'Tis the season for more Merc Shite...

[Spiny Norman]

Some of you may remember I was after a Renault Avantime last week, and as discussed elsewhere on here it didn't happen, so I decided to revert to type and look for a big old auto barge. I very nearly bagged what sounded like a minty-mint X300 Jag XJ6 on Tuesday but half an hour before I'd arranged to go and see it the bloke selling it phoned me and told me someone else had just driven off in it.

 

So today I popped my Merc cherry for the first time and bought a '96 on a P E320.

A year's MOT and 6 months tax, not too many brown bits and a spotless interior and a faultless drive. I'm quite chuffed, and for less than half what the manky Renault was going to cost me.

 

[ashmicro]

Propa! Such a classy car, that. If the headlights have gone a bit cloudy or yellow, get some Meguiars PlastX for them, works a treat on these motors.

[dollywobbler]

Barge-tastic. Does it still have sills?

[Cavcraft]

Barge-tastic. Does it still have sills, unbroken springs, working eletrics and non-chrome arche?s

 

EFA!

 

Does look a nice place to be that, espesh with leather and raspberry box.

[RoadworkUK]

You know what, these are terrific. Find a good W210 that hasn't turned to iron filings and you've got a proper Merc.

 

Never as dynamically skilled as an E39 and a bit slabby (except from the rear 3/4, which looks ace), perhaps, but blessed with an amazing ride quality, unbelievable refinement and a total feeling of invulnerabllity. As a 96P I'd imagine yours will be far less prone to disolving than later stuff. We've sent V and W plate stuff over the bridge before now. Not even auctionable.

 

Superlative embuyment, sir.

[Spiny Norman]

Barge-tastic. Does it still have sills?

 

It's really not bad at all.

A few blisters on the doors, one on the inside lip of the bootlid but surprisingly the wings and arches are fine. Not bad at all for any 16 year old car, let alone a Merc W210.

Of course it was pissing with rain when I looked at it but I remain optimistic!

 

Everything works, memory seats, windows, locks mirrors the lot.

Only minor things so far seem to be the alarm works but doesn't make any noise, and one of the little indicator repeaters in the wings pops out every time you go over a bump.

Which in Glasgow is every 20 f*** yards!

 

Still, it is a rather agreeable chariot so far, if nothing falls off or goes bang within the next week or so I might have found a keeper.

[rml2345]

That does look rather a lovely old thing! If it's fairly solid and not electrically banjaxed you should be on to a winner.

[ashmicro]

Chop a wee tiny piece off a numberplate adhesive pad, and stick the repeater on with that. My W203 did exactly the same thing.

[eddyramrod]

It's all going Merc-shaped around here, isn't it! May it serve you well sir. If it's any help, there is one of these every 20 feet or so in Paphos, most of them with a taxi sign on the roof, which must be some kind of comment.

[R9UKE]

I always assume drivers of these are Polish. Therefore it is cool

[cort16]

You never see these this clean they're usually hanging. I'd love a shot of an E55.

[Pete-M]

You never see these this clean they're usually hanging. I'd love a shot of an E55.

 

The E55 AMG is on my bucket list. It'll have to be an estate though.

 

These Mercs are bloody great when you get a good one. My brother had a couple of 'em and they were utterly bombproof. Comfy as.

[boobydoo]

They're what I call the last proper Mercs. No blank switches on the dash, good solid feel, no time-bomb electrics.....a time when owning a Merc showed you were successfull in life. Nowadays every Tom Dick and Harry have got them.

 

That looks like an Avantgarde model with the black maple wood and those memory seats would have been an expensive option at the time.

[scooters]

nice indeed!

 

all it really needs now is a good dose of tinworm round the lights to give it that 'mercs aren't what they once were' appeal - looks lovely -GR9 4 wafting up the Great West Road with all those flippin traffic lights with that slusher box!

 

wellbought

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

They're what I call the last proper Mercs. No blank switches on the dash, good solid feel, no time-bomb electrics.....a time when owning a Merc showed you were successfull in life. Nowadays every Tom Dick and Harry have got them.

 

That looks like an Avantgarde model with the black maple wood and those memory seats would have been an expensive option at the time.

 

Whatever a proper Merc was, it was made long before these things. Lots of autobox issues, electrics, engine looms etc - they're cheap for a reason.

 

These have a nasty habit of rotting around the front spring upper mounts which are welded to the inner wing. Get your biggest screwdriver on the case.

[forddeliveryboy]

They're what I call the last proper Mercs. .....a time when owning a Merc showed you were successfull in life. Nowadays every Tom Dick and Harry have got them.

 

No, my 124 is the last proper Merc... and my mate with a 123 asserts his is...

 

The replacement for the 124 was done on the cheap and its mega-low values indicate this. But - I think they're valued slightly under what they are worth, and if the estate dizzlers are fetching as little as £750 for a good 'un then petrols must be pocket money. Main dealers put a lot right on these cars, 98-00 worst years from what I know, collapsing spring mounts, subframes etc. Given that these problems reared their ugly heads a good few years ago perhaps the worst has been crushed/repaired well.

[Spiny Norman]

I had a closer look at it today in the sunshine and it looks like I spotted most of the grot yesterday so I'm not too disappointed.

 

Anyway, if a car has rust/dents/bits hanging off when I buy it, all it means is I won't be crying myself to sleep when it picks up more damage along the way. There's nothing like the gut-wrenching horror of getting that first ding on a pristine new motor, so if you buy one pre-dinged it saves a lot of heartache.

[ProgRocker]

Nice Merc, Ian. Seems like a lot of car for not a lot of money.

[pandamonium]

Excellent. Gotta love a cheap Merc. Although I have to admit they don't really count as shite!

We are befouling the good name of Autoshite.