I think I must be ill (walked away from a W124 estate!)

[Bear]

Money in my grubby paws.

Ostensibly low mileage, fairly-to-very rust-free W124 4-pot estate with sunroof for the money in my paws.

 

And I walked away because the mileage was probably average, not low (clock stopped at least 5 years ago), there was no history or paperwork of any value, the sunroof didn't work and some bits felt sadly neglected (missing covers on things like the wiper).

 

I really wanted it, too, but just didn't feel it when I got to the car.

 

Now I have money, and no pleasing lazy Mercedes estate. Hmmm. I did contemplate 190s, but just... I only do 2dr coupé or convertible, hatchbacks if it's the only option, or estates. Don't see the point in saloons, big footprint, less carrying space.

[Matt]

 but just didn't feel it when I got to the car.

 

Done that before too, white BX 16RS. Loved how it looked in the ad, looked forward to possibly buying it but after looking over it I jest felt 'meh' on the idea.

 

 

 Don't see the point in saloons, big footprint, less carrying space.

 

Me neither, I've always seen them as estates with the useful bit taken away.

[rml2345]

It's probably better just to walk away from a car that doesn't "speak" to you than buy it anyway and find it's even worse.

[sierraman]

Go with your gut on a car, if it doesn't feel right it probably is going to give you grief somewhere along the line

[forddeliveryboy]

Was that the blue 230 on ebay?

[Junkman]

That fucking NHS privatisation.

[xtriple]

I once travelled several hundred miles t buy a Pug 604. It was 'alright' but nothing special so walked. Everyone was amazed as I really wanted one.

[stripped fred]

I was thinking of spending a bit (was more flush then) on a car at the end of last year and was looking at v70's on auto trader. There was one that jumped out at me, a 55 plate D5 manual estate only 3 miles away and last owner for 6 years, private sale. The car was in exceptional condition with fsh and he wanted £2200. I walked away as he refused to haggle, it was an S model not SE and it had done 197k miles which was not a problem in itself but I was concerned it would need a dmf and clutch and I'd just shelled out £900 to have this done on my Alfa. Still kicking myself about that one as I think it would have been a good long-term keeper and it being an S was not an issue although I would have liked heated seats. Just didn't feel it at the time. Now I have fully adopted the autoshite attitude I will be looking for a slightly shonkier model for a third of the price in need of some tlc!

[Bear]

Was that the blue 230 on ebay?

 

The one in Swansea? No - that one is honestly leggy. This is one I was told about but the mileage on it was the same for five MOTs - clock had stopped. Bad colour, faded bad colour interior, sunroof didn't work, a few small broken things - nitpicking on a cheap W124 but really all things I could overcome if I'd felt 'right' with the car.

 

Of course, now I've got up to £1K to throw at an automatic estate car and still really want a W124, but am also trying to decide if I want a W201/202 instead, or maybe should try a (hopefully much simpler than E39) E34 estate, or something else. It's got to take the place of the 300C in theory, so has to be interesting and if it's manky, has to have good ability for me to fix that - hence Mercedes at the forefront of my mind. Otherwise I'd be trying to find a Xantia V6 estate.

[gordonbennet]

Owners of Mercs don't leave things like the wiper cover missing, if things staring you in the face are neglected what bits out of sight haven't see a drop of oil or grease or a splash of water to rinse the salt off for years, sunroofs need to be used regularly or they struggle, i have to remember to use the one on my coupe during the winter and even then it can struggle to open or tilt during the cold, but once the warmer weather comes it's running free again.

 

Good cars, but they won't stand neglect like a motor from the far east.

 

The 4 pots Mercs don't do it for me, they will pick up their skirts but the revs and accompanying noise to make any progress is painful, where the 6 and 8 cylinder versions sound wondrous as you climb the rev range.

 

It's bugged me for years that more Japanese and Korean makers didn't offer estate versions of their cars here, why?, 97 on Camry estate would have been a peach, ditto Sonata/Magentis, had Toyota put an estate arse on a Lexus GS 300 and shoved the bombproof Landcruiser 4.2 Diesel engine in under the bonnet it would probably have the only car i'd have ever needed and would have stolen Mercs and BMW's thunder years ago.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Of course, now I've got up to £1K to throw at an automatic estate car and still really want a W124, but am also trying to decide if I want a W201/202 instead, or maybe should try a (hopefully much simpler than E39) E34 estate, or something else.

