jamesallum
New Member
Morning all
I recently bought my 2nd W124 this time an E320 Saloon in bournite metallic with grey leather. It’s a 5 speed with many of the option boxes ticked including, a/c, sunroof, orthopaedic electric driver’s seat etc.
My interest in this era Mercedes started when I was a child being driven around in friend parents 124’s and always being impressed with the solid feeling verses equivalent big Fords and Vauxhalls of the same era. Whilst at university I had a summer job delivering car for the local Mercedes dealership and it was always the late 80’s and early 90’s W124’s, W126’s and W201’s that got me most excited. Even in ’95 the W210 felt a step backwards.
Fast forward to 2008 and a daily commute into West London led me searching for a reliable automatic barge in attempt to save my knees which were starting to ache from using my air-cooled Porsche in rush hour traffic. I stumbled across a solid but cosmetically tatty W124 E220 which I snapped up to perform the task. My expectations were low but it seemed the more I threw at the 220 the better it performed. Better still all it asked for was petrol and oil changes every 9K.
By 2010 and 18K later the 220 was starting to look a little jaded, not helped by vandals jumping on the her and denting the roof and bonnet one evening. I was presented with an option of an Audi A4 Cab and my money back for the 220 as a trade in which I took up. The Audi just felt bland in comparison though having the worst combination of age related maintenance bills and the usual depreciation of a more modern car.
So in spring this year I sold the Audi and started the search for another solid quality era Mercedes. Initially I was keen on a W126 but good examples were few and far between and I didn’t have the time to travel huge distances only to be disappointed with another mans definition of “immaculate”. The deciding factor was when I drove a local 500se which aside from being a poor example made me realise how large the 126 is. My mind was made up, I wanted another 124, this time with the bigger engine and a few more toys.
I settled on the E320 which was for sale by a fairy well known specialist. It was a 2 owner car, the previous owner sadly passing away after 11 years of ownership. It had a comprehensive service history and a file of receipts for big jobs such as the wiring loom replacement.
However 2 months on and in all honesty I haven’t really bonded with this car yet. I’ve spent the purchase price again on maintenance, major service, complete suspension overhaul etc as my plan is always been to have this one as long term vehicle. I think it comes down to a couple of things, a) my expectations were probably too high – having been so surprised and impressed with my old 220 and b) I’ve had a few irritating niggles, nothing too serious but annoying time consuming faults like a split coolant hose leaving me stranded, seized track rod ends when trying to have the alignment corrected and dash bulbs that need replacing etc. Also the bodywork isn’t quite a nice as I had originally thought and it will need a lick of paint in a few places in the near future. As I say nothing too alarming but the sum of which has left me a little frustrated as I’m useless at DIY and that nasty feeling of “what’s next” creeps in at too regular frequencies. Bottom line is I think I just need to get a few miles under my belt with her now to reassure me how great these cars are.
Anyway thanks for reading hope I can contribute to the discussions here and will post some pics once this rain stops!
Cheers,
James
I recently bought my 2nd W124 this time an E320 Saloon in bournite metallic with grey leather. It’s a 5 speed with many of the option boxes ticked including, a/c, sunroof, orthopaedic electric driver’s seat etc.
My interest in this era Mercedes started when I was a child being driven around in friend parents 124’s and always being impressed with the solid feeling verses equivalent big Fords and Vauxhalls of the same era. Whilst at university I had a summer job delivering car for the local Mercedes dealership and it was always the late 80’s and early 90’s W124’s, W126’s and W201’s that got me most excited. Even in ’95 the W210 felt a step backwards.
Fast forward to 2008 and a daily commute into West London led me searching for a reliable automatic barge in attempt to save my knees which were starting to ache from using my air-cooled Porsche in rush hour traffic. I stumbled across a solid but cosmetically tatty W124 E220 which I snapped up to perform the task. My expectations were low but it seemed the more I threw at the 220 the better it performed. Better still all it asked for was petrol and oil changes every 9K.
By 2010 and 18K later the 220 was starting to look a little jaded, not helped by vandals jumping on the her and denting the roof and bonnet one evening. I was presented with an option of an Audi A4 Cab and my money back for the 220 as a trade in which I took up. The Audi just felt bland in comparison though having the worst combination of age related maintenance bills and the usual depreciation of a more modern car.
So in spring this year I sold the Audi and started the search for another solid quality era Mercedes. Initially I was keen on a W126 but good examples were few and far between and I didn’t have the time to travel huge distances only to be disappointed with another mans definition of “immaculate”. The deciding factor was when I drove a local 500se which aside from being a poor example made me realise how large the 126 is. My mind was made up, I wanted another 124, this time with the bigger engine and a few more toys.
I settled on the E320 which was for sale by a fairy well known specialist. It was a 2 owner car, the previous owner sadly passing away after 11 years of ownership. It had a comprehensive service history and a file of receipts for big jobs such as the wiring loom replacement.
However 2 months on and in all honesty I haven’t really bonded with this car yet. I’ve spent the purchase price again on maintenance, major service, complete suspension overhaul etc as my plan is always been to have this one as long term vehicle. I think it comes down to a couple of things, a) my expectations were probably too high – having been so surprised and impressed with my old 220 and b) I’ve had a few irritating niggles, nothing too serious but annoying time consuming faults like a split coolant hose leaving me stranded, seized track rod ends when trying to have the alignment corrected and dash bulbs that need replacing etc. Also the bodywork isn’t quite a nice as I had originally thought and it will need a lick of paint in a few places in the near future. As I say nothing too alarming but the sum of which has left me a little frustrated as I’m useless at DIY and that nasty feeling of “what’s next” creeps in at too regular frequencies. Bottom line is I think I just need to get a few miles under my belt with her now to reassure me how great these cars are.
Anyway thanks for reading hope I can contribute to the discussions here and will post some pics once this rain stops!
Cheers,
James
. I bet your car drives as good as the day she left the factory now. I need all the encouragement I can get at the moment as for every person I meet who loves a W124 there are 9 who think you are mad for throwing money at an old car.
