Wanted: LHD w124 built before 6/89

[hamiltonian]

Hello. I am an American who will be living in the UK starting in January. I am looking to purchase a w124 (saloon or estate), that is LHD, and built before June 15, 1989.

My plan is to bring the car back with me to the States. The U.S. government, however, makes it very difficult for a private individual to import a car into the country unless it was built more than 25 years ago. I will be returning to the US in June 2014.

Thanks in advance for any leads. Once I locate a car, I look forward to learning more about it from you all.

 

[w124nut]

Hi, the following site deals with lhd cars:

Left Hand Drive Cars for Sale UK - We buy LHD Cars

give them a try also, google "left hand drive dealerships in the uk"

Good luck

 

[hamiltonian]

Thanks. I will give them a try. Ideally, I was looking for one on the ground in the UK already, perhaps from a private seller.

 

[DSM10000]

You are, by definition going to be looking at a very limited pool of cars that meet your criteria.

Possibly worth posting your requirements on a German forum? Germans tend to have a very good command of English , good luck in your search regardless!

 

[Charles Morgan]

I think you're after a needle in a haystack here. Look at Germany, you'll find a decent selection mobile.de ? Gebrauchtwagen und neue Autos ? Deutschlands größter Fahrzeugmarkt..

 

[hamiltonian]

Believe me, I know! I've been scouring carsandclassic, and ebay.co.uk, for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, it took me a while to settle on a particular model, so there have been a couple missed opportunities.

The prices in Germany seem much higher, as a general matter.

 

[Charles Morgan]

I think the annual Tuv tests to determine roadworthiness there ensure only the good ones survive. A cheap W124 can swallow thousands if not well maintained.

 

[hamiltonian]

If I were to purchase a car in Germany, can I drive it back to the UK? (Do I need to get UK plates first, to put on the car while it is in transit, or can the German plates stay on the car?). Sorry for the basic questions.

 

[DSM10000]

This may be helpful:https://www.gov.uk/importing-vehicles-into-the-uk/temporary-imports

 

[brigadier]

Any particular body style/engine combination you were looking for?

 

[hamiltonian]

Actually, no strong preference, although my ideal w124 would be a manual diesel wagon, if any exist in captivity.

 

[RBYCC]

You're best to wait to purchase when you return to the USA.
Can be costly to purchase and only use for six months.
124 market more pricey in the UK and Europe as USD is weak.
Also consider the shipping cost and dealing with customs in the USA.
Probably USD $700+ on a RO-RO to an East Coast POE.
Add 1.5% of the vehicles value for insurance
The 25 year rule doesn't preclude customs and their charges.
Estimate over USD $1000 to bring the vehicle in and clear it
You then have to deal with register/title in your state....some easier then others with California being the most difficult for a gray market import.
The USA 124's were to a higher spec then many of the UK and Euro cars....and if you wait until your return you can purchase a later model 124.

Ed A.

 

[mejermy]

Mercedes W124 E250, 20 valves diesel '95 | eBay

 

[mejermy]

Ooops - just say the age restriction.

 

[hamiltonian]

You're best to wait to purchase when you return to the USA.
Can be costly to purchase and only use for six months.
124 market more pricey in the UK and Europe as USD is weak.
Also consider the shipping cost and dealing with customs in the USA.
Probably USD $700+ on a RO-RO to an East Coast POE.
Add 1.5% of the vehicles value for insurance
The 25 year rule doesn't preclude customs and their charges.
Estimate over USD $1000 to bring the vehicle in and clear it
You then have to deal with register/title in your state....some easier then others with California being the most difficult for a gray market import.
The USA 124's were to a higher spec then many of the UK and Euro cars....and if you wait until your return you can purchase a later model 124.

Ed A.

So far from what I've seen, the values for w124s in the UK don't seem much higher than in the US. We will need a car in the UK anyway, as a daily driver, because we are living in a rural part of Scotland, and our son's daycare is about 10 miles away (no bus service). We could rent a car for 6 months, but that is money out the window, whereas a nice solid w124 or similar car will hold most of its value when shipped back to the states. Registration in the States is not very difficult - in NYS where I live, you are exempt from emissions standards if the car is older than 1996.

The costs of shipping are definitely a factor to consider, but even at $1000, it is not prohibitive.

Believe it or not, stripped down "simple" Mercedes are attractive to many US afficionados. Less to break down! The engines are simpler to work on, etc.

 

[hamiltonian]

Ooops - just say the age restriction.

Thanks for looking. The ven diagram for my purchasing requirements is pretty complicated!

 

[mejermy]

Here in France we're knee deep in used W124 manual diesels, LHD of course - leboncoin.fr is a good site to search. Not sure about driving one back to UK on French plates. DVLA are quite totalitarian about that for UK residents, but you may not yet meet that definition, and so have more leeway. Once in UK reregistration on UK plates is a doddle.

 

[RBYCC]

Believe it or not, stripped down "simple" Mercedes are attractive to many US afficionados. Less to break down! The engines are simpler to work on, etc.

"Believe it or not", the trim spec of the Merc doesn't change the "simplicity" of the engine.
Basically a M102, M103 gasser or an OM 601/602/603 diesel.

 

[BlueQuinn]

You won't be a 'resident' in the UK for a year, so you can merrily drive your French or German registered car on your US licence as long as you are adequately insured.

 

[isobars]

I've a 300SD w116 and a w123 turbo diesel wagon I could get back to the UK in a week or so if you went off the 124 idea.
Can you import a RHD 25 year+ w124??
Cheers,

Paul