Modern classic as alternative for daily driver

[Theclarinettist]

I have to replace my car due to the pch coming to an end in Jan. The original plan was to spend around £10k for a 3 year old family car (must be petrol and auto).

Turns out my timing is awful and the much discussed used car price rise has made that unlikely, and I really don’t want to spend much more.

As an alternative I’m considering something like this:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107315...

Annual mileage only around £5k, although as non diyer I would be reliant on independent Mercedes specialists, of which there seem to be a few recommended around Reading.

Any thoughts? I’d be looking to hold onto it for a good few years, and somehow this seems a better alternative than a 6 year old golf which would be 10 years old soon!

[ChrisH72]

Not a bad idea at all.

The W124 is well known for being solid and reliable and it’s more interesting than most things you’d get for £5k.

If your mileage is low and you’re prepared for the odd bill then go for it. Depends on your circumstances but the only things that might put me off a classic is rust and the worry that it might let me down. A daily driver does need to start every morning.

[AndrewCrown]

Looks nice…

You will find on here a few w124 owners (including me) who keep these going admirably

[biggbn]

The big Volvo saloons and estates are worth a shout too. I ran a 940 lpt that had only covered 30k miles for a while and it was extremely capable, the 200, 900 and 800 series are all useable daily and will be cheaper than a w124...excellent though they are!!

[samoht]

Be aware that in the unlikely event that a 1991 car even has air conditioning, it probably won't work. Depends how bothered you are / how many long trips you like taking in summer.

As long as you understand you're buying an old exec car and it won't be the last word in connectedness (recirc ball steering), power or economy, seems good to me.

You're fundamentally trading depreciation for maintenance costs, financially; I suspect if you get a decent W124 you'll come out ahead on that basis.


Personally 300E over Volvo 740 any day - nicer interior, more sophisticated rear suspension, better engine.

But yeah, find a good example, find a good specialist nearby, and you should be well set I'd think. And if you change your mind it probably will be easy to sell for what you paid, as long as it's sound.

[23.7]

I ran a 94 R129 SL as a daily.

Try not to get too precious re paint work, and have a fallback position. Sometimes you have to wait a day or two for parts, indy garages may not have a courtesy car.

[ZX10R NIN]

Nice option or maybe go a bit modern:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104020...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106264...

[74merc]

That looks like a nice example and the owner’ s club badge on the windscreen is a good sign. The only thing that would concern me, is that pressing it into regular service might throw up a few issues, after a long virtually dormant period.

[Theclarinettist]

Thanks for the views everyone, much appreciated. Somehow the newer models don’t appeal to me as much!

Now I just need to be brave and go for it!

[g3org3y]

Theclarinettist said:

I have to replace my car due to the pch coming to an end in Jan. The original plan was to spend around £10k for a 3 year old family car (must be petrol and auto).

Turns out my timing is awful and the much discussed used car price rise has made that unlikely, and I really don’t want to spend much more.

As an alternative I’m considering something like this:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107315...

Annual mileage only around £5k, although as non diyer I would be reliant on independent Mercedes specialists, of which there seem to be a few recommended around Reading.

Any thoughts? I’d be looking to hold onto it for a good few years, and somehow this seems a better alternative than a 6 year old golf which would be 10 years old soon!

Definitely doable, I suppose it would depend on what you've had before and whether you'd miss the modern car creature comforts.

When I finished medical school I was dailying a 1986 E30 325i Cabrio. Mechanically it was very robust, it was the bodywork more than anything that suffered. Routine servicing and brakes I did myself but used a garage for bigger jobs (eg timing belt).

[samoht]

Theclarinettist said:

Now I just need to be brave and go for it!

Brave? How?

The reasonable worst-case outcome of buying a £5k W124 is still less expensive than either leasing or buying a newer car for £10k. Get it inspected, but otherwise you've little to lose IMHO.

[ARHarh]

Old cars used and maintained are strangely just as reliable as they were when new. The issues arise when they are not used enough, or not mmaintained because its not worth it. It does help if you can fix them yourself though as most garages will just see them as old bangers.

[Theclarinettist]

samoht said:

Brave? How?

The reasonable worst-case outcome of buying a £5k W124 is still less expensive than either leasing or buying a newer car for £10k. Get it inspected, but otherwise you've little to lose IMHO.

I’ve always been into cars but don’t have the time/skills to do anything mechanical. So it feels like a bit of a leap!

[alabbasi]

You can run a W124 daily but a W210 would be easier to live with if you can find a rust free example. 91 still used CIS injection which is reliable but thirsty. The later cars had modern fuel injection but also suffered from biodegradable wiring.

[Seeker UK]

A good W/S/C124 will cost a few pennies to buy, nowadays

I've been looking at the280/300se which seem good value at the moment. Have you considered one of them?

[samoht]

Theclarinettist said:

I’ve always been into cars but don’t have the time/skills to do anything mechanical. So it feels like a bit of a leap!

Understandable. I think as long as you can identify a decent local Merc specialist, you'll be fine - they should be able to sort out most things without breaking the bank.

[niva441]

Might be worth talking to Mark at MTSV, he should be able to guide you on the realities of running one as a daily driver. I think he may have a section about it on his website.

[alabbasi]

Seeker UK said:

A good W/S/C124 will cost a few pennies to buy, nowadays

I've been looking at the280/300se which seem good value at the moment. Have you considered one of them?

W126? Nice cars but they tend to nickel and dime you. Nothing major , just a lot of minor crap that you have to work on constantly. Much of this is because many of the decent parts suppliers have gotten out of the business of supplying parts for these cars, leaving only the sub standard parts suppliers in the game.

You'd be lucky to get 10,000 miles from ball joints and flex discs that used to last 100,000 miles when they were made by Lemforder. Some stuff like heater valves would break within weeks.

[Mr Tidy]

Theclarinettist said:

I’ve always been into cars but don’t have the time/skills to do anything mechanical. So it feels like a bit of a leap!

I love the look of that W124 300e in the link you posted.

Later E-Classes just don't appeal to me as so many of them look like rust-buckets, but you'd need to find a good Indy specialist to look after it.

My daily isn't a classic by any means but being a 55 plate BMW 330i it's also far from new. I've had it for over 2 years now and reallly like it, and I have two ex-Sytner specialists within 10 miles which helps no end!

[anonymous-user]

ZX10R NIN said:

Nice option or maybe go a bit modern:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202104020...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106264...

Both right in the middle of the rusty merc era though.