Car: 1998 Mercedes Benz W124 E220, 5 speed manual transmission
MoT: 13 months
Mileage: 114k miles (184k km)
Owners: Me + 2 previous
History: Full, all MoT certs from new, receipts (2 inch thick), stamped service book, V5, manuals, everything you can hope for and more!
Price: £2,000
Location: Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, 5 mins from M40 J3
History Lesson:
Most people believe that W124s went out of production in 1996. Wrong! From 1998 for approx 4 years they were made under licence by MB India. All parts were manufactured in Germany and sent in crates to India, where the cars were assembled. A handful of cars made it to the UK and were sold alongside W210s by a specialist dealer. Indian built cars have manual transmission, air conditioning, MB-Tex seats, a massive sump guard and raised suspension, otherwise they are identical to european spec cars. As this car was sold new in the UK, insurance is not an issue and all parts databases recognize the registration and VIN numbers.
The first owner, Bryan Maycroft Perry (hence the R5BMP registration) had the car for 10 years (apparently kept it in a garage) and when he passed away the second owner, Andrew David Stone, bought it and had it for 5 years, during which the car was also kept in a garage alongside his MGF. Four years ago I bought the car and until 2 years ago I also, you've guessed it, kept it in a garage (the car got kicked out onto the drive when I acquired my Porsche Boxster). I've been using this car as my daily company car, in my ownership I've taken the mileage from 59k to 114k. The car took me and my family to Poland and back three times, without any drama. This is my fleet:
The reason I am selling the W124 is because I have purchased a W219 CLS for daily duties and as I already have a W123 and a Boxster, I cannot justify keeping a fourth car. My new car:
Mechanical Status:
Engine is a 2.2 litre petrol, DOHC 16V, fuel injected straight four (M111). These will easily do 250k miles. Engine starts first time, every time, uses no oil or water, it runs smooth and silent, pulls well through the gears. It will cruise at 100MPH whilst spinning over at 4,000 rev/min. I get 32-35 on my commute and 40MPG is easy on a run. I have replaced the oil every year (always at Christmas), the anti-freeze is less than 2 years old, plugs were replaced last year, the battery is 6 months old.
The gearbox (5 speed), diff and prop are silent, all synchros are perfect, there is no noise, rumbling or whining from the transmission. The clutch bites nice and low, take up is smooth, the hydraulic fluid was replaced last year.
The suspension is smooth, there is no slop, knocks or bangs. The shock absorbers still hiss when you go over bumps. I replaced the front anti-roll bar bushes about 3 years ago. The steering is nice and tight, the car steers straight, does not pull, the PAS pump is silent and the geometry was checked 6 months ago but was not adjusted as it was perfect.
My driving style is very easy on the brakes. All four discs are in good condition and there is plenty of meat on the pads. ABS works perfectly. I stripped and cleaned the brakes last summer.
The exhaust rear box is an expensive replacement, fitted 6 months ago. The rest of the exhaust is original MB and in perfect condition.
Four new matching tyres were fitted 6 months ago. The original wheel trims are in great condition with only a couple of scuffs.
All electrics (4 x windows, mirrors, folding rear headrests, aerial (that I clean and re-grease on a monthly basis) work as they should.
Vacuum operated central locking works on all doors and the boot lock. I have three keys for the car.
The air conditioning was re-gassed 2 years ago (the receipt is in Polish) and is ice cold.
All lights and bulbs are perfect, however the offside front headlamp lens got chipped, I sealed it with resin (3 years ago), which keeps the water out but the resin (approx the size of a 10p coin) has gone yellow. The car has passed 4 MoTs like this without any issues. A replacement lens (used) is £30 if this bothers you.
Bodywork Status:
Firstly, this car is rust free. All the typical W124 rust spots are solid. Underneath it's like a new car. The nearside front wing is perfect. The offside front wing has been removed and repaired (2 years ago) and to this day remains rust free. I remove the sill trims every year and clean and grease the jacking points, all of which are in perfect condition, 100% solid. I removed both front wings last year and cleaned and undersealed every possible surface. Floorpans are pristine.
Paintwork is generally excellent, however being a 19 year old car it has the odd little mark here and there but you would have to look hard to spot the flaws. I have touch up pens for the paint and cladding panels.
All the external chrome and trim is present and in excellent condition. All glass is good, the windscreen had 2 stone chip repairs during my ownership and is now perfect. I cleaned and greased all four window regulators last year.
