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New to MB andf need advice!

Traditionally, leather was for the hired help to sit on while those being driven sat on cloth. In tourers leather was the norm only because it resists rain better than cloth.

I know it's heresy to say so but I prefer cloth seats to leather. I've got 3 W201s, 2 with leather, one with heated, electric, memory leather the other orthopaedic leather, & a W124 with leather & I still find the cloth seats more comfy even though they're manual with no options. My kids, ignorant of what is considered fashionable & resale values, both prefer the feel & warmth of cloth.
 
So far so good.I have got a wee issue with the rear suspension which i'm in the middle of diagnosing.

MPG wise very good.The car was on empty when i got it so i put £40 in.My first long run a did 145 miles non stop on an A road and found it had used no more than £15 worth of diesel.I have been running about town the past couple of days and i still hav'nt had to put diesel in yet,in fact i still have about a quarter of a tank left :)

Price wise, well i got it for the huge sum of £150 :devil:
3 months MOT and 10 months tax can't be too bad :p


£150 with 10 months tax? :eek: You've been done. Sue the seller. :)
 
Go for condition over spec : far better to have a good , reliable , rust free car with basic spec than an unreliable rust bucket with all the toys .

At this end of the market look for an honest car , ideally with some evidence of being looked after ( service history ) , no signs of rust or abuse and everything working . Don't worry about what colour it is , air con ( usually does not work on older cars anyway ) , or what seats it has .

If you are going to use it for towing something heavy , one of the six cylinder models is a better bet ( if thirstier ) . A towbar is a useful extra but do remember that you can buy a good car without one and then fit it yourself ( secondhand towbars from breakers or on eBay for W124 estates are readily available , typically for £25 or thereabouts and a dawdle to fit ) .

Weak points to watch out for include :

rusty front wings ( bolt on - easy to replace )

rusty front inner wings , behind the headlamps , under the washer bottle / hydraulic fluid reservoir : welding job

rotten hydraulic pipes for self levelling / brake pipes / fuel lines underneath at the back ( PITA to fix as a lot of labour involved although parts not expensive - a lot of otherwise good cars get scrapped for this due to high garage labour charges ) I've had three estate cars suffer from this very common problem

rusting of panels below load area side windows ( open up the stowage compartments for warning triangle/first aid kit and spare wheel on other side ) check for rust where wheel arch meets inner wing and feel up to area below side window for rust as a lot of cars rot in here where it doesn't show .

Feel carpets in boot area - if damp there is water ingress from somewhere and probably a rust problem .

Check tailgate wiper for operation as these often sieze up due to water ingress , ditto tailgate self closure mechanism .

Electric window regulators on drivers doors prone to failure too .

Mechanically the cars are pretty robust , watch out for engine wiring loom problems on E280 and E320 M104 models ( £400 for parts to fix , plus labour ) , fuel pumps underneath at back can suffer from exposure to road salts and fail . Diffs can also fail at high(ish) mileages ( I've had one go and know of a couple of others in my circle of friends ) .

£1K should buy you a decent enough car , although you can spend a lot more for a REALLY good one , and still get value for money .
 
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Thanks for all the really good advice! Lots to think about!

Are the general running/repairing costs normally OK on these motors? I've never had a MB before, and I don't have huge amounts of money to throw at repairs.
 
Yes they are but you must buy the right car in the first place. The big sixes are quite thirsty with the 4 speed box but servicing isn't expensive and plenty of jobs are diy.
 
I would have to disagree with the "no service history, no buy" theory at this end of the market. You are buying on condition & impressions. If the OP is looking at a car that's 15 years old & had multiple owners then any SH over 3 or 4 years old is ancient history & has little bearing on the car's current condition.

If the car is clean, generally rust free, drives well, makes no funny noises & has the air of being cared for or even cherished then SH is far less important than many believe. Look who's selling it. Generally affluent or comfortably off people will have the money to attend to a car as isues arise.
 
