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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 12,074 ✭✭✭✭Duke O Smiley


    Love the seats in that


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    I saw this 260 at Swords last April, it was in really fantastic condition, and the seller seemed like a really nice honest guy

    https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1035136

    It's on C&C for £4k, but but on carsieland, I think, for €4k, so not sure what the price is. He was looking for €5k in Swords IIRC. I was very tempted many times over the last year to pick up the phone, but I wanted a 123

    So a fairly modest budget:) puts me in the ballpark.

    I would have expected I would need more. As a comparison, in the classic

    VW arena, which I am more used to. 5k gets you an untested OK beetle

    and a potential rust bucket untested T25 camper.

    Food for thought.


  • Registered Users Posts: 64,553 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    kadman wrote: »
    So a fairly modest budget:) puts me in the ballpark.

    I would have expected I would need more. As a comparison, in the classic

    VW arena, which I am more used to. 5k gets you an untested OK beetle

    VW and Ford are popular with the masses and have a lot of nostalgia here. Both were assembled here in big numbers and many peoples fathers and family members worked for them and / or have a history of owning them as family cars

    Not many people in this country have memories of their dad owning a Mercedes in the 70s or 80s for obvious reasons :D

    Which directly means VW and Ford classics are expensive and Mercedes classics are cheap


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    I saw this 260 at Swords last April, it was in really fantastic condition, and the seller seemed like a really nice honest guy

    https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1035136

    It's on C&C for £4k, but but on carsieland, I think, for €4k, so not sure what the price is. He was looking for €5k in Swords IIRC. I was very tempted many times over the last year to pick up the phone, but I wanted a 123

    How reliable and cost effective to fix, is the bosch fuel injection system on the merc here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭MrCostington


    kadman wrote: »
    How reliable and cost effective to fix, is the bosch fuel injection system on the merc here.

    No idea, and hopefully I won't find out! W124man will say?


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  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    Made contact with the guy over the last 2 hours to get details.
    Checked out the mot history then.
    Made up my mind this was the car.
    Contacted him 20 minutes ago and asked another question before I jumped.

    Someone else jumped 10 minutes ago and car is gone


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭MrCostington


    Are you taking about the 124 I posted?

    If so, so sorry, I should have PMed you kadman. I can't believe that, it's been for sale nearly a year. You never know, buyers do pull out etc, keep in contact with him. My apologies again.


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    Are you taking about the 124 I posted?

    If so, so sorry, I should have PMed you kadman. I can't believe that, it's been for sale nearly a year. You never know, buyers do pull out etc, keep in contact with him. My apologies again.

    Thats the one.

    You have no need to apologise. On the contrary you have shown me that fine examples are available for my budget.:)

    I'll keep in contact with him and see what happens.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭MrCostington


    Your man owes me a pint or two for selling his car!


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    Your man owes me a pint or two for selling his car!


    I would have bought you a bottle of kilbeggans finest, never mind the pints:D:D


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,295 ✭✭✭w124man


    Some years ago I said that one day someone is going to say 'where have all the W124 saloons gone?' This day has arrived and people have realised that the Mercedes w124 is one of the most modern classics you can buy. They were bought on reputation by people who didn't maintain them and they died because of that and they are now so thin on the ground. That 260E would have been a good car to start 124 ownership. Parts are still available as they have a huge following on the Continent where good ones are worth three or four times what we pay here. Reliability will depend on its past service history and even the best ones will cost money to get right - 'right' will depend on your idea of right! Most are happy to accept a car that isn't concours standard which is good because you rarely find one that is. A good 124 was built between '85 and '89 if you are looking for one and they are great to drive and safe to travel in.

    My 300SE stands me close on €20,000 now and my 250TD is heading that way closely followed by my 320SL but at least all three are mechanically perfect.


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    w124man wrote: »
    Some years ago I said that one day someone is going to say 'where have all the W124 saloons gone?' This day has arrived and people have realised that the Mercedes w124 is one of the most modern classics you can buy. They were bought on reputation by people who didn't maintain them and they died because of that and they are now so thin on the ground. That 260E would have been a good car to start 124 ownership. Parts are still available as they have a huge following on the Continent where good ones are worth three or four times what we pay here. Reliability will depend on its past service history and even the best ones will cost money to get right - 'right' will depend on your idea of right! Most are happy to accept a car that isn't concours standard which is good because you rarely find one that is. A good 124 was built between '85 and '89 if you are looking for one and they are great to drive and safe to travel in.

