Ch-Ch-Changes (of car)

mike65

I've had enough of my Merc 190e and have decided to find something else.

The choice is narrow. Basicly I'm after a late w124 saloon 2.0 16v with auto and toys, having shuffled through the usual online pages nearly all the good propects are miles away near or in Dublin which is a pain for viewing and collecting. example (on a side note its facinating how values can veer - one model for less than 4000, the same elsewhere for over 6000!). Other main possiblity is to get a mid 90s BMW 520 I've spotted one in Kilkenny which would fit the bill.

Any thoughts on either car pref from those who have been there done that. And if anyone knows of same model(s) for sale in the South East please say.

Mike.

Seth Brundle

mike65 wrote:

Other main possiblity is to get a mid 90s BMW 520 I've spotted one in Kilkenny which would fit the bill.

There are loads of E34 520i cars out there but to be honest I would recommend the 525i (higher tax and insurance but worth it). However, these are less common than the 520i.
Seemingly the 525i gives better fuel consumption than the 2L sibling as it doesn't need to rev as much to do the same work.

RobAMerc

Personally, I would stick with the Merc.
While the beemer is probably dynamically the better car, BMW's tend to be softer and do not weather the milage as well as Mercedes, imo.
Thats why you'll always get something for an old Merc, older beemers tend to get chucked.
Both nice cars though.

phoenix_nights

I was in a simmilar mind a couple of months ago when trying to choose between a w124 estate or a 520 touring. The BMW was going to be more expensive (98 model) than a 94-96 w124. I liked the look of the bmw but had to take into consideration that a higher mileage car was gonna run into problems and the w124 had a superior reputation. The facelift 94 onwards w124 models got an uprated engine which was much more reliable than the rotting gaskets of the previous engine.

Bought a 94 E200 T, 141,000, 7 seater automatic with 12 months tax and 2 years NCT for 5,000. Perfect outside with the usual worn drivers seat. Would have loved to have gotten leather but choice of models is very very limited in the estate model.

After 2000 miles of driving i am quite happy with my decision and the car is a true joy to drive.

P.S. Saw a nice looking model for sale on buyandsell. If what he describes is accurate it would be worth the trip up to the big smoke

"Mercedes E200 2.0L 1994, Auto, only 98k miles, Irish Car, Newly Nct'd 03/07, one owner, e/s/r, e/w, c/l, metallic blue colour, Absolute mint condition inside and out, leather, only 2950 ono, 087-9254262 anytime "

P.P.S. Used to own a 190E aswell. The w124 is far superior

MercMad

W124 !

BMW doesnt compare well at all !

Anan1

If you do decide to go for the W124 then try to get a pre-facelift (Aug 93 build) one, as they are much more reliable. Have you considered a C-class?

mike65

A c class??????????? Yuck! Sorry, not a fan at all! I have heard that the 1990-1993 E Class is the most hardy, that may be down to the scare about bio-degrable wiring looms the latter 6 pots had. Trouble is the milage gets a bit scary as do the number of previous owners.

Mike.

BrianD3

Probably better to go for a pre 94 car as that way you won't need a working cat to pass the NCT. We all know how expensive replacement cats for exec cars can be.

I like the E34 and think it looks better than either the current 5 series or the one before that. I know of a couple of mint looking black E34s (not for sale) and they look great. But really for cars this age, condition and presence of some service history are more important than make.

Anan1

mike65 wrote:

A c class??????????? Yuck! Sorry, not a fan at all! I have heard that the 1990-1993 E Class is the most hardy, that may be down to the scare about bio-degrable wiring looms the latter 6 pots had. Trouble is the milage gets a bit scary as do the number of previous owners.

Mike.

I agree that the W124 looks better than the W202 C-class. That said, the W202 will give you the build quality of an early W124 with rather more modern dynamics. Anyway, if it doesn't do it for you then that's that, I suppose! If I were looking for a really good W124, I'd start with eBay. Richard at www.mercseller.com has some too, but he's a broker and isn't cheap. By the way, I wouldn't recommend importing a facelifted W124 from the UK. Biodegradeable paint and salted roads is not a good mix!

mike65

Ah the cat, had'nt thought about that. Pre 93 though is'nt it? Anyone got a date?

Mike.

Anan1

I'm guessing 1st of Jan?

mike65

You'd guess right

Mike.

BrianD3

Anything registered before 1st Jan 1994 is subject to the less stringent NCT emissions test. Eg hydrocarbon levels can be 200 ppm and you still pass but after 1/1/94 hydrocarbons must be down at IIRC 1 ppm to pass.

<edit> says so in the NCTS manual. However I think there is a discrepancy in that while all cars sold in the EU post 1st Jan 1993 will have cats fitted, 1993 cars don't need to have a working cat to pass the Irish NCT.

mike65

How Irish/NCTS is that?

