Autocar - First for car news and reviews

Interesting. It sounds quite good at the end there too.

Wonder if I'd have gone for a 320 though? And a different colour? And a saloon? But then you can't be too picky with an old motor such as this one I suppose! Good to see some acknowledgement that they can be hustled effectively though with a fair bit of roll and no feedback. Still satisfying in a well insulated way.

It doesn't look anything like as shabby as you make it sound, even before Autoglym gave you £1000 worth of valeting for free! Does it have the 4 speed or the 5 speed automatic gearbox?

ESP deactivated:

Does it have the 4 speed or the 5 speed automatic gearbox?

Sorry, a slightly more detailed mechanical description was edited out of the final vid. Yes, it has the (optional) five-speed autobox, which was a £600 option (over the standard four-speed) back in 1993. Still shifts sweetly, although the kickdown is a bit sluggish.

How would you rate noise levels at motorway speeds? Compared to a new Mondeo for example?

DCA5555:

How would you rate noise levels at motorway speeds? Compared to a new Mondeo for example?

mechanically it's quieter than my Mondeo diesel, but there's more wind noise. And, in the case of our W124, some trim rattles, too...

I owned an L reg W124 220 Auto coupe for a year in around 2004. In some respects, it was great. It just had a solidity that I have never come across in any other car. It also did 30mpg and was a fine thing to drive over long distances. I found that the comfort tuned ride had an unexpected advantage - on many roads you actually got from A to B faster than a sportier car cos the suspension settings didn't rattle your fillings.

However, it was comparatively expensive to keep on the road. The multi function column stalk broke, for example, and getting the fault traced and repaired was the best part of £300. The funky seatbelt helpers also didn't seem too funky when they broke and also took another bite out of my credit card. Also, the specialist Mercedes independent that I bought the car from wasn't too helpful, despite their good reputation.

They will break if they have been driven a certain way for donkeys years then the new owner changes the way the car is driven - it puts weird stresses on old cars, especially heavy, automatics like the W124 - belt it and it will disintegrate.  I think Autocar were poorly advised about buying an Estate W124 to be honest. 

If the aim was to test the W124 as an everyday proposition then the Estate is maybe the wrong choice as they get hammered for obvious reasons.  Pound for pound (the object of the excercise as far as I can tell) the saloon is a much better choice as they seem to be bought by people who look after their cars.  I also think the pre-facelift cars are much more reliable as they tend to have far fewer electric options fitted.  Subjectively they have more of the Merc 'heft' as well. 

Robotboogie makes a good point about the handling - the soft suspension allows for high speeds on what now passes for roads in this country.  I've got an E220 saloon at the moment, a very late 95' model.  It can be fun to drive - either you cruise at Taxi speed or drive like you are on an Auotbahn - anywhere in the middle and it wallows.

Thing is, other cars do seem a bit flimsy after a W124 and nothing else is anywhere near as comfortable.  I've had four of them in a row.
 

Also wanted to say nice one to Mike Duff - it's a great idea and it will be interesting to see how it goes.  I know a truly excellent Merc Mechanic in Bucks if you have a need. 

You raise a good point Mike about the car not being ready to scrap but was that only because it is Merc.  Would you have said the same if it had been a Vauxhall Carlton Estate of the same era, even if it had been in a similar condition.

In reality though, how many decent cars are binned just because they are undesirable as opposed to being either mechanically or physically worn out. 

I am impressed though with the purchase.  James Rupert's theory of bangernomics is obviously starting to filter through the office.  Would be great to see this as a regular feature, which could cover cars from various walks of motoring life (e.g. Porsche 944, BMW 7 series, etc etc etc).

Absolutely - credit crunch and all, bangernomics makes real sense.  On another note I always think Mercs only survive the way they do because of the money that's lavished on them. 

great cars ive got a 95 220 saloon id be interested in who the merc mechanic is as im not that happy with my usual garage.