    My 300SE stands me close on €20,000 now and my 250TD is heading that way closely followed by my 320SL but at least all three are mechanically perfect.

    I would appreciate your elaboration on the best years quoted.

    Always happy to hear from the experts such as yourself, .


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭MrCostington


    kadman - I just checked there is a W124 version of the book I mentioned before, exact same name just change 3 to 4!


  • Registered Users Posts: 64,553 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    @kadman - that was very unlucky and very unlikely to have happened :(

    If you're set on a W124, there will be others. If you are also interested in a W201, mine is up for sale (see DD or adverts), also very reasonable money for the condition it is in.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,295 ✭✭✭w124man


    kadman wrote: »
    I would appreciate your elaboration on the best years quoted.

    Always happy to hear from the experts such as yourself, .

    The W124 went through some facelifts. Series 1 cars up to mid 89, Series 1.5 cars to mid '92 and Series 2 cars to '95 - '97 (depending on the model)

    Series 1 cars are the 'last of the bulletproof Mercs' as the worn out saying goes. These were built to the old Mercedes standards with proper steel and proper paint and are recognisable by not having the plastic panels on the sills and door bottoms. These cars have the M102 and M103 petrol engines and OM 601/2/3 diesels. Some of the best engines ever made by anyone fitted to one of the best built bodyshells and interiors ever built by anyone! Period!

    Series 1.5 cars sees the 'cars built when the accountants took over' as the other worn out old saying goes! This is when they changed to water based paints on the 124 and they simply didn't get it right. Cars from around 1990 onwards were affected but not all oddly! What was worse were the plastic panels on the doors and sills and they helped the breeding rust problems as they held all the damp muck thrown up from the road!

    Series 2 cars got the new M111 and M104 engines with the biodegradable engine wiring harnesses, poor quality steel for the shell, water based paints that they still hadn't cracked and lesser quality interiors. These are identifiable by the facelifted front end. These cars rust and rust badly in places where the Series 1 cars simply didn't. However, if you get a good one, they are a great car. My 1995 E200 is just that although I had to get a full respray as the paint started to 'spider' on every panel. A good Series 2 car will be hard to find but can be bought in Japan. Good ones are expensive but not as expensive as buying an average one!

    Cars like the E500/500E will rust just like the rest of them even though everyone thinks they were built by Porsche - which they weren't! They were partially assembled by Porsche as MB didn't have the capacity. The 4matic versions didn't rust as badly as other Series 1.5 cars and this is because they were manufactured in Austria by Magna Steyr. They look the same as a 2WD but they couldn't be more different. Coupé and Cabriolet rust is a lot more serious as they need the strength but again the later cars had all the same quality issues.

    The difference between my 88 and 95 cars is like chalk and cheese. They are all small differences but a fruitcake like me will notice every little thing. The quality of a grommet, a self tapper instead of a nut and bolt, plastic instead of rubber or something missing completely all adds up.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,729 ✭✭✭Bawnmore


    Here's mine - my 1st classic!

    car.png
    car2.png


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,487 ✭✭✭Seweryn


    Well said.

    All series of the W124 have their good and bad points. For example the M111 engine was introduced in the last year of the middle face lift and (apart from the wiring issues) it is a very good engine, probably the best four cylinder petrol engine in the W124.

    The last models also came with the 20 and 24 valve OM605 and OM606 Diesels, which are very nice engines, although nothing wrong with the earlier OM602 or OM603 (and OM601 and OM603 on some markets).

    The other thing is that almost every piece of equipment in these cars was optional. I remember my friend used to have a 1987 300D that he bough in the 1990s with over half a million km on the clock and drove it for years while clocking further 600k km until the body started to rust. That car had some interesting options like a 100 litre fuel tank, self levelling rear axle (not standard in 4 door models), self dimming rear view mirror, all electric windows, air con, heated windscreen wash fluid container, etc.

    The seats in the middle and last series are also more comfortable.


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    unkel wrote: »
    @kadman - that was very unlucky and very unlikely to have happened :(

    If you're set on a W124, there will be others. If you are also interested in a W201, mine is up for sale (see DD or adverts), also very reasonable money for the condition it is in.

    I am not ruling anything in or out at this stage, so give me a link please:)


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,295 ✭✭✭w124man


    The M111 engine is not as relaxed as the older M102 which is a more suitable engine for the 124. However definitely the M111 is the better engine.

