Descrizione
The W124 Mercedes range was the last in the line of over engineered passenger cars produced by the company before cost management consultants persuaded Mercedes to skimp on quality control and quality of materials, The end result was the bug eyed W210 E Class that replaced it and the W202 C Class that came before it, neither could hold a candle to the simple yet elegant design and engineering finesse with a solid, “hewn from stone” feel to the car. It is 16 years ago that the last W124 left the production line in Germany, but because of its popularity, Mercedes continued to produce the car in South Africa and Asia for a further 4 years after it had been superseded by the W210 series. Today there are precious few unmolested and low mileage cars available, such was its reliability and ease of maintenance that many ended up as taxis or high mileage business cars,
So to the 260E for sale here. This car started its life in 1992 in Tokyo, being delivered to a Japanese businessman for use by his wife. Typically for Japan the car was highly specified for its time, with options such as factory fitted Behr Air Conditioning, Drivers Airbag, 4 electric windows, rear head restraints, cruise control factory fitted stereo, electric aerial and 4 speakers, outside temperature gauge and illuminated sun visors. This doesn’t sound like a great deal by today’s standards but back then this was a seriously expensive car and in the UK, few 260E’s were specified to this level.
The car remained in his ownership until 2009 when I purchased it from him and imported it into the UK. Up until then, the car had been meticulously maintained, being subjected to the 3 year “Shaken” tests, which is basically a UK MOT on steroids. As cars get progressively older in Japan they become more expensive to maintain because of the stringency of the shaken test. This is why so many cars between 3 – 10 years old are sold outside Japan.
I have always been a massive fan of the W124 range because there is nothing like it on the roads today. It is genuinely one of those cars that you can take to the dump on Saturday morning and turn up at the Ritz for dinner, and not look out of place. It’s that type of car. It also has an amazing ride and matched with the 6 cylinder M103 engine and automatic box it is a truly sublime driving experience.
So why did I buy this car? Well having searched the classified ads in the UK for the best part of 6 months, I found the lack of decent cars disappointing and many had been badly looked after which would take a lot of money and effort to put right. Of course there were the specialist dealers, but they wanted serious amounts of money for cars that had been properly sorted, but so many of them didn’t have Air Con, which for me is a must. It was only when a friend purchased a 300SL from Japan and told me about the lack of salt on the roads, the low mileage and high maintenance regime that I was interested. Fortunately my 260E came to my attention by word of mouth from the guy that had sold my friend his 300SL.
I was sent detailed pictures of the car and at first the non-metallic midnight blue seemed a bit staid, however set off by the chrome trim and complimenting side panels the car looks perfect for its era. The other benefit of a car coming from Japan is that they almost always cover the seats to protect against sun bleaching and this prevents another W124 weakness, the worn seat bolster. The blue cloth interior in this car is exactly as it left the factory in 1992, it’s unmarked.
I was hooked and agreed terms with the agent. 6 weeks later my car was at Southampton Docks waiting to be collected and driven for its MOT and subsequent registration. I got my local Mercedes specialists to drive it up to Surrey on Trade Plates and get it MOT’d and serviced. I was surprised, but shouldn’t have been, to be told that the car had passed its MOT without any advisories and more importantly that it needed little in the way of servicing because the car had been so well maintained. Nevertheless, as a precaution in 2009 I had the following work done:
Oil and Filter Change
Gearbox Oil and Filter Change
Brake Fluid Change
Coolant flush and Change
Air Filter Change
New Plugs
New Distributor, Rotor Arm and HT Leads
New Brake Pads all round
4 new tyres as the others were 17 years old. The spare is unused!
Since then the car has received an annual service in 2010 and 2011, 2012 & 2013 plus oil changes, but because of the low mileage covered, it has not needed anything else.
Prior to putting the car up for sale, it has just had a major service which included:
Oil and Filter Change
Water Pump and Drive Belt Replacement
Belt Tensioner Replacement
Air Con Conversion to R134 from R12
Air Filter Change
New Plugs
Fuel Filter Change
New distributor gasket
New Exhaust
New MOT
The car is now regrettably up for sale as I have just purchased a W126 300SE from Japan and cant justify two of these lovely cars!
So what's so special about this car? The condition – the paintwork is totally original with little in the way of any age related marks. It’s better than a 2 year old car in that respect and it has benefited from the Japanese climate in its formative years, so there is no rust in any of the W124 weak spots, like the front wings. Then there’s the interior, absolutely like new and even smells like its a few months old. Electrics all work and mechanically the car is perfect. So there you have it. An opportunity to buy what is arguably the best 260E on sale in the UK at half the price one of the decent specialised dealers would charge you.
Viewing is recommended and encouraged and whilst I realise this is not the cheapest 260E for sale, it is probably the best and will still be cheaper than buying a rescue case and getting it sorted. I have priced the car competitively and therefore will politely not accept offers below the asking price
