Buying a C124 - What's worth knowing?
Discussion
Hi folks
I'm looking to swap out my CLK430 convertible for something a little older, with a bit more character. The C124 seems to tick a lot of boxes for me, particularly the 300/320 models. I've found a few buying guides online, and from what I can see £3-3.5k is where the cars start to look like good value. It feels like I'm at the level where I'll buy, service and maintain as it goes.
Aside from the following, that I've gleaned from various guides (albeit none specific to the coupe), is there anything else major that should signal me to walk away?
- Cooling system
- Rust (usual old car places)
- A/C system
Thanks in advance!
I'm looking to swap out my CLK430 convertible for something a little older, with a bit more character. The C124 seems to tick a lot of boxes for me, particularly the 300/320 models. I've found a few buying guides online, and from what I can see £3-3.5k is where the cars start to look like good value. It feels like I'm at the level where I'll buy, service and maintain as it goes.
Aside from the following, that I've gleaned from various guides (albeit none specific to the coupe), is there anything else major that should signal me to walk away?
- Cooling system
- Rust (usual old car places)
- A/C system
Thanks in advance!
Good luck with your search.
There are many on here with a wide breadth of experience of the model. I've had several 124 models, and would add the following.
Bodywork.
Front wings rust although can be replaced easily, if not cheaply. Jacking points are rarely rust free, but whip the covers off and have a look to see how badly.
Later cars (smaller grille) post 92 cars seem to be more rust prone. Check the rear subframe mounts, as they can rot away.
The pillar less window seals can harden and allow water in. As has been already said, rear screens will de-laminate. Sunroofs can hide rot too, so check carefully. The roof itself operates from a boot mounted motor with wires running into the roof cavity. If the roof doesn't work, it's potentially tricky to sort.
Interior
Check under the carpets and the foam backing for damp. I wouldn't buy a car with wet floors, as the source can be tricky to fix. Leather or cloth were available, and down to personal choice, but bolsters get worn out on both, as does the centre armrest piping.
Ideally, the wood trim, either walnut or zebrano should be crack-free. The cars have seat belt butlers which do malfunction on occasion. Seat backs must lock on starting the car too.
Mechanical.
6-cylinder (300, 300-24 and 320) obviously more powerful, but all drip a bit of oil. Later 320's that misfire may have wiring loom issues which obviously cost to fix. Head gaskets rarely let go, despite what you may read.
The 220 is a super engine, 150 bhp and bullet proof, but more leisurely than the 6's.
Finally, buy on condition, not mileage. They reward regular use and a good preventative maintenance programme. Usual Mercedes stuff too, such as matching Michelins, mature long-term patrician ownership and a gravel drive are all worth seeking out!
There are many on here with a wide breadth of experience of the model. I've had several 124 models, and would add the following.
Bodywork.
Front wings rust although can be replaced easily, if not cheaply. Jacking points are rarely rust free, but whip the covers off and have a look to see how badly.
Later cars (smaller grille) post 92 cars seem to be more rust prone. Check the rear subframe mounts, as they can rot away.
The pillar less window seals can harden and allow water in. As has been already said, rear screens will de-laminate. Sunroofs can hide rot too, so check carefully. The roof itself operates from a boot mounted motor with wires running into the roof cavity. If the roof doesn't work, it's potentially tricky to sort.
Interior
Check under the carpets and the foam backing for damp. I wouldn't buy a car with wet floors, as the source can be tricky to fix. Leather or cloth were available, and down to personal choice, but bolsters get worn out on both, as does the centre armrest piping.
Ideally, the wood trim, either walnut or zebrano should be crack-free. The cars have seat belt butlers which do malfunction on occasion. Seat backs must lock on starting the car too.
Mechanical.
6-cylinder (300, 300-24 and 320) obviously more powerful, but all drip a bit of oil. Later 320's that misfire may have wiring loom issues which obviously cost to fix. Head gaskets rarely let go, despite what you may read.
The 220 is a super engine, 150 bhp and bullet proof, but more leisurely than the 6's.
Finally, buy on condition, not mileage. They reward regular use and a good preventative maintenance programme. Usual Mercedes stuff too, such as matching Michelins, mature long-term patrician ownership and a gravel drive are all worth seeking out!
Edited by mickyveloce on Tuesday 26th April 15:26
mickyveloce said:
Good luck with your search.
There are many on here with a wide breadth of experience of the model. I've had several 124 models, and would add the following.
Bodywork.
Front wings rust although can be replaced easily, if not cheaply. Jacking points are rarely rust free, but whip the covers off and have a look to see how badly.
