bhp: Mercedes Benz W124 (1984 -1995)

For a few months now, I have been considering a Merc W124. Built from 1984 through 1995, the earliest W124s are already 25 years old. This is widely known as the last over-engineered Mercedes Benz and are almost bullet-proof. Unlike the later models, where many of which continue to have reliability issues. The W124 has been tested to run in excess of a million miles with many real-life examples around the world, spotting more than 500,000 miles and still running strong. These were also the last car where Mercedes literally dipped the entire car into chemicals for rust-proofing. That explains the 30 years warranty against rust and how most W124s on the road today have developed little and mostly no signs of rust.

Fifth Gear – Mercedes Benz – W124 300TE – Pt.1 (Build Quality – Ageing)

Built like a tank, the entry level 200E with 8 valves delivered a mere 104bhp and was not meant to be a sprinter. In 1993, the W124 saw an update to the renamed E200 with 16 valves. even with an additional 30 horses to bring the last W124 E200 to 134bhp, the Merc is not going to be outrunning any modern day car with a 1.4litre engine. A 0-100km/h sprint takes an agonising 14 seconds. A modern day Kia Picanto can do much better in that department.

Fifth Gear – Mercedes Benz – W124 300TE – Pt.2 (Electronics)

So why am I considering a tank from the 80′s? Or a fat old lady as some would say? Not as a sprinter or headturner but purely as a reliable daily drive. With prices starting from under 15k for the earlier 200E to 30k for the later E200, I’m expecting the W124 to be extremely hardy and largely fuss-free. Surely, it’s going to feel like a tank on the road and the strong structural integrity will translate to about 7.5km-9km to the litre.

Fifth Gear – Mercedes Benz – W124 300TE – Pt.3 (Structure)

The downside here is most Mercs come standard with an automatic transmission. I doubt a manual will be much fun anyway given the shy powerplant. Though the w124 does look dated by today’s standards and is seriously under-powered, it’s definitely a high-value daily drive for the build quality and sound engineering. Granted, finding the car with reasonable pricing and a renewed COE today isn’t all that hard. If I would to settle for a W124, it would be a post ’93 16v fuel injection 4cylinders model. The pre ’93 8v carburetor models on the other hand are truely the most hardy and easiest to maintain in the entire w124 production line.

Fifth Gear – Mercedes Benz – W124 300TE – Pt.4 (Bomb-Proof)

This entry was posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at 19:34 and is filed under automobiles, videos and tagged with bullet proof, Fifth Gear, kia picanto, last car, Mercedes Benz, mercedes benz w124, mercedes w124, reliability issues, rust proofing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.