HMC 4 door saloon bought.

[HMC]

Its been slightly gifferised with some later mb bits- which make my eyes itch- but its spent almost its entire life life in central london and looks pleasingly rot free. Ive probably had about 25 w124s so immediately went to the front spring perches and rear subframe mounts. VERDICT- they exist. 

 

 

[Schaefft]

Looking clean so probably not a bad trade knowing the values of either.

[HMC]

my fave bit is the interior - more of which after the post office opens and im not with numb fingers

[grogee]

Standard dibs posting.

So classy. I can just imagine this living in London. It seems remarkably un-scarred for a London car. 

Does she change her own gears? 

[DSdriver]

Did the previous owner have numberplate security issues?

[Forty45]

The door mirrors don't match?

[HMC]

  On 27/01/2024 at 10:09, Forty45 said:

The door mirrors don't match?

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Standard issue w124- theres probably some sort of German logic going on

[HMC]

  On 27/01/2024 at 08:55, HMC said:

my fave bit is the interior - more of which after the post office opens and im not with numb fingers

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[HMC]

  On 27/01/2024 at 09:57, grogee said:

Standard dibs posting.

So classy. I can just imagine this living in London. It seems remarkably un-scarred for a London car. 

Does she change her own gears? 

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Indeed!

Tax now sorted thankfully, after a bit of headscratching at the post office.

[grogee]

  On 27/01/2024 at 11:05, HMC said:

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That is very German dominatrix, I approve. 

[lesapandre]

Another car with a probably interesting history.

Bradshaw and Webb were London's poshest Mercedes dealers with their showrooms on Cheyne Walk Chelsea.

The leather interior is a factory option - eye-wateringly expensive and an unusual colour. It also has the centre console cassette box - another option. 

That looks like a car specifically specced at the factory to order and shipped over. MB will hold the build records etc.

I think Bradshaw and Webb have closed but the company is still extent at Companies House.

That car has been specced by someone with money and unusual taste. Various 'celebs' live locally including Mick Jagger.

[HMC]

  On 27/01/2024 at 11:06, grogee said:

That is very German dominatrix, I approve. 

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Must be why i like it (and have a German ex wife 😂)

Actually it certainly didnt leave sindelfingen like this. Its my first “series 1” which tended to major in dour fabrics and plain interiors that even lots of options struggled to lift. Good thing about the “s1” is that there is less bodycladding so its easier to inspect the sills (and i think they might be less rot prone as well )

So i think this left the factory with some sort of light grey wishy washy upholstery. At some point a previous owner has gone dominatrix on it. The seats are replacements- mb tex pattern rears and boot seats (its a 7 seater) and recoloured leather fronts. The interior plastics are a mix of replacement factory red and recoloured grey. They stopped short of recolouring or replacing the fur flex door seals and the front carpets, (which want dyeing or replacing with factory red stuff) but did recover the boot carpets. The front door cards have mb tex inlays, and the rear door cards have recoloured fabric inlays.

Its also got w202 alloys and a later non leather airbag wheel (although no airbag is fitted) 

So its a bit of a bitsa but one that will be easy to finish off- and the shell is good which is far harder to sort.

[lesapandre]

  On 27/01/2024 at 10:09, Forty45 said:

The door mirrors don't match?

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Asymmetrical mirrors are standard on W124's.

[lesapandre]

  On 27/01/2024 at 11:22, HMC said:

Must be why i like it (and have a German ex wife 😂)

Actually it certainly didnt leave sindelfingen like this. Its my first “series 1” which tended to major in dour fabrics and plain interiors that even lots of options struggled to lift. Good thing about the “s1” is that there is less bodycladding so its easier to inspect the sills (and i think they might be less rot prone as well )

So i think this left the factory with some sort of light grey wishy washy upholstery. At some point a previous owner has gone dominatrix on it. The seats are replacements- mb tex pattern rears and boot seats (its a 7 seater) and recoloured leather fronts. The interior plastics are a mix of replacement factory red and recoloured grey. They stopped short of recolouring or replacing the fur flex door seals and the front carpets, (which want dyeing or replacing with factory red stuff) but did recover the boot carpets. The front door cards have mb tex inlays, and the rear door cards have recoloured fabric inlays.

