Beschreibung
1990 ‘G reg’ Mercedes-Benz W124 300CE For Sale
Don’t hold your breath, this is a long one.
General information – 2 door C124 pillarless coupe in 040 black (gloss, not metallic) with black leather interior, 3. 0 inline six, single overhead cam engine producing 188 horsepower (non-cat converter), 4 speed automatic. Odometer shows 156, 530 miles.
Optional Extras – This car is reasonably specced with electric windows all round (as expected on a coupe) with Behr air conditioning (relatively unusual and expensive on UK cars), Leather wrapped steering wheel and gearknob (although this has been replaced by a Zebrano wood unit to match the rest of the interior), rear headrests, driver’s airbag, headlamp wash/ wipers, electric sunroof and a folding front arm rest.
History – I purchased the car from a gent in Hackney, east London, two and a half years ago, before that the car was in a private collection on the isle of wight where it wasn’t used an awful lot. The original owner purchased the car from Mercedes-Benz of Kensington, or the owner himself lived in Kensington, I can’t remember precisely as the paperwork that comes with the car is not with me at the moment, unfortunately. I daily-ed the car for 18 months before I retired it to a weekend car due to an additional car purchase, it never let me down in that period and I can’t see it letting anyone down in the future.
Engine – In my ownership the car has had a full refreshment of the ignition system from coil to spark plugs, all Bosch or OEM parts, M103s can be finnicky when other aftermarket bits are used so it’s best practice to fit Bosch or Merc parts. Other than that I’ve changed the oil meticulously and that is all the engine has ever needed. Plenty of power should you want it along with smooth refinement of a benz six cylinder with a fantastic noise to boot.
Gearbox & Driveline – The 4 speed 722. 3 is more reliable than the later 5 speed autos and works perfectly, I had it serviced when I first purchased the car and has been flawless since. Kickdown works well, shifts at all the right points, not a lot else I can say. The rear rubber ‘flex disc’ connecting the prop shaft to the diff has been replaced with a genuine Merc item, these are a common failure point causing harsh vibrations in the cabin when worn.
Fluids – The differential oil, power steering fluid and brake fluid have all been changed in my ownership, in addition to the main seal on the diff. A lot of these old mercs can end up with whiney diffs as the fluid level and condition is often an afterthought unless whining already.
Body & Paint – the body/ chassis is immaculate, quite a rare thing in 124s these days, absolutely no rust anywhere and that’s the truth, typical rust spots such as rear subframe mounts and front inner wings, all arches, are very clean. There is one slight bubble forming on a front arch, I can’t remember whether it’s the off or near side and I’m not currently with the car to check. The paintwork is great bar some lacquer peel on the top of the driver’s door and wing, the paint has failed at the top of the passenger wing too however I believe this may not be original paint due to the way it has failed, very uncommon. However this isn’t largely noticeable but to make it mint you’d want these parts blown over. The rear end is adorned with a fully functional Carat Duchatalet spoiler, and by fully functional I mean that it’s a great parking aid so you can judge easily how far you’re away from walls etc (ha-ha).
Suspension – I had planned a full suspension overhaul of the car in a couple of stages, not that it really needed it, but this was a car that I had every intention of owning till the end of my days and honestly, I enjoyed throwing money at it and improving it bit by bit. The front suspension has been rebuilt with new Bilstein B4 springs and shocks, along with new Lemforder Lower Control Arms, preventative maintenance as the ball joints started to squeak and if you’ve seen what happens when they go and how much the arms cost, you’ll be glad that this has been done. The rear end hasn’t been touched but still works fantastic, holds and subdues the road as a classic Mercedes barge should, yet still maintains an air of nimbleness and driving thrill.
Brakes & Tyres – The car has had new discs and pads all round in my ownership and two new rear callipers, ATE (OEM) items. The 15” 15-hole light alloys are in good but not immaculate condition, would benefit from a refurb to be really mint but nothing major and are wrapped in 195/ 65/ R15 Cooper CS7s, a good midrange tyre produced by Avon and have seen less than 1500 miles at the absolute most. Two new front wheel bearings were also fitted around 18 months ago.
Bad points – Unfortunately as with 99% of old cars, there are a couple of niggly bits. I’ve already mentioned the paint. The ABS light comes on once you drive over 30mph, this occurred after having the brakes done so I imagine it’s a broken ABS sensor, however it’s never really bothered me as the ABS was never really needed with my driving style anyway. The Odometer stopped working a few years back, this is a common fault on 124s generally caused my drivers resetting the trip counter while driving. I know for a fact that the car didn’t see much mileage from the two previous owners, and I’ve probably driven around 12K in it at the most, so I couldn’t see the true mileage being over 180, 000 at an absolute push. Just recently the drivers window started to play up, pressing up on the switch caused the window to go down and the motor would remain engaged. I’ve had the motor tested and this isn’t the issue, which to me would suggest a short on the wiring or more likely, a relay. The window has been raised into the closed position and the motor disconnected to prevent this from happening again but would require further investigation. The fortunate part being that it isn’t the motor as they are around £150 for a second-hand unit (ask me how I know). The rear headrests are also stuck in the raised position, these are vacuum actuated and can be lowered by connecting the vacuum supply line to the actuator directly to the two further lines (directly leading to each head rest, one for each), hence I think it may be the valve that has failed, located under the passenger rear seat. These are common parts and easy to replace but was never a priority or nuisance in my ownership so was on the backburner for the time being. As far as I can remember, that is about it. The air conditioning doesn’t work, personally I’ve never been a fan of air con so I’ve left it alone, I sooner preferred lowering all four windows and sliding the sunroof back and basking in the summer sunshine.
Misc – the wiper motor and blower motors have also been replaced, the blower motor being harder to find as it has ‘twin wheels’ being an air-con model as compared to the single wheels for non-air-con models. The car has also recently had a brand-new Bosch S5 battery fitted at a cost of £150
Believe it or not but there are probably more bits that have been done and I fail to remember but I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as I can. I’m a through and through Merc enthusiast and always have been, and as mentioned, enjoyed throwing money at it with the highest quality parts I can get my hands on. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask, genuine interest is more than welcomed. This is an honest car and I’m an honest seller, what you see and read is what you get.
I am located in Blaenau Gwent, South Wales, however the car currently resides at my parent’s house in Birmingham, I can arrange to have the car at either location should you wish to view. I am asking £5000. This isn’t something I’d ever see myself doing but I’m beginning to save for a house deposit and having a small lump sum is the kick start I think I need to get the ball rolling. Thank you for reading and fair play if you made it this far.
Note – I would consider a diesel W124 estate in PX but not a lot else to be honest. Thanks again.
