I have a W210 and have been working on the Carlsson theme for it. But once accidently stumbled accross this picture of a W124 with the WALD kit and fell in love with it. Since I've been wanting to look into getting a cheap W124 and making it into a project. I need some of your expert opinions. I am mostly interested in the Coupe or Convertible.
1. What years are the best? worst?
2. Was the body changed? What year? Can it be facelifted easily?
3. What are the common problems? What to check when purchasing?
92 and up 500E's are pretty damn sexy, they ride a bit lower and wider than the standard 300E but maybe and pretty pricey from what i've seen. I'm no mechanic but from what i've seen on this board, headgasket is almost inevitable and the charging systems are marginal.
1. What years are the best? worst?
2. Was the body changed? What year? Can it be facelifted easily?
3. What are the common problems? What to check when purchasing?
1. IMO 92 & 95, I haven't had any major problems with my girls in a while.
2. Body changed 94-95, for a facelift, you need to upgrade to 94-95 headlights.
3. Headgasket as my260e mentioned, along with the wiring harness on the 94-95. Check for leaks, check the harness, strange noises? and check for any loose hoses.
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Last edited by battlecat714 : 12-01-2006 at 06:05 PM.
I have a W210 and have been working on the Carlsson theme for it. But once accidently stumbled accross this picture of a W124 with the WALD kit and fell in love with it. Since I've been wanting to look into getting a cheap W124 and making it into a project. I need some of your expert opinions. I am mostly interested in the Coupe or Convertible.
1. What years are the best? worst?
2. Was the body changed? What year? Can it be facelifted easily?
3. What are the common problems? What to check when purchasing?
Thank you all in advance.
there were no bad years; model years went '86-'95 with the facelifted cars appearing for the '94-'95 model years. later models have problems with their wiring harness, but you only need to change the harness once and you're set.
there were three flavors: 300E, 400E, and 500E (later E320, E420, and E500). the 300E (which actually came with several different 6-cylinder engines) was the volume seller and is a very pleasant car to drive. even today, it can hold its own against new cars and is a very pure, driver-oriented sedan.
the most bang for the buck is the 400E/E420, which had a V8 putting out 268hp in 1992 and 275hp in 1993-1995 ('94-'95 models had slightly more tourque). the 500E is a modern classic; it was co-built with porsche. just like when it was new, it's still rare and expensive. and fast.
facelifting is not easy -- the 2ng-gen cars' hoods and grilles are shaped differently, as are the headlights. an easier mod for the 1st-gen cars is to swap out the US-spec headlights that have plastic surrounds with "euro" 1st-gen headlights that are all glass and look cleaner. even this isn't a simple swap, though, because the US-spec lights have different headlight wipers than the euro ones.
common problems are transmission and A/C, and, as mentioned above, the wiring harness on later models (i believe 1992-1995).
coupes and convertibles are considerably rarer than sedans; the convertibles in particular still sell for a hefty premium.
Guys thank you ALL very much. This info is just what I needed.
janos_z - How can I tell the difference between Gen 1 and 2 and US vs Euro models? As I gathered, it's head light, hood, front gril, and head light wipers? Is that it? Do you know if there are any pics?
just curious why u need w124 since u got w210 98 E320? which one is better?
thanks.
Don't get me wrong, I love my W210. BUT I think W124 and W140 is what Mercedes did and should look like. IMO all the new models look like ...., well let's just say I really don't like them. Please forgive me, if I offended anyone. I would love to get W124 or W140 and keep it, I doubt I will be buying any new MBs the way things have been going. Again, it's just my opinion.
thanks for ur opinion.
i'm glad if u can tell us about the problems of new MB model.
i love my w124 and w201.
anyone can tell what is the difference for the new and mb and our w124?
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