag the rest to weigh in at the scrappy?

Just my £0.02..

Cheers,

Gaz

 

[talldude]

I'd keep it, better the devil you know. It takes time to know a car, you've built up trust over time. Meanwhile, keep looking out for a 'one careful lady owner' a gem will pop up eventually.

 

[st4]

Will-it sounds like a decent enough 124, a bit tired in places. For the sake of the extra hassle and a few bob more, it would be good either for you to keep the motor or to move it on to someone else. 124s are getting rarer and rarer these days, someone would cherish that car after you and its going to give you hassle moving on bits of it, so if you get your £320 back for it, you are quids in really as you've had 2 years smoking about in it.

 

[Adam230K]

I wouldn't spend money on it to be honest, and dont feel guilty its just a car at the end of the day.

If you're bored of it now, even if you spend a few quid on it and make it road worthy again, it will only be a matter of time before you itch to replace it with something else.