A used W124 E250D? EDIT : Now bought. Thanks!

[E250Dreamcar]

Greetings!

I am a newbie on this excellent forum and have spent the past weekend going through a LOT of posts by all of you. I have been looking for something like this and am very glad that I found this forum (P.S - Mods, you guys should use some Search Engine Optimization to make sure this forum shows up on google searches easily)

Backgrounder:

I am a fresh MBA grad, joined a management consultancy in Mumbai and unlike most boring people who want to save/invest etc during the early part of their careers, I wanna have the most fun I can before I run into speedbreakers called marriage and kids .

The Project:

I have decided to buy me a good,used, W124 E 250 Diesel (Manual).Why?

I have done a decent amount of research and have come up with the foll:

1. The W124 was "overengineered" and is thus extremely reliable
2. Even a 60-80k Kms old w124 would be running in good condition
3. Maintenance is not as scary for a W124 (Rs 10,000 for a service, every 10,000 km, if I am not mistaken, please correct if wrong)
4. Spare parts are easy to come by and not very expensive
5. The E250 D is cheaper to run than a E220 Petrol
6. Manual is maintenance friendly and fuel efficient

The Issues:

Apart from the obvious question -
HOW MUCH TO PAY? these additional issues exist -

1. I have so far found only TWO E250D's (1997) online. Need more choice.
2. Which dealers to trust? Ameet Thakker of Kleancars seems to have a formidable reputation and a informative website - Kleancarsindia.com Used Cars, New Cars, Buy Car, Sell Car, New Car Pricing, Used Car Values, Automobiles, Car loan, Used cars for sale, used car -
3. What will be the resale value in 3 years?
4. I don't have a covered garage or parking space - how can this be countered or will it cause big problems?

Need Expert Advice:

Calling for help from GTO, Viper and other merc enthusiasts! I need all the help I can get if I am ever going to get my dream car...Please PM me or send me your contact details...I would love to meet up with all you merc enthusiasts before I make a purchase...

[amtak]

Mods, Please move it to the correct section. Btw, good choice as a first car!!!

[Raja]

Hi and Welcome to Team-BHP

I am in a very similar position except I have already hit speedbreakers.

I am looking for an W124 E220 Auto or Manual. I haven't come across any E220 Automatics, so I am widening my search to a E220 Manual. I am in Pune. If I come across a E250, I will keep you in mind.

How much to pay is a minefield?
I contacted Kleancars this weekend. Initially he said his cars were mint condition, but when I said I was coming down to view a car, he came clean and said it was a garde 'B' car and not mint (atleast he was honest before I made to trip and not wasting my time).

If you come across a mint E220, keep me in mind and good luck.

[V-16]

Good choice buddy. Will try to answer your questions below. But why only a diesel? Do you cover a lot of kms per day (lot of means if its below 200 kms a day, the diesel choice is not justified.)
Contrary to popular belief, my E220 turned out a very healthy 12.75/km on my trip to Mahableshwar and back.

HOW MUCH TO PAY? This depends on the condition. I have seen prices of a car with your specs go for as little as 4.50 and max 5.75 very recently. The latter was in better shape than most new cars we see and had clocked only 27K.. unbelievable but true, so look around and dont go and pay a deposit for the first car you see.

Which dealers to trust None. Look up the classifieds, especially the Times Drive. I always see so many of these cars featured there. Also ask friends and you may come up with a very good car. Dealer cars are usually overpriced and only look good cosmetically. Most dealer cars wil also feature a fiddled speedo. Look for the tell tale signs of high usage in that case.

I don't have a covered garage or parking space - how can this be countered or will it cause big problems? No Problem. Get a good Car Cover. Problem solved.
You're righ tabout the parts and the service costs. The service costs can go down if you use regular oil as opposed to Synthetic but I use synthetic always. The spares are available apenty and are not so expensive. ( Some of Honda city's spares are more expensive)

Have an authorised Mercedes service agent look at your car. Sanghi or Auto Hangar will do it for you for a small fee and even give you a report.

And when you get your car, drive it every single day as far as possible. Do not let it be your Party or weekend car Daily driving this machine further refines it and will make you one with the car.

[scooby05]

One of my neighbours just sold off a E220 1996, for Rs. 3.00 lacs. car needed an expense on suspension,tires and small irritants, costing about 60000.
There is another one, which is very good condition and the owners asking for 4.25 lacs

[GTO]

This is our kind of a guy! A fresh MBA grad who wants to spend 5 lacs on a Merc and not a Swift. I like your spirit. The W124 is a fabulous machine and unlike the Mercs of today, are devoid of electronics and their inherent complications. They have been discussed extensively so do use the search function to find the relevant threads.

Also, it may be a good idea to check out the cars from Auto Hangar and Sanghi. You may end up paying 50 grand more but it may well be worth it for the additional peace of mind. If you do find a car from outside, make sure you get it checked by Auto Hangar. I know the chaps there so PM me if you need any leads.

[E250Dreamcar]

Hi Guys!

@GTO - Thanks for modding this post to the right section and, yeah, i will PM you about the autohangar option

@Scooby05 - I have PM'ed you. Do respond.

