Friends E220 Cabrio On Ebay.

[GRAV888]

One of my friends is selling his immaculate E220 cabrio.
It has only done 134 miles in between the last 2 MOT's
I have his home phone number if anyone is interested and he will take £7000 for it, as he needs to sell it quick.
Ebay Link

 

[SimonsMerc]

Ooooh, this is in my price range and is almost exactly what I have been looking for. More miles than I was after, but then if it's been looked after I guess that'll be fine. Also I'm expecting to probably put lots of miles on so I guess the point is moot!

Will PM you Grav with a phone number, if you could call me so we can chat

-simon

 

[SimonsMerc]

Well, I took a drive down to Rochester yesterday with the wife and kids. Took longer than I imagined to get there, so upset wife and hungry kids! But no matter.

The car is beautiful! Needs a bit of loving care (was covered in dust and could do with a wash and a polish), but it seemed to start first time. All the electrics work, including the roof, which seems to be in OK condition (no obvious tears). I couldn't see any rust under a cursory inspection (but then I didn't see the rust on my 210 until it was pointed out to me). It seems to drive well, and the lack of noise when driving at speed with the roof up is quite impressive for the age.

There were two things that my wife complained about, which I'd like an opinion on (Ray/Ian, this is your chance to shine;-). Firstly, the power steering seems to be really bad - it's like driving a car without PAS. Do cars of this age simply not have good power steering? Jumping from my W210 (which admittedly has parametric steering) into the W124 cabrio, the difference was immense. It simply didn't feel like the cab has power steering at all! While this didn't bother me personally all that much, I'd like to know if this is "normal" for the model. It bothered the wife a little, but then nobody is going to be forcing her to drive it The second thing was the acceleration. The car feels *very* underpowered. You really have to boot it to get it to go fast! I'm assuming that's because it's the E220 and not a bigger engine. It's definitely not a sports car! But then, I'm not after a sports car - I'm after a refined convertible. Again, is this normal? Or is it just the effect of me jumping from my 245bhp 600nm monster into an E220 petrol?

I've agreed to call the vendor on Monday to agree 100% to buy (I still have to sort out insurance details and so on, and I couldn't get through on Saturday). He seems like a very genuine guy - he's moving his family to Florida (they like hurricanes or something), and he doesn't use the car at all.

So what do folk think? Should I become a member of the W124 club?

-simon

 

[GRAV888]

Trying to give an unbiassed opinion, (as I know Ray well), I think with a good scrub up and polish, it would be a worthwhile investment.
One of my neighbours has an E220 saloon on a 'N' plate and that isn't very quick off the mark either.
Can't help you with the steering though.

If you do buy it Simon, give me a call and maybe we can meet up for a coffee

 

[andy_k]

The power steering thing would worry me, I've never driven a W124 that felt heavy on the steering even with a combination 8" rims and 225 tyres on the front - it should be effortless - check and replace the fluid if neccessary.

As for acceleration and power, some could say that the 220 is slightly underpowered
(particularly in the heavier bodied cabrios) but it should be quick enough off the mark to keep pace with most things and will effortlessly exceed any speed limit in this country and most of europe

HTH

Andy

 

[Ian B Walker]

Well, I took a drive down to Rochester yesterday with the wife and kids. Took longer than I imagined to get there, so upset wife and hungry kids! But no matter.

The car is beautiful! Needs a bit of loving care (was covered in dust and could do with a wash and a polish), but it seemed to start first time. All the electrics work, including the roof, which seems to be in OK condition (no obvious tears). I couldn't see any rust under a cursory inspection (but then I didn't see the rust on my 210 until it was pointed out to me). It seems to drive well, and the lack of noise when driving at speed with the roof up is quite impressive for the age.

There were two things that my wife complained about, which I'd like an opinion on (Ray/Ian, this is your chance to shine;-). Firstly, the power steering seems to be really bad - it's like driving a car without PAS. Do cars of this age simply not have good power steering? Jumping from my W210 (which admittedly has parametric steering) into the W124 cabrio, the difference was immense. It simply didn't feel like the cab has power steering at all! While this didn't bother me personally all that much, I'd like to know if this is "normal" for the model. It bothered the wife a little, but then nobody is going to be forcing her to drive it The second thing was the acceleration. The car feels *very* underpowered. You really have to boot it to get it to go fast! I'm assuming that's because it's the E220 and not a bigger engine. It's definitely not a sports car! But then, I'm not after a sports car - I'm after a refined convertible. Again, is this normal? Or is it just the effect of me jumping from my 245bhp 600nm monster into an E220 petrol?