Later cars (smaller grille) post 92 cars seem to be more rust prone. Check the rear subframe mounts, as they can rot away.
The pillar less window seals can harden and allow water in. As has been already said, rear screens will de-laminate. Sunroofs can hide rot too, so check carefully. The roof itself operates from a boot mounted motor with wires running into the roof cavity. If the roof doesn't work, it's potentially tricky to sort.
Interior
Check under the carpets and the foam backing for damp. I wouldn't buy a car with wet floors, as the source can be tricky to fix. Leather or cloth were available, and down to personal choice, but bolsters get worn out on both, as does the centre armrest piping.
Ideally, the wood trim, either walnut or zebrano should be crack-free. The cars have seat belt butlers which do malfunction on occasion. Seat backs must lock on starting the car too.
Mechanical.
6-cylinder (300, 300-24 and 320) obviously more powerful, but all drip a bit of oil. Later 320's that misfire may have wiring loom issues which obviously cost to fix. Head gaskets rarely let go, despite what you may read.
The 220 is a super engine, 150 bhp and bullet proof, but more leisurely than the 6's.
Finally, buy on condition, not mileage. They reward regular use and a good preventative maintenance programme.
Also, most people around here will say that they benefit from a suspension refresh (just like most cars at this age I assume). Several posts on here re which bits to do to get most bang for your buck, and the parts aftermarket from e.g. Lemforder, Febi, Sachs, etc are surprisingly cheap (I've been buying lots recently). Brake parts cheap too. There are many on here with a wide breadth of experience of the model. I've had several 124 models, and would add the following.
Bodywork.
Front wings rust although can be replaced easily, if not cheaply. Jacking points are rarely rust free, but whip the covers off and have a look to see how badly.
Later cars (smaller grille) post 92 cars seem to be more rust prone. Check the rear subframe mounts, as they can rot away.
The pillar less window seals can harden and allow water in. As has been already said, rear screens will de-laminate. Sunroofs can hide rot too, so check carefully. The roof itself operates from a boot mounted motor with wires running into the roof cavity. If the roof doesn't work, it's potentially tricky to sort.
Interior
Check under the carpets and the foam backing for damp. I wouldn't buy a car with wet floors, as the source can be tricky to fix. Leather or cloth were available, and down to personal choice, but bolsters get worn out on both, as does the centre armrest piping.
Ideally, the wood trim, either walnut or zebrano should be crack-free. The cars have seat belt butlers which do malfunction on occasion. Seat backs must lock on starting the car too.
Mechanical.
6-cylinder (300, 300-24 and 320) obviously more powerful, but all drip a bit of oil. Later 320's that misfire may have wiring loom issues which obviously cost to fix. Head gaskets rarely let go, despite what you may read.
The 220 is a super engine, 150 bhp and bullet proof, but more leisurely than the 6's.
Finally, buy on condition, not mileage. They reward regular use and a good preventative maintenance programme.
C70R said:
Thank you both. That's some hugely helpful advice - appreciate your time!
check out onlinecarparts.co.uk for prices. Order of priority for front suspension is reckoned to be dampers & top mounts, then springs, ARB bushes and, for peace of mind rather than any improvement, balljoints. The for rear, dampers and the front pair of the 4 subframe mounting bushes
Timely, as I've just hit the BiN button on a 94 E320 coupe, well equipped and good history but needing 2 new front wings and some attention to rear arches. Hopefully picking it up on Monday.
My search has found that the pre-facelift cars are more rust resistant than the later post 92/93 cars - i think based on paint quality or type used. Facelift cars have the 3 pointed star on the bonnet, rather than on the grille. If the car suits my purpose, i plan to get it resprayed anyway and its cheap enough so not a huge concern.
Some of my research suggests that the aftermarket AC that was retroitted by the dealer can be difficult to source parts for and potentially needs dash removal just to change the blower motor. Usually made by a company called Diavia.
Factory fit *tends* to have 'EC' written on the middle of the 3 vertical buttons; retro has an icicle
Factory fit should have a bevelled edge to the AC switch control - retro fit will have a sharper non bevelled edge
Factory fit should have a slotted front valance under the bumper, retro fit should just be plain.
The factory fit should show up as option code 580 on your service book or VIN search - not 100% foolproof, but pretty consistent.
Auto/Climate is a different setup all together - 5 horizontal buttons and 3 stacked buttons on the RHS of the central control panel. Vacuum controlled 'pods' control the flaps that control air movement.
