Re-introducing myself and my fleet

[Peter C]

I was a regular on here a good few years ago, then I went away, then I started lurking, now I'm making a comeback.

 

I will spare you the details of what has changed in my life over the past five years but I will say that I moved house and now have three garages, as opposed to a driveway.

 

Some of you will remember this old thing, my 1985 Mercedes Benz W123 230E.

 

 

It now lives in a cosy workshop and has been the subject of a part restoration.

 

 

I've had the 230E for six years now and it's a keeper. It's been to Poland and back twice, we have history together and I love this car to bits.

 

The storage arrangements have allowed me to expand my fleet so a year ago I bought a mint 1990 Mercedes Benz R129 500SL. Here is a group photo of all three Mercs.

 

 

As nice (and fast!) as SL was, I wasn't getting on with it. I wanted a more involving sports car and ended up doing a straight swap for a very tidy 2000 Porsche Boxster 2.7.

 

 

 

Two and a half years ago I retired the W123 from daily duties and bought a mint 1998 Mercedes Benz W124 E220. This is a rare indian built version, with 5 speed manual 'box.

 

 

 

The previous owner pampered this car and kept it in a garage. I've been using it daily and it has suffered a little as a result.

 

There is rust coming through the offside front wing and nearside rear arch.

 

 

 

A couple of weeks ago some cock sucker smacked into the nearside front door and drove off. I've knocked the door skin out but you can still see a crease on the panel.

 

 

Daily duties aside, the E220 has also been to Poland and back twice and has never given me any problems. Aside from an annual oil and filter change and a set of new front anti-roll bar bushes (£12 from MB), the old Benz drives as well today as the day it left the factory.

 

I've been a little careless at times.

 

 

But I'm doing my best to keep the old girl going.

 

 

A W124 is a perfect car for all occasions and proves that you don't need an estate car.

 

 

 

The little fella is my father in law.

 

 

Boot full of paving slabs.

 

 

I've had the side trims off, the sills and all important jacking points are solid.

 

 

And to keep my wife sweet whilst all this is going on, last year she got a new BMW 420d M-Sport Coupe.

 

 

That's enough about me for now.

[lincolndanny]

Cracking fleet! Things do become dangerous once you gain plenty of storage!

[Cavcraft]

Blue MB Tex? Winner.

[bigstraight6]

Nice fleet, love the W124, one of the best Mercs ever. Good to see it gets worked!

[R9UKE]

Welcome back. I'm not a Porsche fan but that's bloody lovely.

[Station]

SL is lovely.

[Peter C]

Thanks chaps.

 

I have off-highway space for another four cars but I don't want to make my house look like Arthur Daley's car lot. Not yet, anyway. I guess there's always room for a J reg Proton or maybe even a Renner 20. One thing is for sure, there will never be a Laguna in my collection, regardless whether I have to pay for it or collect it for free from a supermarket car park.

 

Yep, blue MB Tex is reserved for winners. It's 100k miles and 18 years old but looks brand new.

 

Boxster and 230E are dry weather use only. That said, I've done about 2.5k miles in the Boxster this summer.

 

Feels good to be back.

[mercrocker]

Nice couple of Mercs you have there....That's about the least rust I have seen on a W124 lately.

[BorniteIdentity]

 

I wanna be like you.

 

I nearly bought one of those Indian W124s earlier in the year - this was Black with grey cloth though, not the winning combination modeled here.

 

Welcome back!

[Lord Sterling]

Welcome back Peter. I, Lord Sterling, a fan of all things Rover 800 was turned to the world of Mercs with this:

 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed ownjng and driving my W124 Estate (or S124 to be pendantic) until some arsehole did this to it:

 

 

Insurers were less than helpful. I've kept my Merc and intend on putting it back on the road, just because I'm frankly bloody minded.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Well done on the w123 that's a lot of work you've done there.

[Peter C]

Lord Sterling, I am honoured that someone in your position has been so gracious to contribute to my post.

 

Whilst my Merc sustained an impact in the same location, the damage to my car was nothing compared with what your car has gone through. Ouch. I doubt that is fixable, at least not economically. Good luck!