    As regards the seats, the earlier seats are definitely better than the newer ones in every way and having travelled all over 'old' Europe in both variants, even the Missus will attest to that. However, it will depend on your build as to how you fit into them.

    The OM604/5/6 diesels were a great engine and are capable of huge performance. The OM606 engine block is basically an M103 engine block which shows how MB got it right back then! 3.4 and 3.6 AMG 6 cylinder versions of the M104 were diesel crankshafts in petrol blocks (with a few mods). Its such a shame that Mercedes Benz are no different from any of the other manufacturer these days

    Having said all that, the W201 is everything a W124 is only a bit earlier .....


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,487 ✭✭✭Seweryn


    I find the earlier seats a bit too wide for me, but I am not a big lad, so that is why, they may suit others better for sure (they are more similar to the W123 seats). Or it may be a matter of extra wear in the car I had.

    No, unfortunately M-B is not much different to anything else made these days with their idiotic ideas of putting bicycle chain at the back of the engine designed to fail and with transmissions sealed for (short) life until they fail right after the warranty period. The reason is simple - they are now built to a price tag to compete directly with equivalent competitors. Years ago a W201 for example (same as other M-B from that period) was a good bit more expensive than the nearest competitor. I do not have price lists from the 1980s, but I believe they were about 40% or so more expensive than other cars and there was an obvious reason for this. Still, there was a long waiting time for them...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 64,553 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    kadman wrote: »
    I am not ruling anything in or out at this stage, so give me a link please:)

    Here it is :)

    Linky


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    I just want to say to all you knowledgeable MB posters, many many thanks for your concise
    info on the marque, its really really helpful.

    Thanks,
    Tim


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,487 ✭✭✭Seweryn


    In your own time Tim you may watch some videos like this one why you should buy one :) :



  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,028 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    I suppose I have found myself in the classic driver category. By mistake. :o Well "Youngtimer" status anyway. A pic of mine and my friend's car of a kinda similar status*.

    499780.jpg

    Play spot the car with Italian. Mine looks like a badly drawn manga character by comparison. :D Though when the roads get twisty and the drivers get nervous I'd murder him. Then again, the fecker is currently restoring a 4WD Brera(the Alfa press car no less). So I need to up my game. :eek: AKA, learn to drive better. :D

    I will say Alfaholic mates are the best mates to have, if you're a petrolhead of any stripe. They will always help, day or night and they invariably "know a man". :)



    *and IMHO it most certainly will be. If I had a big shed and around 20 grand(not that much really, considering) A Brera would defo be in the mix, along with Fiat Coupes, anything Rallye, with the word Peugeot attached, Mitzi Evos, Scoobies, Celica GT4 etc.

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,042 ✭✭✭kaizersoze


    Bawnmore wrote: »
    Here's mine - my 1st classic!

    car.png
    car2.png

    That's lovely.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,295 ✭✭✭w124man


    kadman wrote: »
    I just want to say to all you knowledgeable MB posters, many many thanks for your concise
    info on the marque, its really really helpful.

    Thanks,
    Tim

    If there is anyone who is genuinely interested in buying a 124 of any year please PM me and we can try and meet up with one of mine and I will go through all the points to watch and where to find them. Its all well and good reading about it but when you have an actual car in front of you, you will remember better when you have actually seen where to look


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    w124man wrote: »
    If there is anyone who is genuinely interested in buying a 124 of any year please PM me and we can try and meet up with one of mine and I will go through all the points to watch and where to find them. Its all well and good reading about it but when you have an actual car in front of you, you will remember better when you have actually seen where to look

    Thats very good of you, and i will contact you in the next couple of days and arrange something.
    Thanks,
    Tim


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,729 ✭✭✭Bawnmore


    kaizersoze wrote: »
    That's lovely.

    Thanks - it's driving lovely. 93k miles. Was owned by an old couple in the UK and always stored in a garage overnight, so lovely and clean underneath. Had a spin from Galway to Leitrim and back just before Christmas and averaged 44mpg, so a nice handy daily driver too.


  • Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 5,047 Mod ✭✭✭✭kadman


    kadman wrote: »
    Thats very good of you, and i will contact you in the next couple of days and arrange something.
    Thanks,
    Tim


    PM sent.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,174 ✭✭✭Thinkingaboutit


    Mine. Have had it for c. 12 years. 1971 Wolseley 16/60, 1971.

    499988.jpg


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