E320 suffer the dreaded engine loom issue, i think however only affects the facelift E320, not the 320CE - maybe someone can confirm
300CE-24 can suffer EZL/ignition module issues (small black box on NSF inner wing) - circa 3-500 to be repaired or a good used item; a tenth of that for the 300CE!
All can suffer rear subframe mount issues - worth googling for a picture of what you're looking for although usually detected on the MOT check history site.
Rear brake lines corroding usually requires rear subframe dropping so costs can add up
My search has found that the pre-facelift cars are more rust resistant than the later post 92/93 cars - i think based on paint quality or type used. Facelift cars have the 3 pointed star on the bonnet, rather than on the grille. If the car suits my purpose, i plan to get it resprayed anyway and its cheap enough so not a huge concern.
Some of my research suggests that the aftermarket AC that was retroitted by the dealer can be difficult to source parts for and potentially needs dash removal just to change the blower motor. Usually made by a company called Diavia.
Factory fit *tends* to have 'EC' written on the middle of the 3 vertical buttons; retro has an icicle
Factory fit should have a bevelled edge to the AC switch control - retro fit will have a sharper non bevelled edge
Factory fit should have a slotted front valance under the bumper, retro fit should just be plain.
The factory fit should show up as option code 580 on your service book or VIN search - not 100% foolproof, but pretty consistent.
Auto/Climate is a different setup all together - 5 horizontal buttons and 3 stacked buttons on the RHS of the central control panel. Vacuum controlled 'pods' control the flaps that control air movement.
E320 suffer the dreaded engine loom issue, i think however only affects the facelift E320, not the 320CE - maybe someone can confirm
300CE-24 can suffer EZL/ignition module issues (small black box on NSF inner wing) - circa 3-500 to be repaired or a good used item; a tenth of that for the 300CE!
All can suffer rear subframe mount issues - worth googling for a picture of what you're looking for although usually detected on the MOT check history site.
Rear brake lines corroding usually requires rear subframe dropping so costs can add up
I had a 1992 CE230 for 5 years and did 45k miles in it, great car. One thing to be aware of is the centre air vents on the dash only blow through outside air, not heated or cooled. This can be used to fool the gullible when buying the car on a cold day as it seems the aircon is blowing through nice and chilly, it took 2 years before I realised my aircon didn't actually work.....
Just coming back to this to say a big thanks for all the input.
My CLK430 will be going up for sale on the weekend (asking somewhere in the £2.8-3k region) once I've swapped out the crank sensor (common, but fiddly issue), cleaned it properly and taken some photos.
If anyone has, or knows of a C124 (ideally 6cyl) up for sale, do please get in touch via my profile.
My CLK430 will be going up for sale on the weekend (asking somewhere in the £2.8-3k region) once I've swapped out the crank sensor (common, but fiddly issue), cleaned it properly and taken some photos.
If anyone has, or knows of a C124 (ideally 6cyl) up for sale, do please get in touch via my profile.
Lots of the things people worry about on these cars are not a huge problem and, at the same time, they overlook expensive items…
Aircon is very rarely an issue, whether it's aftermarket or not. If the evaporator has failed it's a dash-out job, so uneconomical, but that's the only real gotcha
All the late M104 engines (280, 320) will have had new wiring looms by now, or will require one at some point. Many of them are NLA and the last price I got for one was £1517 + VAT so this is an issue to check carefully
320s and (I think) 300-24s have fixed balljoints so replacing them means replacing the entire wishbone
Six-cylinder cars are hard on front tyres, springs, wishbone bushes & engine mounts and most of the cars I see now need some or all of these replacing
Many genuine parts have become extremely expensive in the last couple of years so refurbishing a car properly is an expensive business
I'd buy the best you can afford and look after it. The idea of buying a half-nice car and spending money on it is, in my opinion, the very worst approach
Nick Froome
Aircon is very rarely an issue, whether it's aftermarket or not. If the evaporator has failed it's a dash-out job, so uneconomical, but that's the only real gotcha
All the late M104 engines (280, 320) will have had new wiring looms by now, or will require one at some point. Many of them are NLA and the last price I got for one was £1517 + VAT so this is an issue to check carefully
320s and (I think) 300-24s have fixed balljoints so replacing them means replacing the entire wishbone
Six-cylinder cars are hard on front tyres, springs, wishbone bushes & engine mounts and most of the cars I see now need some or all of these replacing
Many genuine parts have become extremely expensive in the last couple of years so refurbishing a car properly is an expensive business
I'd buy the best you can afford and look after it. The idea of buying a half-nice car and spending money on it is, in my opinion, the very worst approach
Nick Froome
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