 

If you've never owned one before, you MUST buy a boxy Volvo (700/900). They're simply amazing cars. Huge amounts of space, impressively strong, easy and cheap to repair in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

A mate in West London has one, an E280 petrol Estate auto with over 200'000 miles. M reg I think, metallic green. Drives perfectly as it's had everything done - head gasket, auto box rebuild etc. I think it's a one owner car as well. I've ridden in it and it really is a nice thing. It needs a drivers wing as the usual rot is there but it'll be under a grand I believe - with the wing replaced and a good clean up it'll be a £1500 car. Currently MOT's, taxed to get you home etc.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

 

It's bugged me for years that more Japanese and Korean makers didn't offer estate versions of their cars here, why?

 

The answer is the Mitsubishi Sigma estate from 20 years ago. Made in Australia (Lonsdale LOL), rear drive with the old 3.0 pushrod engine from the Shotgun and as truly excellent vehicle. I sold one to a Mate's dad in 1995 to replace a 150'000 mille 4 year old Camry and he had it for 10 years and 200'000 miles. Went back to a Toyota again but thought the Sigma was the best car he'd ever owned.

[sierraman]

As above, owners of Mercs have bought it for status, so ones with missing trim and bits of tin missing off wiper arms suggests one that's either been fucked about with or the owner didn't give a shit.

[Tetleysmooth]

As above, owners of Mercs have bought it for status, so ones with missing trim and bits of tin missing off wiper arms suggests one that's either been fucked about with or the owner didn't give a shit.

 

Or couldn't afford the huge spares prices for Mercs.

 

I sincerely hate those autoboxes with the sensor plate in them.

 

Go for something old, cheap, reliable.

[Bear]

If you've never owned one before, you MUST buy a boxy Volvo (700/900). They're simply amazing cars. Huge amounts of space, impressively strong, easy and cheap to repair in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

I have owned a 740 before, and a 240 saloon & two estates (and an 850). They're okay, but don't really do much for me - I'd like a 960 but don't want the risks of the straight six engine's reputed appetite for headgaskets.

[forddeliveryboy]

Mileage is fairly unimportant on pre-93 124s, a looked after 300,000 mile estate will often be a much better buy than a 100,000 mile car which has been used for the school run. The diesels are very smooth, high-revving, whispering diesels which in some respects are more refined than the petrol motors. Later ones were made from poorer steel and had iffy paint. Around 1990 or before is the best era, I'd say.

 

I've a friend with a 1990 300CE with a six cylinder diesel under the bonnet - he cruises at just under 90mph and averages a genuine 45mpg. Most people don't realise it's a diesel when they're standing next to it and it's idling, let alone when it's still pulling hard and whining like a turbine through four then five thousand revs as the speedometer needle slips past the 100 mark. He has covered nearly 40k in the year since he bought it, nothing has gone wrong.

 

If you want a car to keep for six or seven years without big problems, then it'll need maintaining even if it's Japanese. From experience, it's the fundamental simplicity of a diesel 124 which is what keeps them running long after other stuff has worn out. You just have to keep on top of any little niggles to keep it from growing into a banger. They need way less looking after and repairing than BMWs, ime. Well worth spending an extra £500 and getting a better 124 - it'll save you in the long run.

[Bear]

Owners of Mercs don't leave things like the wiper cover missing, if things staring you in the face are neglected what bits out of sight haven't see a drop of oil or grease or a splash of water to rinse the salt off for years,

 

The 4 pots Mercs don't do it for me, they will pick up their skirts but the revs and accompanying noise to make any progress is painful, where the 6 and 8 cylinder versions sound wondrous as you climb the rev range.

 

Yeah. Clock stopped so mileage hasn't moved for several years, battery held in with heath-robinson hooks and screws (and entirely too small), tail light backing gaffer taped in, sunvisors hanging loose. All things which if the car had really got me would not be a problem to sort (though the rust under the battery concerned me). I think I find it harder to like a car when it's obvious the owner has been aware of a problem, then has bodged it, rather that it having the problem in the first place.