The private number plate (on the car since new) has been valued at £500 (four years ago, it's probably worth more now) and is being sold with the car.
Interior Status:
Simply perfect. MB-Tex is indestructible! The seats are in perfect condition, totally unmarked. There is no evidence of any wear to the driver's seat. Carpets are perfect, the car does come with mats that are not shown in the photographs. The dashboard is unmarked, there are no cracks. The wood is in perfect condition. The headlining is like new. All trim is unmarked, the car has never been smoked in. The car comes with a period Kenwood radio cassette player and four (original) speakers.
The car has driver's and passenger side airbags.
I removed the original central storage box (located between the seats) but this comes with the car and can be refitted in 5 minutes.
I also removed some plastic trim from around the front seat bases as the plastic creaked (I hate squeeks and creaks in cars), this also comes with the car and replacing the trim can be done in about 30 minutes per seat.
The original first aid kit is present and correct albeit very much out of date.
The boot carpet and trim are completely unmarked. The original warning triangle and complete toolkit are present. The spare wheel, jack and brace are all good.
The car was originally fitted with a Tracker, however the licence has run out and is no longer activated.
Summary:
This car wants for nothing. The two previous owners and I have maintained this car regardless of cost, it has served me well for four years and I will be sad to see it go, however as already explained I cannot justify keeping 4 cars. Considering the mileage and condition, with adequate maintenance this car will easily last another 19 years and probably more. A lot of people say that they would love an old Merc but they don't like automatic transmissions - I am one of these people (my W123 is also a 5 speed manual). If you are like me and wish to pretend that you are a Berlin (or Beirut) taxi driver, this car is for you.
The price is the price and I cannot accept anything in p/x. These cars are now recognized as classics and prices of good ones are going up. This car is a good investment whether you are looking for a reliable retro daily runner or a weekend toy.
I'm sure I've missed lots, if you are genuinely interested in buying this car I recommend that you come and view it and listen to everything I have to say about it - but be warned, I am madly passionate about W123/W124 Mercs and I can talk for hours. I make a good brew and we usually have biscuits in the tin.
Please respond here or PM me if you wish to be the next lucky custodian of this fine piece of German engineering.
Photos:
MoT: 13 months
Mileage: 114k miles (184k km)
Owners: Me + 2 previous
History: Full, all MoT certs from new, receipts (2 inch thick), stamped service book, V5, manuals, everything you can hope for and more!
Price: £2,000
Location: Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, 5 mins from M40 J3
History Lesson:
Most people believe that W124s went out of production in 1996. Wrong! From 1998 for approx 4 years they were made under licence by MB India. All parts were manufactured in Germany and sent in crates to India, where the cars were assembled. A handful of cars made it to the UK and were sold alongside W210s by a specialist dealer. Indian built cars have manual transmission, air conditioning, MB-Tex seats, a massive sump guard and raised suspension, otherwise they are identical to european spec cars. As this car was sold new in the UK, insurance is not an issue and all parts databases recognize the registration and VIN numbers.
The first owner, Bryan Maycroft Perry (hence the R5BMP registration) had the car for 10 years (apparently kept it in a garage) and when he passed away the second owner, Andrew David Stone, bought it and had it for 5 years, during which the car was also kept in a garage alongside his MGF. Four years ago I bought the car and until 2 years ago I also, you've guessed it, kept it in a garage (the car got kicked out onto the drive when I acquired my Porsche Boxster). I've been using this car as my daily company car, in my ownership I've taken the mileage from 59k to 114k. The car took me and my family to Poland and back three times, without any drama. This is my fleet:
The reason I am selling the W124 is because I have purchased a W219 CLS for daily duties and as I already have a W123 and a Boxster, I cannot justify keeping a fourth car. My new car:
Mechanical Status:
Engine is a 2.2 litre petrol, DOHC 16V, fuel injected straight four (M111). These will easily do 250k miles. Engine starts first time, every time, uses no oil or water, it runs smooth and silent, pulls well through the gears. It will cruise at 100MPH whilst spinning over at 4,000 rev/min. I get 32-35 on my commute and 40MPG is easy on a run. I have replaced the oil every year (always at Christmas), the anti-freeze is less than 2 years old, plugs were replaced last year, the battery is 6 months old.
