W124 vs W210 Vote

[Sp!ke]

There will be so few w210's left that haven't turned into a pile of rust that their rarity may well mean they become valuable in a few years time.

 

[E55BOF]

The 210s are ....good work-horses, they have plenty of power...

Prceisely so. I've never been a car collector, and never will be. I wanted a bigger, faster estate than my SAAB Aero, so I bought the E55. It meets my needs very well. The looks have grown on me, but when I retire (quite soon, unless the arthritis in my knees can be sorted...), I'll likely sell it without a qualm (unless it's rusted away by then. I don't think it will have, though; it's a good 'un) and buy something more mundane, probably Far Eastern for the reliability. That, too, will meet my needs.

 

[jamesfuller]

I'm sure there will always be a market for a nice, well looked after 210. Of course a diesel estate is always going to find a home at the right price.
The AMG's are probably going to end up rare after the cheap speed buyers have finished with them.

Future modern classic tip, a 430 V8. Rare, probably well speced and will have lead an easier life than the majority of the AMG's

 

[Jukie]

I'd like a W124 saloon or coupé with the engine and tip 'box from my '99 E320CDi.

 

[RBYCC]

Say that again in ten years' time, and you may hear laughter. Particularly the AMGs...

AMG's have become a commodity with few exceptions.

The E-class from the E55 to the E63 suffer from serious depreciation.
S class even worse.

Black Series and W463 are holding much better value after five years...more then 50%

Doubtful a W210 E55 would be close to the value of a non AMG 124.036 in ten years, even if you find one that hasn't had a major tin worm attack.
An A124 would have more value in 10 years then a 210 E55

 

[V12]

Is your other car a roller?

LWB W220 is my daily driver right now.

But my wife's Citroen C1 has more head and leg room for 4 passengers than a W201, it is one of the smallest 5 door hatches on the road right now. Granted the W201 wins on boot space.

 

[trapperjohn]

Further slight thread hi jack here. SWMBO is coming up to retirement next year and we shall be getting a small runabout. (The Mercs stay, end of) Your opinion on the Citroen C1 pse V12. Space you have given up, reliability and stuff pse.

 

[markjay]

Further slight thread hi jack here. SWMBO is coming up to retirement next year and we shall be getting a small runabout. (The Mercs stay, end of) Your opinion on the Citroen C1 pse V12. Space you have given up, reliability and stuff pse.

Had a 2005 Renault for a number of years, mechanics were OK but I was not impressed with the reliability of the electrical bits (some of which are very costly to repair), so if this is a 'French' thing then I would avoid anything coming from Renault or PSA.

 

[V12]

The C1 as you know is the same as the Toyota aygo under the skin. This is a good thing, it uses yaris suspension and other common components. The 3 Cyl 1.0 is badged toyota and all parts are toyota part numbered. It's nippy enough for around town and geared very well (better than any mercedes I've driven) for driving up to 50mph but runs out of breath at 80mph and struggles up hills with a heavy load.

Boot/ hatch space is pitiful. We fit one pushchair and a couple of bags of shopping and that's it. With the seats folded down I did carry some 8 foot timbers in it...

Insurance is dirt cheap. It averages 50mpg if used only in the city. £15 tax a year for ours but if we had gone a year newer they are tax free due to slightly lower emissions. Toyota do a flat rate service for £99 and they are happy to service the Citroen and the Peugeot counterparts.
As with such a small car, tyres are pennies and any parts are also fractions of what I'm used to paying with MB. That said I haven't had need to pay for either tyres or parts yet...just had a little look when buying.

Ride is not S class standards but it matches the competition in this sector.

Reliability has been faultless and I have no reasons to worry, all the post 09 cars have an updated clutch which was the only thing to fail on the earlier cars. Most earlier cars will have had the revised part fitted by now anyway.

All reports point to them being extremely tough, even when exposed to fleet drivers (G4S) and learner drivers.

Finally, I did also test drive the VW up!, which is a step up in terms of interior quality and driving solidity on the road but it was 3 x the price of what we got our C1 for with very low miles on the clock.

 

[Charles Morgan]

The Citroen C1/Peugeot107/Toyota Aygo are the same car, and my brother in law has one. Not a missed beat in 3 years of constant use. Lord knows on what planet the ownership of a 9 year old Renault is considered useful as a guide to a car built to Toyota standards by a jv not involving Renault.

My criticism of the Aygo/C1 is that it is really spartan, the engine while charismatic and economical does rev a lot and the car has minimal concessions to comfort.

 

[V12]

Agree to the above. Ours has AC luckily, but not anything else!
I couldn't live with it as a sole car but as a 2nd, 3rd or 4th it's a brilliant little runaround.

 

[llewe]

C1-wife and daughter have a C1 we have had from new-just had 1st mot and apart from services and front tyres has cost nothing to maintain, utterly reliable, 60+mpg on long runs, very basic interior but nothing to go wrong/fall off! surprisingly entertaining to drive-you have to rev it to extract performance but it really is good fun. will have another one when daughter 2 starts to drive next year

 

[Scott_F]

The 124 cabs, coupes and the 500E/E500, E36 etc., are deemed worthy of being a collectable and will maintain and increase in value.