I would have to disagree with the "no service history, no buy" theory at this end of the market. You are buying on condition & impressions. If the OP is looking at a car that's 15 years old & had multiple owners then any SH over 3 or 4 years old is ancient history & has little bearing on the car's current condition.

If the car is clean, generally rust free, drives well, makes no funny noises & has the air of being cared for or even cherished then SH is far less important than many believe. Look who's selling it. Generally affluent or comfortably off people will have the money to attend to a car as isues arise.

I suppose as I am retailing cars I take a different view. I simply refuse to buy for stock or take in anything without SH as a P/X. Not worth the grief incase there is a mileage issue and I want to know that the previous owner has looked after the car which in turn gives customer confidence.

The other thing I always say with mercs is that there are a lot of people who want the badge, but havent got the money to look after their car so servicing etc may be neglected, this is why I feel it is important.
 
"Are the general running/repairing costs normally OK on these motors? I've never had a MB before, and I don't have huge amounts of money to throw at repairs."

Find a good independent mechanic for servicing and don't use a dealer. Fortunately, there are plenty of good independents around. You will get better work at half the dealer hourly rates.

Parts prices aren't as costly as you may fear, even from dealers, and they can be obtained more cheaply from Euro Car Parts and GSF.

As for service history, how many of those ticked boxes mean "this job was done properly", as distinct from "this box has been ticked properly"? Unless accompanied by a bunch of invoices, I would view a service history with a touch of scepticism. I'd also heavily discount a vendor's saying "Oh, I did it myself", unless there is evidence of a comprehensive toolkit and other such credentials.
 
You have to love the "I serviced it myself" line when you see an oil filter as old as the hills and an air-filter that has biodegraded.

As for servicing, our place charge £99.95 for a Full Service on 4 Cylinder Models and £109.95 on 6-Pots and Diesels.

I think that in terms of parts MB Cars are surprisingly affordable.
 
OK, thanks.

He says the cruise control doesn't work. Might this be an easy fix? Likewise, the intermittent wiper doesn't always work.
 
He says the cruise control doesn't work. Might this be an easy fix? Likewise, the intermittent wiper doesn't always work.

Anyone, please?

Also, I spotted this: 230TE LPG.

The seller says:

BAD POINTS;- AIR CON DOESNT WORK, YOU CAN NOT GET THE GAS.


Is this true? You can't re-gas these older air cons?
 
On the CC it could be anything from a loose wire to a new ECU - who can say without looking at it? Same with the wiper problem - could be any number things.

AC is never just a "needs re-gassing" fix. If it needs gas it's because there's a leak. If you can't get the gas then you need new seals / gaskets to convert to the newer non polluting gas. Old AC is usually expensive to get working.

However, all these things can be attended to as a sort of rolling restoration.

Are you in a hurry to buy one of these?
 



Is this true? You can't re-gas these older air cons?
It depends on the original gas and I would bet that it is R12 (now illegal) R134 is the current gas used and to convert your system (assuming that everything else is in order) will be a tad expensive.
 
Thanks!

On the CC it could be anything from a loose wire to a new ECU - who can say without looking at it? Same with the wiper problem - could be any number things.

How much might a new/secondhand ECU be?

Are you in a hurry to buy one of these?

I need to buy a large estate car (and now I want one of these!) within the next few weeks.
 
Thanks!

I suppose I'm having a wooble about buying a car with 200,000 miles on the clock. I can't afford big repair bils.
 
I spent hours last night reading just about every thread here about W124's.

If I buy a W124 for less than £1,000, then three thing jump out at me:

1/ if the diff fails, then the car is scrap (£1,000 to repair).
2/ If the loom fails, then the car is scrap (£600 to repair).
3/ If the suspension fails, then it is either an expensive job to repair or a tricky and time comsuming DIY job.

Have I got all of this correct?

How can I avoid buying a car with diff/loom/suspension issues?

Thanks.
 

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