The gearbox (5 speed), diff and prop are silent, all synchros are perfect, there is no noise, rumbling or whining from the transmission. The clutch bites nice and low, take up is smooth, the hydraulic fluid was replaced last year.
The suspension is smooth, there is no slop, knocks or bangs. The shock absorbers still hiss when you go over bumps. I replaced the front anti-roll bar bushes about 3 years ago. The steering is nice and tight, the car steers straight, does not pull, the PAS pump is silent and the geometry was checked 6 months ago but was not adjusted as it was perfect.
My driving style is very easy on the brakes. All four discs are in good condition and there is plenty of meat on the pads. ABS works perfectly. I stripped and cleaned the brakes last summer.
The exhaust rear box is an expensive replacement, fitted 6 months ago. The rest of the exhaust is original MB and in perfect condition.
Four new matching tyres were fitted 6 months ago. The original wheel trims are in great condition with only a couple of scuffs.
All electrics (4 x windows, mirrors, folding rear headrests, aerial (that I clean and re-grease on a monthly basis) work as they should.
Vacuum operated central locking works on all doors and the boot lock. I have three keys for the car.
The air conditioning was re-gassed 2 years ago (the receipt is in Polish) and is ice cold.
All lights and bulbs are perfect, however the offside front headlamp lens got chipped, I sealed it with resin (3 years ago), which keeps the water out but the resin (approx the size of a 10p coin) has gone yellow. The car has passed 4 MoTs like this without any issues. A replacement lens (used) is £30 if this bothers you.
Bodywork Status:
Firstly, this car is rust free. All the typical W124 rust spots are solid. Underneath it's like a new car. The nearside front wing is perfect. The offside front wing has been removed and repaired (2 years ago) and to this day remains rust free. I remove the sill trims every year and clean and grease the jacking points, all of which are in perfect condition, 100% solid. I removed both front wings last year and cleaned and undersealed every possible surface. Floorpans are pristine.
Paintwork is generally excellent, however being a 19 year old car it has the odd little mark here and there but you would have to look hard to spot the flaws. I have touch up pens for the paint and cladding panels.
All the external chrome and trim is present and in excellent condition. All glass is good, the windscreen had 2 stone chip repairs during my ownership and is now perfect. I cleaned and greased all four window regulators last year.
The private number plate (on the car since new) has been valued at £500 (four years ago, it's probably worth more now) and is being sold with the car.
Interior Status:
Simply perfect. MB-Tex is indestructible! The seats are in perfect condition, totally unmarked. There is no evidence of any wear to the driver's seat. Carpets are perfect, the car does come with mats that are not shown in the photographs. The dashboard is unmarked, there are no cracks. The wood is in perfect condition. The headlining is like new. All trim is unmarked, the car has never been smoked in. The car comes with a period Kenwood radio cassette player and four (original) speakers.
The car has driver's and passenger side airbags.
I removed the original central storage box (located between the seats) but this comes with the car and can be refitted in 5 minutes.
I also removed some plastic trim from around the front seat bases as the plastic creaked (I hate squeeks and creaks in cars), this also comes with the car and replacing the trim can be done in about 30 minutes per seat.
The original first aid kit is present and correct albeit very much out of date.
The boot carpet and trim are completely unmarked. The original warning triangle and complete toolkit are present. The spare wheel, jack and brace are all good.
The car was originally fitted with a Tracker, however the licence has run out and is no longer activated.
Summary:
This car wants for nothing. The two previous owners and I have maintained this car regardless of cost, it has served me well for four years and I will be sad to see it go, however as already explained I cannot justify keeping 4 cars. Considering the mileage and condition, with adequate maintenance this car will easily last another 19 years and probably more. A lot of people say that they would love an old Merc but they don't like automatic transmissions - I am one of these people (my W123 is also a 5 speed manual). If you are like me and wish to pretend that you are a Berlin (or Beirut) taxi driver, this car is for you.
The price is the price and I cannot accept anything in p/x. These cars are now recognized as classics and prices of good ones are going up. This car is a good investment whether you are looking for a reliable retro daily runner or a weekend toy.
I'm sure I've missed lots, if you are genuinely interested in buying this car I recommend that you come and view it and listen to everything I have to say about it - but be warned, I am madly passionate about W123/W124 Mercs and I can talk for hours. I make a good brew and we usually have biscuits in the tin.
Please respond here or PM me if you wish to be the next lucky custodian of this fine piece of German engineering.
Photos:
