Beautiful W124

"Old Red Wagon" (wr10)
11/11/2015 at 10:41 • Filed to: None

Came across this beautiful W124 while browsing the equivalent of craigslist out here in Germany. Only downside is it’s got an automatic but the exterior and interior are in amazing shape. It’s a 1991 E200 with 94k miles, one owner, no rust. Guy is asking $3400, not buying, just browsing for fun.

DISCUSSION (25)

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Old Red Wagon
11/11/2015 at 10:50

A vintage Benz ought to have automatic transmission. Manual transmission from MB back then were notchy and just it just doesn’t fit in an old cruiser like that IMO.

d15b > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:01

Gotta keep it movin’ at a stately 75 MPH.

Brian, The Life of > Old Red Wagon
11/11/2015 at 11:01

Man, that interior is sublime.

Brian, The Life of > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:02

No. You most definitely want a manny in the small displacement Mercs.

Source: Former W123 240D owner.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Brian, The Life of
11/11/2015 at 11:09

Okay but 240D. D. DIESEL. You’d be faster on foot. At least I imagine it to be. But seriously, does it make such a difference?

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > d15b
11/11/2015 at 11:11

But you gotta reach 75 miles first. They’re no race cars for sure.

Brian, The Life of > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:11

Yes, it makes a huge difference. A 240D with a manny is much more driveable than one with a slushie.

DrScientist > Old Red Wagon
11/11/2015 at 11:14

checked cloth AND wood. oh i loved 80’s early 90s interiors.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Brian, The Life of
11/11/2015 at 11:15

I’ve honestly never seen a manual w123 or w124 with diesel. Only gasoline powered ones. At least afaik. And one thing that comes to my mind right now is how many w124s I still see every time. The same with 201s.

duurtlang > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:20

I’ve driven a manual 200D w124. A 4 speed manual 200D to be more precise. It was slow, very slow. 18+ seconds 0-100 kmh. The fact that the automatic is considerably slower (20+ seconds) should be enough of an indication that you don’t want the automatic in that car.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang
11/11/2015 at 11:23

Imagine being a cab driver in the mid 80s and early 90s in West Germany.

d15b > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:23

Part of the appeal, I would imagine.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > d15b
11/11/2015 at 11:27

I’d love to own one. They were built to really last long. As I mentioned earlier, I still see fairly many of them. Often with German DIN plates. That means the car was registered before 2000.

duurtlang > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:28

And much later. I drove that friend’s 200D in 2012 , to Hamburg. While there we went out at night and caught a cab. It was, you guessed it, a 1980s w124 diesel. I believe it was a 200D, but it could’ve been a 250D as well. Anyway, my friend who owned the 200D had a long conversation with the cab driver about the car, which the driver had owned privately for a very long time. I don’t recall the kilometrage on that car, but it was astronomical.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang
11/11/2015 at 11:33

Their just awesome cars all around from the best era of MB imo. They look timeless and they were built to last. I think a distant relative had one.

duurtlang > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:42

They are. They rust a bit and are very prone to ugly aftermarket modifications, but other than that they’re built to last an eternity. They feel like that as well.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang
11/11/2015 at 11:48

There are so many grandma and grandpa kept Benzes in my town. I actually thought more than once about buying one as my first car. There’s a 190 for sale with old DIN plates near me. I’m quite tempted.

duurtlang > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 11:56

Are you still considering a first car, or have you owned other cars since? Anyway, they’re not a bad choice at all. Added bonus is that you can wrench on them as well if you wish, as they’re don’t have many computers, aren’t crammed full of engine, and parts are plentiful/not overy expensive. Just don’t expect a gasoline one to be very economical.

Amoore100 > Old Red Wagon
11/11/2015 at 12:03

One more year until this thing becomes import ready into the United America of Freedom...

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang
11/11/2015 at 12:28

Haven’t really owned a car yet. Had a BMW 316i Compact from my grandpa for two weeks but my parents forced me to sell because I was only 15 at the time. I’m looking but I really want to get an apprenticeship first. So theoratically I could buy a car but I don’t have incoming as I still go to school until next year.

duurtlang > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 12:43

Right. You’d be better off waiting a year then, unless your current income is big enough you can comfortably buy/ maintain a car with it.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang
11/11/2015 at 12:52

And I’m also lucky to live in a city with great public transit. My best friend bought a 4 year old Polo this year (with TDI engine hahahahaha) and he had to finance it. I would never get into great debt for a first car.

duurtlang > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem
11/11/2015 at 13:10

Smart. I know loaning money to buy a quickly depreciating car is popular on this site, mostly among the Americans, but I would never do it myself. And why would you loan money for a 4 year old Polo anyway? Just buy a 10-20 year old Polo instead, one you can actually afford. A Benz like the one above will be cheaper and nicer than a 4 year old Polio, if you buy a decent one it won’t cost much more (if at all) to keep running and it won’t depreciate.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > duurtlang
11/11/2015 at 13:17

I told him literally a thousand times. Which sane person would buy/finance a four year old Polo with a damn Diesel engine. But he’s Italian and very very stubborn. He insisted on buying a Diesel and his father too. It’s actually a nice car and for 90 hp fairly quick but I still smh somtimes with his decision. Btw, his father lent him the money. But he’s gotta pay that off.

kanadanmajava1 > Old Red Wagon
11/11/2015 at 13:56

All other old cars (+15 years) are getting quite rare on the road in Finland. But for some weird reason more and more W124 M-Bs are popping up everywhere. I guess they are coming from Germany but I have no idea why the amount of them has been rising.