W124 Ownership

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Arthur Daley

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Joined
Oct 9, 2009
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87
Well I collected my new (16 year old) W124 last night and what a cracking car it seems to be. 135,000 miles but serviced regularly and looks practically brand new inside & out. All this plus a new set of winter tyres with the car for under a grand. Can everyday modern classic motoring get any more practical?

My W126, which is believed to be the earliest one left in the UK can now go in the garage for some well deserved tlc over winter having done daily driving duties for the past two years with no problems.

In my opinion these types of cars really do make financial sense. Fair enough they use more fuel but you can't really lose money on them if you buy a good one at these kind of prices.

So I can hang my trilby on the three pointed star with pride....chuffed to bits!! :D
 
Welcome to the joys of W124, when set up properly they are immensely satisfying. Mine gives me a real sense of occasion whenever I drive it!
 
I'm loving my 124 too.

I think they're a wonderful meld of classic (road presence and ride) and modern (economy).
 
Gi's a look!
 
Nice.....did you check for rusty jacking points under all that nasty cladding?;)
 
Well done. They are great cars - i love my 124 estate.

one thing i would do, if it has no rust on the wings is to remove them, and clean the rear of the wings and treat it to a nice coating of underseal to keep any rust at bay. i wish i did this on mine when I got it, but never did and now 3 years on the brand new wings that were fitted are now rusted to bits. :(

also remove the side skirts and clear out the big lump of wet mud you will have in the mud traps that they have.

clean out the rear arch lips so the inside is nice and smooth and fix any rust that may be lurking on it before it loops round to the visible bodywork.

when the skirts are off, treat or fix any rust around the jacking points.

most of the above is needed on my 124 now unfortunately.
 
Post some pictures please
 
Cheers for all the advice lads....

Will post some pics asap.

The car has been owned by the owner of a local bodyshop for some time as his own personal car so underneath is gr8. Just some small age related blemishes etc to deal with. Wings are good and clean under arches etc.

If anyone fancies a pint I will be in the Winchester celebrating my new buy!!!!
 
I bought my first w124 a 1991 170,000 miles 2 owner 300E about two and half years ago, I'm now on my third a 1994 E280. From my point of view it's a car that when you actually buy it and start driving one, you say to yourself 'OK I get it' I just couldn't be without one now.
 
I bought mine from a friend for scrap money with a view to getting a ticket on it and moving it on,after driving it and it passing the mot with no advisories I can't bring myself to part with it so have instead sold my Omega elite estate so I can keep the Merc:thumb:
 
Well I collected my new (16 year old) W124 last night and what a cracking car it seems to be. 135,000 miles but serviced regularly and looks practically brand new inside & out. All this plus a new set of winter tyres with the car for under a grand. Can everyday modern classic motoring get any more practical?

My W126, which is believed to be the earliest one left in the UK can now go in the garage for some well deserved tlc over winter having done daily driving duties for the past two years with no problems.

In my opinion these types of cars really do make financial sense. Fair enough they use more fuel but you can't really lose money on them if you buy a good one at these kind of prices.

So I can hang my trilby on the three pointed star with pride....chuffed to bits!! :D

Nice one Sean .

It would seem all us 126-ers are now investing in 124's as daily drivers .

Still wouldn't be without my 126's though .

Silversaloon , thanks for the tips about rust traps - mine will probably get a good blast with the pressure washer for now , then seen to properly in the spring .
 
I love 124's, but of course they are leagues behng ther younger siblings in many respects.
However, I regularly drive a friends W211 E320 CDI, it is a wonderful car without doubt, loads of poke and fantastic comfort, but somehow it all seems a bit cramped in there despite being a bigger car and the simplicity and solidity of the W124 architecture and materials in and out are missed on it's younger brother. For sure it has all the bells and whistles that are missing on my older car, but when all is said and done mine has all the ones that I need, AC, cruise, iPod sound system (OK that's new) elec windows and roof and no rust whatsoever. He has had a raft of problems with the computer displays and things like the electric ashtray storage unit and the trim around the dash seems flimsy and thinly upholstered.
The CDI engine as I said is a joy to drive and mine feels like a ruptured slug after driving it, but I find the CDI oddly agricultural sounding and intrusive, IMHO.
Whenever he is in my old 124 he says he enjoys it immensely.
There is a sense of occasion driving behind that smooth 606 engine and of course the star.

124's are still a very common sight down here nearly as popular as in Africa, and you get the impression that that will coninue for many many more years to come. The downside is that they are still eye wateringly expensive to buy. A 95 E320 is on a forecourt for 4,600 euros and it has a dent on every panel, been offered 4,500 for mine recently which is tempting.
 
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