Its also got w202 alloys and a later non leather airbag wheel (although no airbag is fitted) 

So its a bit of a bitsa but one that will be easy to finish off- and the shell is good which is far harder to sort.

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Ah that explains it.

[loserone]

/me sets notifications to loud.  Man, I want that.

[hairnet]

  On 27/01/2024 at 10:09, Forty45 said:

The door mirrors don't match?

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TADTS

[hairnet]

  On 27/01/2024 at 09:58, DSdriver said:

Did the previous owner have numberplate security issues?

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bit like the mirrors - all mercs do that

[lesapandre]

From the internet. I think Bradshaw and Webb became 'Mercedes Benz Chelsea'. May have closed now.

Service Centre - Wandsworth early 80's.

[lesapandre]

And much more recently.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Wow, that looks ridiculously clean. When you say deepest Darzet, that's not Dorch high street is it? I started my teaching career in mid Dorset and also met Mrs L there. Still miss the place. 

Edit: Looking again, I'd say there's a 97.318% chance that it's not. 

[Coprolalia]

  On 20/01/2024 at 11:33, HMC said:

 

 

 

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Ah the JBB. Where I studied medicine. Memories of monumental hangovers.

[Rusty Pelican]

  On 27/01/2024 at 08:53, HMC said:

Its been slightly gifferised with some later mb bits- which make my eyes itch- but its spent almost its entire life life in central london and looks pleasingly rot free. Ive probably had about 25 w124s so immediately went to the front spring perches and rear subframe mounts. VERDICT- they exist. 

 

 

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Fab looking car , love the interior - looks like Bridport  town centre ? 

[HMC]

The boot has the most dodgy bit- basically rather than dyeing the carpet- or acquiring the oem factory bits (ok thats probably impossible) - but instead they seem to have used bath rugs and turned it into Paul Raymond’s Sex dungeon

 

[HMC]

  On 27/01/2024 at 14:04, Rusty Pelican said:

Fab looking car , love the interior - looks like Bridport  town centre ? 

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Yes got it in one, basically the closest post office that also dealt with VED

[loserone]

I know it doesn't always work like that, but .  Please, please give me a nudge when you're ready to move this on.

 

Or, you know, if you fancy a w211 e220 cdi

[HMC]

  On 27/01/2024 at 17:35, loserone said:

I know it doesn't always work like that, but .  Please, please give me a nudge when you're ready to move this on.

 

Or, you know, if you fancy a w211 e220 cdi

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Will do, @grogee. technically would be the first go to, but i think he was joking (?)

Does the w211 have 7 seats btw?

[loserone]

Sadly not, it's a saloon.   

[grogee]

  On 27/01/2024 at 17:42, HMC said:

Will do, @grogee. technically would be the first go to, but i think he was joking (?)

Does the w211 have 7 seats btw?

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Nope, not joking. It's bloody lovely

[egg]

  On 18/01/2024 at 21:25, flat4alfa said:

Cassir, of Peach Hill Lane, Crawley, was diagnosed with mesothelioma – a form of cancer caused by asbestos.

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Sorry to lower the mood, that's a horrible Cancer. My grandmother had it from possible war time exposure maybe, or more likely being the wife of a plumber for years.

[HMC]

  On 27/01/2024 at 12:55, Dick Longbridge said:

Wow, that looks ridiculously clean. When you say deepest Darzet, that's not Dorch high street is it? I started my teaching career in mid Dorset and also met Mrs L there. Still miss the place. 

Edit: Looking again, I'd say there's a 97.318% chance that it's not. 

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We met at dorchester mcdonalds, as the young guy (bit  of a hero with wife and dog and kid in tow) was en route to a classic tractor auction to add to his collection. It sounds quite risky but we had that instant rapport where we both saw we were enthusiasts and have a level of trust in each other.

Certainly from their side anyone who acquires a ropey  20 yo w220 s class in a dimly lit services has the trust 2.0 in the other party.

And so did i. This w124 is perhaps unoriginal, but is very nice to drive, doesnt feel like its been hammered and very nice structurally- better than some later 124s i had at half the age of this one. Admittedly that was a very late (hence lower quality) 320 coupe (which i think had been crashed at some point)