@V-16 - Thanks for the diesel Vs petrol insight. I did some more research (Petrol versus Diesel - The Myths Explored! [Archive] - Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums) and calculated the difference in fuel costs (I estimated I'd do 7500 km per annum including daily commute (7 km) and two 1500km long drives, assumed a 7kmpl for petrol and 9 kmpl for diesel and ended up with savings of arnd 20,000 per year) and am now convinced that petrol is the way to go.

SO!..I guess I am looking for petrols too, just like Raja here (Will keep you in mind mate...lets find those dream cars!)

Btw, How does a 1995 S320 @ Rs 7.5 L sound? can it be bargained for ~5L?

Keep the posts coming guys....

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by E250Dreamcar

Btw, How does a 1995 S320 @ Rs 7.5 L sound? can it be bargained for ~5L?

Keep the posts coming guys....

Electrical bugs, wiring loom burns out and is fragile as it needs to be removed to get at plugs. It is a heavy car - tyres wear out and check springs for breakages

[rangaraj]

Mercedes-Benz India - Pre Owned Cars - Guide

Gives you a good idea of what to check for.. Might be worthwhile to do a check on what pre-owned cars are available. The advantage is that it comes with a warranty though it is pricey..

[E250Dreamcar]

Hello Guys!!

90 Days. Endless, Maddening Research . 19 potential cars. 5 Test Drives. 1 failed bid. And Finally....



So, there it is..A Beautiful, White, 1996 W124 E220 Petrol (Manual)...











Thanks!

Heartfelt thanks are in order for various Team-BHP members like V-16, GTO, Viper and in particular - Scooby05 , without whom this beauty wouldn't have been mine!! Also, Mr. Pratik Desai from Upaj motors deserves kudos for breaking the usual mold of a car dealer and being a wonderful person to do business with. THANKS GUYS!!

Now, a little more about the car itself -

• Its been christened "Pegasus"
• Its done about 46k KM on the odo
• Bought from Upaj Motors - Makes me the 3rd owner
• It's been refurbished and a decently good job has been done
• No leather seats - Original mercedes non-leather seats
• All the electrics, tape player, A/C work just fine
• No flood damage
• Comprehensive insurance (lasts till almost year end)
• New Goodyear's
• New Suspension
• No perceived problems so far among the other usual w124 suspects - Wiring harness, Fuel Pump, O2 sensor and Clutch pads

How Much?
I paid 4.5 Lakhs for the car and believe I could have had it for 4.25. However, have struck a decent deal on the services front, so

Interesting Things That Happened During The Search

• I saw a Blue W124 E220 that had a colony of rats living in the engine block (They had eaten through most of the interiors also). The boot of that car was a cockroach nest. The asking price according to the dealer was 5.5 Lakhs.
• Came to know of a W124 E220 belonging to either a director of the Tata Group or Ratan Tata himself. Apparently,this car has the original seat cover plastic still on it. Also, the owner has got seperate "marked" wash towels for each part of the car, i.e. towels that say "Mercedes E220 - Bonnet" and "Mercedes E220 - Rear Bumper"!. I don't know how far this is true, but sure sounded like something that couldn't be made up.
• Met a young mercedes owner who had advertised for sale his E220 through "Times Drive" on one recent friday. However, the car got sold before I could get to his place on Saturday Morning! The best part? He says he almost made a profit on the car! (I took a drive in the car and it was in good shape. He sold it for 4.5 L ,apparently)

I now have to deal with people who shake their heads at my purchase, muttering to themselves "What a foolish purchase! He will learn his lesson when the maintenance costs come"...
No amount of explaining the virtues of the W124 and the actual costs of maintenance will convince them.I only hope that what I have read and heard about the maintenace costs of this car is really true!

I am now looking for "The Mercedes E-Class Owner's Bible" by Stu Ritter or the "Haynes Mercedes Benz E-Class Manual". If anyone has it or knows how to get it in Mumbai, do PM me.

I shall be taking a long drive in the near future and shall hopefully come up with better snaps and some feedback from the trip.

Thanks so much folks and in true Team-BHP spirit, I'd be glad to help out anyone who's looking for a good W124 (Along with all the help of the senior BHPian's, of course!).

[iraghava]

Congratulations on the great buy man!! She looks fabulous, hope you have some nice time driving her around!

[Rtech]

Congrats on the (mini) tank! Now...some nice tints & wheels and you're set!

[akshat]

Just one word for you : Awesome ( Just change I to You ). I really like the spirit you have shown, When I wanted to buy a second hand big car was opposed from all the fronts ( strangely only my girl friend supported me, but alas she was in US that time)so i ended up getting a new ikon ( I love the car ). Its time to change and this time I will stick to my decision ( Need the support of t-bhp on this )

[reignofchaos]

Beautiful car.... I'd say its a way better buy than a Swift of Getz . Have fun with your Benz.

[GTO]

46K kms....Holy cow, that car is a virgin!! Congratulations man. It looks really clean and the price is a steal.

Keep her well. And get her along sometime for a Team-BHP meet.