Now known as the pinnacle of luxury luggage, the Mercedes E-Class Estate is the car you buy if you want to carry as much stuff as possible while also in the most comfort possible. The W124 generation you see here was in fact the first car to officially bear the E-Class name, so this 1994 example is in effect where the line began.
This E320T first hit the roads in January 1994, likely in London given the original warranty for Alan Day Mercedes on Finchley Road and the original L775MMV plate.
It saw plenty of use in its first decade or so on the road, with the seller picking it up in 2003 with 77,000 miles on the clock from the two previous owners, and he added almost another 40,000 miles through to 2010.
A series of life changes meant the big E was surplus to requirements, but it has been dry-stored locally – kept on stands rather than on its wheels – until recently when the storage centre itself closed. That means that the car is now taking up space and in need of a new home.
The paperwork for the E320 is substantial. Some documentation dates right back to the car's first days, including the original service book stamped up to 112,000 miles (in 2009), and a build sheet showing the various option codes (this is duplicated on a stamped plate under the bonnet).
Really the car began a second life with the current owner and everything – everything – that's happened in his custody has a record. Starting with the original classified ad and purchase receipt, there's every MOT back to 2001 – including the very rare failure notes – and a sheaf of invoices from both Mercedes main dealers and a local private garage.
Of particular interest is the certificate for the LPG installation, fitted to improve the fuel economy. The car can still run on petrol too. It is worth noting that the car is currently SORNed and is not covered by an MOT.
There's really rather a lot of interior on the E320, despite looking a little smaller on the road than modern cars, but then it is a seven-seat estate car and like the current E has one of the biggest boots in the class.
All seven of the seats are covered in grey leather, with perforated centre sections for the first two rows and solid for the occasional rear row, and it appears not only undamaged but barely even creased, even on the driver's seat. The same goes for the grey leather door cards, and the wood veneer panelling throughout the front and on the four door cards too.
The grey carpet is in great condition throughout too; it's protected by a set of four slightly differently grey mats which have slightly more signs of wear but not much. Even the boot carpeting – highly prone to damage in estate cars – shows nothing more than the occasional line where a box has rested in transit, with no cuts, tears, or staining anywhere.
Those two rear-facing seats fold away flat, out of sight, and the second row folds forwards to leave an enormous flat space you could get a decent night's rest in. Or lots of luggage, if that's what you're after in an estate car. With the toroidal LPG tank taking up the usual space for the spare, the fifth wheel straps into load hooks on the driver's side. There's also an integrated dog guard and tonneau, and a second tonneau which hooks into the boot lid to lift up and out of the way, all in good condition.
As far as we can tell, every button and switch operates as it ought, including the tilt and slide moonroof and all four electric windows. There's a more modern Alpine CD player head unit and a spare 12v socket fitted on the driver's side, but otherwise the interior is all original and pretty impressive.
This E320T comes in Mercedes Polar White – a lot of it – and for the most part it's in pretty excellent condition. Finding any blemishes anywhere is difficult, verging on impossible for the car's two new front wings, but any we can spot are localised to the rear driver's door.
This, the owner believes, has been replaced at some point in its life, but there's also a couple of areas on the door that have been damaged and touched up in a slightly different white which you can't easily un-see once you've spotted it.
All around the car, the glass, lights, and chrome brightwork is in excellent condition, and again it's not easy to spot anywhere on it where there's even dust, much less any damage. Even the wiper arms – in fact even the headlight wiper arms – look to be nothing like a 27-year old car.
That extends to the wheels, of which there are nine in total. The car has classic E-Class eight-spoke items fitted to it at the moment, and the spare is of the same design, but there's also a set of four refurbished five-spoke AMG wheels included with the vehicle (and they'll handily fit into the boot without any problems).
On the undersides there's a little oxidation on some of the exposed mechanical components – exhaust and hangers, and some of the brake hard lines – but nothing alarming or beyond expectations. The suspension and particularly the vehicle structure looks largely clean and untouched by the advances of time and road salt.
Due to the SORN, we've not been able to take the Mercedes out for a spin. In fact it's been dry-stored for over a decade and even the owner can't say for sure how it will drive.
That said, the owner is mechanically minded and has kept the car in good working order, even ensuring it stayed on axle stands rather than on its tyres while in storage. If the seller was willing and able to keep the E he would, and is confident the car will continue to operate as it did back in 2010. The LPG tank is empty at the moment too – it's tricky to get LPG with a SORNed car! - so we can't check on how that system functions.
We can definitively say that the 3.2-litre straight six starts up and idles without a fuss of any kind, and at least during the low-speed manoeuvring for our photography session, there wasn't even the slightest sign of any maladies. The gearbox – a five-speed auto – operated in forward and reverse without issue, and there was no squealing from the brakes or worrisome suspension creaks.
The E320T was a £40,000 car when new, and even today it still looks a lot more expensive than it is. It's a stylish, roomy, and comfortable estate car with seating for seven – and the novelty of those two rear-facing seats will entertain kids endlessly – without being an oversized modern SUV. Given the popularity of W124s among Munich taxi drivers, it's likely barely run-in too.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the seller's discretion.
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1994 Mercedes-Benz E320
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