No 210, including the E55 will ever be considered as such.

1950's Morris Minors, 1960's Minis, 1970's Datsuns, 1980's Ford Cortinas.

All cars (whether they were upmarket / performance models or more mundane examples like those listed above) will attract interest from enthusiasts as they age, become more scarce and are seen as evocative of their era or just cute and cuddly.

Prices then rise to reflect the resurgent interest and the dwindling number of survivors. It's the simple economics of supply and demand and will apply to the W210 in years to come too.

 

[stephen coy]

Throwing a spanner into the works, I,ve been running an '06 jazz 1.2 for the last 6 months as a general workhorse. The car's a pleasure to run, nippy, acres of space/5 doors, 40-55 mpg,with running costs so far amounting to wiper blades and an oil change (plus just passed mot with one advisory). Needless to say, that's what I would recommend.

 

[219]

Further slight thread hi jack here. SWMBO is coming up to retirement next year and we shall be getting a small runabout. (The Mercs stay, end of) Your opinion on the Citroen C1 pse V12. Space you have given up, reliability and stuff pse.

What about an early A Class - something like a manual A140 ?

I know the automatics are to be avoided , and have seen some rusty ones , but there are tidy looking ones running around and they seem to sell for sub £1000 , with plenty in the scrapyards for cheap spares .

If you are used to keeping the 124's running economically , one of these might not be so different . I test drove one at launch and remember it as a pleasant experience .

Surprisingly , an A Class with the seats folded has about as much load space inside as a W124 estate .

 

[grober]

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[V12]

What about an early A Class - something like a manual A140 ?

I know the automatics are to be avoided , and have seen some rusty ones , but there are tidy looking ones running around and they seem to sell for sub £1000 , with plenty in the scrapyards for cheap spares .

If you are used to keeping the 124's running economically , one of these might not be so different . I test drove one at launch and remember it as a pleasant experience .

Surprisingly , an A Class with the seats folded has about as much load space inside as a W124 estate .

Only + point of an A class is the high driving position which also translates for easy entry/exit for old people. Apart from that, they are awful in most other respects. Really behind the competition in comfort, driving dynamics, fuel efficiency and other running costs.

 

[RBYCC]

1950's Morris Minors, 1960's Minis, 1970's Datsuns, 1980's Ford Cortinas.

All cars (whether they were upmarket / performance models or more mundane examples like those listed above) will attract interest from enthusiasts as they age, become more scarce and are seen as evocative of their era or just cute and cuddly.

Prices then rise to reflect the resurgent interest and the dwindling number of survivors. It's the simple economics of supply and demand and will apply to the W210 in years to come too.

And the values of the above mentioned cars ????
Probably more then when they were new.
Also they are a bit more "cult like", something a W210 will never be.

Much different dynamic as if you are looking at an investment you want to exceed what you pay for the vehicle.

So what makes the W210 collectible ??
No different then any other luxury car of it's time.
The 124 had few rivals during it's production run along with it's timeless Bruno Sacco design.
Later Mercs were designed by committee and became a bit generic looking.

The A124, C124 and 124.036 will appreciate as they are beginning to do.
Has the 1996 W210 appreciated as much as the aforementioned 1995 124's?
Only a year apart, so what makes the difference in desirability and value?

Put your money on a 210 and ten years from now you'll see that it's not desirable as a real investment.

However if you want to buy a 210 E55 and enjoy it do so...it's a great car at great value but won't return anything but pleasure..
Nothing wrong with that !!

Cheers

Ed A.

 

[Alex]

The A124, C124 and 124.036 will appreciate as they are beginning to do.

Only if they are sat in a barn waiting to go up in value and not driven.

 

[Scott_F]

And the values of the above mentioned cars ????
Probably more then when they were new.
Also they are a bit more "cult like", something a W210 will never be.

Much different dynamic as if you are looking at an investment you want to exceed what you pay for the vehicle.

So what makes the W210 collectible ??
No different then any other luxury car of it's time.
The 124 had few rivals during it's production run along with it's timeless Bruno Sacco design.
Later Mercs were designed by committee and became a bit generic looking.

The A124, C124 and 124.036 will appreciate as they are beginning to do.
Has the 1996 W210 appreciated as much as the aforementioned 1995 124's?
Only a year apart, so what makes the difference in desirability and value?

Put your money on a 210 and ten years from now you'll see that it's not desirable as a real investment.

However if you want to buy a 210 E55 and enjoy it do so...it's a great car at great value but won't return anything but pleasure..
Nothing wrong with that !!

Cheers

Ed A.

The prices of all the above are actually rather strong, especially for such ordinary fare:

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Very few cars are an investment as all cost money to run and maintain. But given enough time, all will begin to appreciate in value as they rise above cheap banger status.