I've agreed to call the vendor on Monday to agree 100% to buy (I still have to sort out insurance details and so on, and I couldn't get through on Saturday). He seems like a very genuine guy - he's moving his family to Florida (they like hurricanes or something), and he doesn't use the car at all.

So what do folk think? Should I become a member of the W124 club?

-simon

Simon, reference the steering. It should be smooth, I know that my E220 Coupe needs either a new pump or steering box as the steering feels like it has corners on it. Andy K mentioned to me in a phone conversation thet the rear arms could be a cause of poor steering. If the bushes are worn then it does affect the experience. Or it may just be a case of the fluid needing a change (1ltr) Re lack of power, you must realise that you have there the best part of 2 tons of car Powered by 2.2ltr 16 valve. Jumping out of a 245ish Bhp car will be noticable. My advice to you would be to GET IT before someone else does. Join the 124 revolution and be proud of real engineering. One thing to look for though, where the hood locks to the front windscreen the plastic brackets / covers tend to crack and are quite expensive. Apart from that they are faultless.

 

[SimonsMerc]

Simon, reference the steering. It should be smooth, I know that my E220 Coupe needs either a new pump or steering box as the steering feels like it has corners on it. Andy K mentioned to me in a phone conversation thet the rear arms could be a cause of poor steering. If the bushes are worn then it does affect the experience. Or it may just be a case of the fluid needing a change (1ltr) Re lack of power, you must realise that you have there the best part of 2 tons of car Powered by 2.2ltr 16 valve. Jumping out of a 245ish Bhp car will be noticable. My advice to you would be to GET IT before someone else does. Join the 124 revolution and be proud of real engineering. One thing to look for though, where the hood locks to the front windscreen the plastic brackets / covers tend to crack and are quite expensive. Apart from that they are faultless.

Eeep. The plastic brackets were a bit cracked - I figured "oh that's just plastic, should be cheap to fix if needed". They're not totally broken tho - they work, just are a little cracked. Any idea how much that would cost to fix?

As for the power steering, that worries me a little. I'm not that mechanically minded, so anything I have to do to the car increases the cost! Again, any idea how much this would cost to do?

-simon

 

[Ian B Walker]

Ray knows better than me how much the plastic bits cost, he enquired then promptly forgot about them Now Steering bits. A new steering box from GSF is about £250, fitting can be tricky if you havent done it before. I changed one in my drive and it took me about 6 / 7 hours. Mind you having done it once I guess I could get it down to about 2 / 3 hours now. As for steering pump, dont know how much they are. One thing I can point out though is that the steering pump for a cab / coupe should be marked as 110 bar output, not 85 bar as others are marked. I hope this helps.

 

[Tan]

Simon there is a very good mechanic in the kent area that could look over the car for you. He looks after several of the club members cars and is very very good.

Either do a forum search for Steve the mechanic or drop me a PM

Regards

Tan

 

[kikkthecat]

Eeep. The plastic brackets were a bit cracked - I figured "oh that's just plastic, should be cheap to fix if needed". They're not totally broken tho - they work, just are a little cracked. Any idea how much that would cost to fix?

As for the power steering, that worries me a little. I'm not that mechanically minded, so anything I have to do to the car increases the cost! Again, any idea how much this would cost to do?

-simon

Apart from the hood (which is vaccuum operated by the way, not electric) my cabriolet is identical mechanically to the coupe. Performance is the same too. Like everyone else in this thread I have to say the power steering issue needs resolving. It should in no way feel heavy.
As for the plastic trim round the hood catches I have one that is cracked (drivers side) but it doesn't show and I and will live with it. The dealer quoted me £35 +vat for one and it has to be ordered from Germany.
If the steering is put right, grab yourself a serious bargain. I've never seen one within a grand of that price regardless of age or mileage. It was only in January I went to look at one that was quite simply the shabbiest car I've ever looked at (rust, torn hood, cigarette burns, kerbed wheels etc) and priced at £8500. I watched one on ebay 2 months ago with a reserve of £6750 with 250000 miles on it.
Insurance isn't an issue either, swapping from the coupe to the cabriolet cost me less than £60
Be prepared for the "goldfish bowl" syndrome though, the cars rarity makes sure it gets a lot of attention.