 

Despite the onset of corrosion and a slightly uneven door, I propose to keep the old Merc going. The mileage is a few yards short of 100k (so barely run in) and there's no reason for it not to clock up another hundred. I will grind out the plebs in the spring, apply lashings of filler, rattle can localised areas and keep on truckin'.

[r.welfare]

What was the story behind the Indian W124s being imported? I recall that Trade Sales in Slough was the main outlet for them and there was a serious saving (like £10k) on an equivalent W210.

[Peter C]

W124 manufacture ended in 1997 but MB packed containers full of parts (CKD) and shipped the lot to India for assembly. I believe that E220s (petrol) and E250s (diesel), all with manual transmissions, raised suspension, steel sump guards and air con as standard were made from '98 to '01. A small number were imported into the UK after the W210 range was introduced. I've seen a handful, R reg being the oldest and 51 reg the newest.

 

I have a full service history for mine and there is a receipt from the supplying dealer (importer). They were cheaper than the official new model but even so it would take a special person to buy one. The first owner of my car kept it for 10 years before he (the owner) died. The guy I bought the car from was the second owner. I'm the third and final. There's no point selling, it's not worth very much and I wouldn't want to play cheap second hand car roulette whilst looking for a replacement.

[r.welfare]

I've just done a bit of Googling myself and turns out the W124 bombed a bit on the Indian market. Trade Sales used to import RHD stuff from all over the place back then but I wonder how they brokered this deal. I can't imagine that M-B UK were too happy. The MB Tex looks fabulous, that stuff wears like iron. I wonder if the modern incarnation (which they call Artico) will be as hardy.

[Peter C]

Here's the original bill of sale:

 

 

For some reason the car had to be pre-registered.

 

I checked a copy of Autocar mag dating back to October 1998. A W210 E200 was £25.5k whilst an E240 was £30.5k.

 

Compared with the E240, the W124 was almost half price, albeit it came with no warranty and was a familiar shape since 1985.

 

The Indian built W124 is perfectly suited to my commute. I live in Beaconsfield, travel daily to Maidenhead down some right shity B roads. The raised ride height and soft springs make for a comfortable ride and the suspension takes speed humps and pot holes in its stride. Who needs an SUV?

 

[Peter C]

You'll note the first owners initials and the car reg number. It's been on there from new, although it is transferable and worth a few quid (£500 apparently).

[r.welfare]

Just be glad his middle name wasn't Neil. There's a lot to be said for a decent ride height and high profile tyres on the potholed roads of today.

[fotorabia]

Nice collection buddy...i had two W123's in Australia....three if you include a 300D parts car...the last being a UK import 1979-300D..the first a 1977-230.Im looking at going back nxt year and getting a 300D wagon to ship back over here.

 

The 230 i found in the central outback-Uluru-Ayers Rock where it had sat for 3 years..£500 ..a battery..fuel line...a couple of new tyres on the way..it made a 3000kms road trip to Melbourne without fail.

[Peter C]

Maybe the 250 and 280E aside, all W123a were built to last. When I disassembled the front of my 230E every fixing but one self tapping screw were reusable. And were reused!

[vulgalour]

I do like looking at Mercedes, they age particularly well in the styling department and your collection is very pleasing to the eye.  I just wish I got on with the seats as well as I did the styling, they always look such an inviting place to be until I get behind the wheel.  Funnily enough, I'm only ever comfortable in the back seat of a Mercedes with a confident and brisk driver up front.

[Peter C]

Jodie,

 

I'm now on my fourth W124, having already had a E200, 230E and a 200TE. The M111 engine in the post facelift cars is a much better unit than the M102 fitted to the earlier cars (and my W123), more economical, more powerful, more flexible and smoother. With ABS, ice cold air con, PAS, 2 x airbags, my E220 is a perfect retro daily. Years ago I had a W126 300SE, fitted with an M103 straight six. I imagine that a W124 fitted with that engine, a 300E, must be a wonderful car. All W124s have finally aged and stand out from bland modern cars.

 

I've had two W201s and whilst they are very good and strong cars, I consider the W124 to be far superior. W201s are a little cramped, the boot is small and you don't get that big car waft that comes as standard with all W124s.