Mike.

phoenix_nights

mike65 wrote:

I have heard that the 1990-1993 E Class is the most hardy, that may be down to the scare about bio-degrable wiring looms the latter 6 pots had. Trouble is the milage gets a bit scary as do the number of previous owners.
Mike.

According to all my research the post facelift models are the most reliable. They upgraded the engine so it didnt suffer from blown gaskets when the coolant was not changed regularly. Also has the updated bonnet and grill which looks much better.

But more importantly......especially if you have a passenger beside you......is that it has a passenger airbag. That is more important to me than some NCT test. Dont want to be responsible for someones smashed face!

Anan1

Good point about the airbag. I'm not so sure about the gasket thing - I do know that the 2.8 & 3.2 multivalve 6s have a reputation for blowing head gaskets. Do the 4 cylinder cars as well? On the other hand, any post-facelift W124 I've looked at has had at least some rust.

mike65

I was looking at a e220 this morning (it was parked on the side on the N25) and noticed very early signs of corrosion on the front drivers wheel arch. The latter ones have reputation for that.

Mike.

unkel

Tough call for ya Mike. You've probably got used to looking at the 3-pointed star at this stage

Some plain comparisons. BMW slightly quicker although a lot heavier (1485 vs 1360kg), probably because of better aerodynamics. Fuel consumption same. BMW has 6 pots. BMW has 5 speed auto vs 4 speed for the Merc. Merc built quality and reliability probably second to none. Merc very expensive for age compared to BMW. Merc bigger boot, BMW bigger tank

Would you consider an early E39? Will cost only a little bit more than the W124 (but twice as much as the E34)

BTW, didn't both have cats way before 01/01/1993?
Edit: yes both had cats in the 80s...

useeme

why not consider a w210? they came out in late 95.

unkel

General Motors wrote:

why not consider a w210? they came out in late 95.

Probably outside of budget...

Anan1

General Motors wrote:

why not consider a w210? they came out in late 95.

Reliability's not supposed to be great, either. Mercedes appear to have lost their way in 94, in terms of build quality.

phoenix_nights

unkel wrote:

Probably outside of budget...

And whilst the w124 suffered slightly from some rust around front side panels the w210 suffered horribly from rust owing to mercedes not using lead(i think) anymore in their paint. Check out any w210 boot !

I would have loved a 98 touring myself but wanted a reliable cost effective long distanced traveller and the w124 was it .

mike65

Would'nt touch a w210 if you paid me. The number of issues that model has is as long as your arm, as said after w124 things went downhill as Mercedes packed loads of electronic bits into the design while cutting costs (you can blame Lexus!) A bad mix.

Unkel, I'm not a fan of any post e34 bimmers. Too darned soft looking.

Mike.

ps as noted the rust problem is famous (the rear wheel arches crumble and the water based paint is poor too)

maidhc

Are you sure it is a good idea to sell the car you know and buy something that could have all sort of latent problems, especially when your chances of picking a clean one with very low mileage and a good history (under 60k say) are remote enough 12 years after production ceased.

Having said that I know a guy with a white 2.0 automatic w124 with very small mileage, so they can be found.

Anan1

maidhc wrote:

Are you sure it is a good idea to sell the car you know and buy something that could have all sort of latent problems, especially when your chances of picking a clean one with very low mileage and a good history (under 60k say) are remote enough 12 years after production ceased.

People who like cars like changing cars. And if we didn't like cars then we wouldn't be here!;)

phoenix_nights

maidhc wrote:

Having said that I know a guy with a white 2.0 automatic w124 with very small mileage, so they can be found.

Even if they were giving it away i would run a mile away from a white mercedes:)

mike65

ROFL fridge white is a bad one, though the estate just about gets away with it.

Mike.

phoenix_nights

mike65 wrote:

ROFL fridge white is a bad one, though the estate just about gets away with it.

Mike.

Yeah i love my w124 estates and always thought that they looked ok in white. Dont know why. I see a white '91 estate driving around camden street the odd day.

Anan1

Doesn't matter what colour it is. All you can see from the inside is the silver three-pointed star...

useeme

Anan1 wrote:

Reliability's not supposed to be great, either. Mercedes appear to have lost their way in 94, in terms of build quality.

Not true, i drive a 97 W210, it has never let me down.

Its over-engineered in many departments, but its a damn fine car to drive!

phoenix_nights wrote:

And whilst the w124 suffered slightly from some rust around front side panels the w210 suffered horribly from rust owing to mercedes not using lead(i think) anymore in their paint. Check out any w210 boot .

The rust issue is overstated, not all W210's rust.

mike65 wrote:

Would'nt touch a w210 if you paid me. The number of issues that model has is as long as your arm, as said after w124 things went downhill as Mercedes packed loads of electronic bits into the design while cutting costs (you can blame Lexus!) A bad mix.

Most of these issue occur in cars built post 99-2000 (facelift models).

useeme

Anan1 wrote:

Doesn't matter what colour it is. All you can see from the inside is the silver three-pointed star...

You will never shift a white merc, and just to add to that, you will never shift a manual one either