 

[pepper&boulou]

As for steering pump, dont know how much they are. One thing I can point out though is that the steering pump for a cab / coupe should be marked as 110 bar output, not 85 bar as others are marked. I hope this helps


I've just replaced the power steering pump on mine which is 110 bar (E300D) I got it from mercman for £91.

 

[kikkthecat]

I've agreed to call the vendor on Monday to agree 100% to buy (I still have to sort out insurance details and so on, and I couldn't get through on Saturday). So what do folk think? Should I become a member of the W124 club?

-simon

Well ???
I notice it's still on ebay, did you agree a sale ?

 

[SimonsMerc]

Well -

After a terribly long discussion with the wife...I ended up not buying. She's not happy about getting a car that may need some work done to it (ref the steering). I know I'm going to regret this. But such is life.

If anyone else is after an E220 cabrio - I strongly recommend this one! The seller seems like a very genuine person, and if I could convince the wife I would be buying it myself.

-simon

 

[Ian B Walker]

Simon its not too late, do yourself a big favour and get it. Load of us on here would like to see it as a members car. Help and spanner twiddling is the forums speciality

 

[GrahamC230K]

Sounds like your wife disrupts most of your car plans! Get that thumb off the back of your head!

 

[k langdon]

Grav,

RE: your friends E220 cabrio

Have you had any discussions with the owner about the power steering that's been highlighted on this thread?
Do you know anything about the service history and where work's been done and when was the last service?
Is there any reason why it's done so little mileage in the past 2 years - lack of mileage can cause remedial problems to parts of the car - so this could be a cause for concern.

Sorry for the questions, if you don't know the answers could you PM me your friend's contact details.

Depending on the answers and potential cost involved in putting things right, I may be interested.

Cheers,

Kevin

 

[SimonsMerc]

Sounds like your wife disrupts most of your car plans! Get that thumb off the back of your head!

*shrug* that's your opinion. The nice thing about the internet is that I'm perfectly entitled to totally ignore your opinion ;-)

Personally I'm quite happy with the situation. Yes it would have been a car I like; but on the other hand, she's right, I'm not mechanically minded and I can't repair things myself. I know that there are people on here who can help, but the trouble is that the majority of them live way north of Watford - Ian thanks muchly for the offer of support, but driving up to Preston to fix things is going a bit far methinks! So for anything that'd need doing, I'd be paying out. Seeing as 7k was that absolute top of my budget for a 2nd car, I can't afford something which might need me to invest quite a bit more.

Kevin - I will PM you the contact details, well worth looking at!

-simon

 

[GRAV888]

Grav,

RE: your friends E220 cabrio

Have you had any discussions with the owner about the power steering that's been highlighted on this thread?
Do you know anything about the service history and where work's been done and when was the last service?
Is there any reason why it's done so little mileage in the past 2 years - lack of mileage can cause remedial problems to parts of the car - so this could be a cause for concern.

Sorry for the questions, if you don't know the answers could you PM me your friend's contact details.

Depending on the answers and potential cost involved in putting things right, I may be interested.

Cheers,

Kevin

He has a works van and his mrs has another car.
This was used just for rare occasions (shame really, as I would want to be in it all the time).
If you're interested, have a look quick, cos I might even buy it at the end of the month.
With regards to the steering, I havn't driven it, but will go and have a look and possibly change the fluid if I feel it needs it.

 

[GRAV888]

I'm going to see Ray this afternoon and see if he wants me to give the car a good looking over for him (change the PS fluid etc).
I know he wanted shot of it by the end of the month, so, maybe I'll get to have it for a few days

 

[k langdon]

Do you know if he sold it and, if not, what he's prepared to accept?

PM if you feel that's better.

Cheers,

Kevin