 

I could go for a W210 but they are just so damn ugly at the back.

[stripped fred]

Yeah. Clock stopped so mileage hasn't moved for several years, battery held in with heath-robinson hooks and screws (and entirely too small), tail light backing gaffer taped in, sunvisors hanging loose. All things which if the car had really got me would not be a problem to sort (though the rust under the battery concerned me). I think I find it harder to like a car when it's obvious the owner has been aware of a problem, then has bodged it, rather that it having the problem in the first place.

 

I could go for a W210 but they are just so damn ugly at the back.

I think you did the right thing walking away from that one.

[forddeliveryboy]

210s are bargainous barges, not as many as presumed are rotten. High speed shiter's choice - great M-way cruise ships, they feel bloody heavy though on English roads. C-class estates are cheap, too.

[gordonbennet]

On 210's rust seems to be colour dependent as much as anything else, green and black ones don't seem to rot so bad, silver ones are generally rot boxes.

 

Whilst more complicated than a 300, the later E320 Diesel is stormingly quick, coupled to that silky auto box it takes some serious sports car to stay with one from rest up to 100+...one sales chap at Northampton made the mistake of telling my barmy Mrs to do whatever she needed when we test drove an X plate E320 Diesel, bear in mind my Mrs is Greek by birth, the colour drained from this remarkably cheerful blokes face and i'm sure he was several shades greyer after.

 

I always fancied finding a low mileage 210 and then going to town on the underbody fully rustproofing it.

 

Made the mistake of selling my lovely N Plate E300 W124 saloon, it was very low mileage, sold it to my MB indy who sold it on to a regular customer, it got totalled last year when a 4x4 rammed it up that arse and my indies son was visibly upset telling me about it, that car had been mega serviced and cared for before me during my ownership and in the hands of the new owner at my indies garage, it should have made very old bones, won't find another like that.

[Guest mitsisigma]

As mentioned in the thread earlier , I still have one on the road ,

Mitsubishi Sigma estate 3000 V6,1996, manual gearbox , fwd .

when it runs good she is the sweetest smoothest kin great tank , great car ,

[EssDeeWon]

I think we've all turned up cash on hip ready to buy but been disappointed when we actually see the motor in the flesh.

 

The worst one was an SD1 2600 VDP all the way up in bloomin Doncaster (or near there).

 

Its good to walk away, as people that mis-describe / ill inform about 2nd hand cars dont deserve our hard earned cash.

 

ALWAYS walk away I say, there are plenty of other better cars out there.

[dugong]

I saw this 305 van once....

[Lord Sterling]

I'd say 6-pots are the way to go for such a big heavy car. Plus, If you ain't feeling it, then its no bad thing to walk away. That said, I have this conviction that neglect can be rectified if you are willing to pull up your sleeves and dig in (to your pockets). Besides, from what I see on just eBay, W124s seems fairly plentiful, particularly estates.

 

My car hadn't been looked after before WorldofCeri had it, he did rectify many of the problems and made it worthwhile.

 

Currently mine has a noisey viscous fan which I've now been told is normal? I'm unsure about that. It'll need a wing now due to OMG balljoint FAYLIUR and the camber needs adjusting (Thanks Red5!) but it still seems quite solid despite been a bit frilly in places.

 

I intend to get it the way I want it, job or no job.

[Bear]

Well, my W210 needs rust sorting on the back and subframe mounts or UJ bushes, but it's working - so for now the effort is going on the SLK (back from the states, so new coils, EBC discs/pads/shoes, new fluid, pondering new flexible lines) - new dampers on the front will be the primary job after that as the rears are done. And then the job of getting the 300CE functional again - that's going to be scary. I keep seeing ones which don't look TOO bad on eBay for not all that much money and wonder if going all in to save my 210,000+ mile one is worth it. Then I figure every classic car that has survived and isn't a museum thing has gone through this exact stage.

[Bear]

Also not helping is the fact that Keith popped over in a 300SL.
 

I had partly forgotten how much I bloody /love/ R129s.

 

And there are still cheap M119 V8s to be had...