| Re: Mercedes Benz E Class (124) Owners - Should I buy?
It is very interesting to hear of your 124 Mercedes in India - I live in the hills of Northern England and have been driving these wonderful cars on and off for many years. I gather that it was just the E220 and E250D which were sold in India - some of these were German built, some Indian. Am I right? Were they all saloons, or were the estates/tourings sold also?
In Germany there were many variations available with a huge range of options not available in other countries. The Germans do not have a class system as complex as the British (or yours in India) and never perceived their 124s as what we may call 'posh'. It was simply a bit bigger than Volkswagens, better engineered than any other car (especially BMWs - I am always amazed at how relatively few BMWs there are in Germany compared to Britain) and used primarily by Berlin taxi drivers and as practical family cars, especially in estate versions.
British 124s were usually high-spec big engined models, often bought for prestige and snob value rather than their ability to cover hundreds of thousands of miles at 100mph without problem. German engines, which deliver their power and torque high up the rev range are particularly unsuited to small, slow British roads where even on the motorway it is technically illegal to drive over 70mph and being caught at over 100mph could lead to a very serious penalty. The 6 cylinder estates (all 3 litre) were the choice car - such a decent sized engine developed sufficient power at lower revs to suffice. The British traditionally don't like revving engines - it is seen in some circles as unnecessary as playing loud music and symptomatic of a smallish engine. In reality, it is a result of English car engines usually falling apart or rapidly wearing out if worked hard!
It has to be said, a Jaguar XJ6 made a far more sensible and more pleasant purchase in the late 80s and early 90s for use in Britain - provided it was a large-engined saloon car you wanted. A pleasant glass of sherry or fine ale compared with a fine but a little character-less continental lager, it could be said. At present in the UK, these older Jaguars are the ultimate bargain, almost as cheap as a 300E 124 saloon. But if you wanted a diesel or an estate, there was little choice. Only Mercedes delivered the goods.
My first 124 was a 300TD automatic - 1990 model year. It had covered less than 300,000 miles and ran like new, having been well maintained. I used this car for many years, even abused it. The rear suspension which is manufactured under license from Citroen turned out to be comfortable and excellent for roadholding but not as good as Citroen's own applications - it's weakness is that it relies on seals for its operation, rather than expensively fine engineering. Work it hard on English backroads when heavily laden and the seals can go in the rear rams - which are disguised to look like conventional 'shock absorbers' or dampers - easy enough to replace these units but unless you buy second-hand the price makes you wince.
Its window regulators wore out, as they are prone to, I had to replace the rear suspension rams, but other than that it needed nothing beyond brakes, tyres and servicing over tens of thousands of hard-driven miles. Not even a glow plug. I was deeply impressed! The ability to pull any weight, cruise at well over 100mph and retain its composure no matter what was thrown at it, was awe-inspiring. Over long journeys the smooth engine and accurate steering shone - aspects which many people overlook and can be hugely tiring.
The next 124 was another 300td auto, this time one of the last made - a 1996 model with the multivalve OM606 engine. It was cheap becuase of surface rust (the front wings always go) and highish mileage, but I didn't keep the car long. It was clear the steel was an inferior grade, both by the deep-seated corrosion in places, the look of the panels and the slack feel to the car. It impressed in obvious ways which Mercedes had never sought to do before - it set off rapidly (unneccesarily so in 1st gear every time, wiping away the old-school engineers' approach), had an ostentatiously glamourous interior and returned a few more miles per gallon at German speeds. The corrosion was serious, the paint poor (water-based) and I didn't like the car. Tapping the panels sounded like tapping cardboard. It felt fundamentally cheap compared with the previous one.
This car was followed by a complete contrast - a 1986 model saloon
with manual gears, but again with the 6 cylinder diesel engine. It was economical and fast, with less power loss in the transmission and a more aerodynamic body shape. About 16km/litre of fuel if you didn't exceed 120kph on a longish trip. It felt enormously strong and although a decade older and with many more miles on the clock than the previous car the paint was immaculate and there was no corrosion anywhere. Tap the panels and they rang, like all high-quality steel does. It was more spartan inside, but harder-wearing. A friend bought this car, and it continues to run like clockwork. I miss it.
By now I had done a little research into the model. It turned out that Mercedes was struggling to make any money on the cars and every modification was intended to reduce costs. The cars made before 1991/2 are better quality. The replacement W210 model was based heavily on the 124, but cost a third less to make. The MB chairman boasted of this at its launch - and Mercedes are still trying to recover from the poor reputation it gained them. In the UK, you can buy a 2000 or 2001 car for less than £1000. They rotted badly and had one or two design faults, but can be great buys if you are in the know. I would never have one.
To replace the saloon, I found another estate car, again with the oil-burning 6 cylinder engine driving through an automatic transmission. It had been lovingly cared-for and been in the same family all its life, with no cost spared. With 330,000 miles under its belt, it was nicely worn-in. I still have this car today, and it runs like clockwork.
However, I'd always been aware of the losses in an automatic transmission, even though nobody made one work as beautifully as Mercedes-Benz, and I was on the lookout for a manual gearbox estate version, preferably without electric windows (they are a weak point and quite superfluous). The smaller five cylinder diesel is even tougher than the six due to its greater torsional stiffness, and lighter as well. I recently found a lovely example for sale with winding windows, a manual gearbox and 5 cylinder engine. The perfect workhorse. It runs exceptionally well, having commuted for much of its life from London to Poland with a Polish nurse at the wheel. Originally it was bought by one of Mercedes' own engineers and has a couple of interesting additions, most recently a policeman with a Polish wife has owned the car. The front to rear suspension pipe needs replacement and there is a tiny amount of welding required but other than that she's fit to do another 486,000km. The picture is of this car, sat on my drive. | 
8th August 2012, 21:54
(1)
Thanks
