I'm in limbo about what to do with this so I'll put an advert here and see how it goes. I'm almost surprised the other two haven't come up first!
I didn't mean to buy this car but I've enjoyed driving it. However, despite cheap insurance, 24-26MPG probably isn't the wisest choice for a daily driver. But then neither are most things beyond a Dacia Sandero! However, it's a lovely car to drive and it is one of the better S124s I've seen. It really is a pleasure driving it into work.
So, what's the lowdown?
It's an S124 E320T 7 seater with the following options:
-5 Speed Auto gearbox ; this makes a surprising difference to the acceleration of the E320.
-Azurite Blue with Cream leather
-653 Sports Chassis option ; Sports (quicker ratio) Steering box, lower ride height, wider wheels and thicker ARBs. With this, it really makes a difference to how a W124 drives and it really hangs on well.
-3.2 M104 engine delivering 220BHP thanks to trickery including variable cam timing and a dual runner inlet manifold, all the way back then
-Leather seats and steering wheel;
-Air conditioning but no climate control
-Centre Armrest
-Fully electric Driver's seat
-Genuine Mercedes mats in Azurite Blue
As for the rest. Everyone asks key questions about this so I'll answer them.
-It's been a family-hand-me-down car prior to my ownership. It has 4 or 5 previous owners from memory.
-The interior is in very good condition for the year.
-This car hasn't been welded up or patched up like many on the chassis. It's got solid and original jacking points and subframe mounts
-The doors are in very good condition on this
-This car has received a replacement engine harness prior to my ownership
-It has Mercedes service history up to 90,000 miles and then it has receipts until I bought the car, in addition to all of the factory handbooks.
-Paintwork is in great condition for the year ; it turns heads nicely
-I've fitted 4 new Firestone Roadhawk tyres, a winner/runner up in a number of European tyre tests for its class
-Fully serviced the car, including oil, filters and genuine Mercedes Spark Plugs
-Coolant and thermostat have been changed
-It's on 121,000 miles and rising. It's a daily driver
-It costs around £100 a year to insure.
-It's never overheated on me and I've been stuck in summer traffic on the M42 with this after work
-Rear backbox has been replaced at some point.
-It has some pricey but super versatile Nicoman Spaghetti interior mats. These don't slip and fall about. They trap dirt in, but easily release it for cleaning, in addition to being rinsable via a pressure washer ; they dry out in around 10 minutes.
For the lucky owner, I'll throw in a damaged but salvageable Genuine Mercedes boot liner, a spare fuel pump, coil plug extenders, the retro looking Blaupunkt Bronx Tape deck (worth around £300 on eBay, but it came with the car....),
Does this car have issues? Yes. these include:
-oil pressure goes to 0 when idling. There is oil pressure with there being a nice stream of oil coming out beneath the camshaft when the engine is idling. the engine still runs very queitly and has idled with the gauge like this for a while. It's a known Mercedes fault and I do have a spare sender unit to fit in. Unfortunately I can't fit it at the moment (bad back), and my garage can't fit it in soon either (it's a starter motor off job to replace the sender unit)
-Windscreen has a crack but it is outside of an inspection zone. It's the factory Mercedes glass still in there.
It does however drive very nicely .
I'm looking for in the region of £4k for this. It's a nicely specced car and not too crazy on the mileage like many out there.
Swaps? They are unlikely. Something newer than 2005 and that can do mid to high 30sMPG however may well be considered .
I didn't mean to buy this car but I've enjoyed driving it. However, despite cheap insurance, 24-26MPG probably isn't the wisest choice for a daily driver. But then neither are most things beyond a Dacia Sandero! However, it's a lovely car to drive and it is one of the better S124s I've seen. It really is a pleasure driving it into work.
So, what's the lowdown?
It's an S124 E320T 7 seater with the following options:
-5 Speed Auto gearbox ; this makes a surprising difference to the acceleration of the E320.
-Azurite Blue with Cream leather
-653 Sports Chassis option ; Sports (quicker ratio) Steering box, lower ride height, wider wheels and thicker ARBs. With this, it really makes a difference to how a W124 drives and it really hangs on well.
-3.2 M104 engine delivering 220BHP thanks to trickery including variable cam timing and a dual runner inlet manifold, all the way back then
-Leather seats and steering wheel;
-Air conditioning but no climate control
-Centre Armrest
-Fully electric Driver's seat
-Genuine Mercedes mats in Azurite Blue
As for the rest. Everyone asks key questions about this so I'll answer them.
-It's been a family-hand-me-down car prior to my ownership. It has 4 or 5 previous owners from memory.
-The interior is in very good condition for the year.
-This car hasn't been welded up or patched up like many on the chassis. It's got solid and original jacking points and subframe mounts
-The doors are in very good condition on this
-This car has received a replacement engine harness prior to my ownership
-It has Mercedes service history up to 90,000 miles and then it has receipts until I bought the car, in addition to all of the factory handbooks.
-Paintwork is in great condition for the year ; it turns heads nicely
-I've fitted 4 new Firestone Roadhawk tyres, a winner/runner up in a number of European tyre tests for its class
-Fully serviced the car, including oil, filters and genuine Mercedes Spark Plugs
-Coolant and thermostat have been changed
-It's on 121,000 miles and rising. It's a daily driver
-It costs around £100 a year to insure.
-It's never overheated on me and I've been stuck in summer traffic on the M42 with this after work
-Rear backbox has been replaced at some point.
-It has some pricey but super versatile Nicoman Spaghetti interior mats. These don't slip and fall about. They trap dirt in, but easily release it for cleaning, in addition to being rinsable via a pressure washer ; they dry out in around 10 minutes.
For the lucky owner, I'll throw in a damaged but salvageable Genuine Mercedes boot liner, a spare fuel pump, coil plug extenders, the retro looking Blaupunkt Bronx Tape deck (worth around £300 on eBay, but it came with the car....),
Does this car have issues? Yes. these include:
-oil pressure goes to 0 when idling. There is oil pressure with there being a nice stream of oil coming out beneath the camshaft when the engine is idling. the engine still runs very queitly and has idled with the gauge like this for a while. It's a known Mercedes fault and I do have a spare sender unit to fit in. Unfortunately I can't fit it at the moment (bad back), and my garage can't fit it in soon either (it's a starter motor off job to replace the sender unit)
-Windscreen has a crack but it is outside of an inspection zone. It's the factory Mercedes glass still in there.
It does however drive very nicely .
I'm looking for in the region of £4k for this. It's a nicely specced car and not too crazy on the mileage like many out there.
Swaps? They are unlikely. Something newer than 2005 and that can do mid to high 30sMPG however may well be considered .