I was asked in a private Email to compare these two cars. I thought that it might be of interest to others.

My 300E 5 speed manual has been down for several months now, and I just put it back on the road yesterday. In the time that it was down I drove enough different cars to sort of forget what the 124 car was like. I drove two Audi A4's, one with sport suspension and one without on the Autobahn in Germany for over 2,500 km between them. I drove my Vette a good bit, my pickup, my daughters 300D, my wife's 4runner, etc. So getting back in the 300E was almost like a new experience.

The last car that I've driven before going back to the 124 car was 4,500 miles in my C240 Six Speed.

This morning I drove the 124 car about 90 miles through winding country roads, wide two lane and freeway driving.

When I first drove the C240 (remember, it had been quite a few miles since driving the 124 car) I felt a lot of similarity and relationship to the 124 car. Other than the rattle when closing the door in the C240, it has the same "cast out of one piece" solidity. It also shares cornering precision. The cars are within 1 or 2 percent of each other in weight.

Comparing these two cars is even more difficult, because I have added a number of Sportline suspension pieces to the 124 car. The C240 has the standard suspension with the "granny going for groceries" ride. With either car, however, after they are firmly set into a corner (corners and roads that I know well) they provide absolute precision response.

I don't know if there is something not quite right with the 124 car, but it does not seem to have the same spritely acceleration as it used to. I don't know if this is because the C240 feels stronger, or if I have just forgotten what the 124 car feels like. When I used to get out of a diesel into it, it felt like a rocket ship. Like I say, this may be something wrong with the 124, or it may just be the difference between the feel of the power curve between them.

The last difference I will note has to do with the steering wheel and gearshift. Although they both respond well, until driving the C240, I never noticed that I had to reach for the gearshift in the 124 car. I actually have to lean forward out of my seat to reach fifth gear. The C240 gearshifts center position falls exactly under my hand with my arm resting naturally on the arm rest. The steering wheels shape, size and location feel like a truck compared to the C240. When putting the transmission into a gear on the C240 you don't get a feeling that the transmission went solidly into gear. The 124 gives you sort of a detent feeling that makes you feel certain that it is solidly in the gear you selected. But the C240 shifts silk smooth with a very short throw, and easy to master six speed.

I remember the first time I got into my 124. It was the first one I had ever been inside of, and it was such a drastic improvement over a 123 car. Although the improvement of the C240 car over the 124 is not as great, there is definitely an improvement. After all, the C240 is built with the latest technology. The 124 was built with much newer technology than the 123 car.

All in all, I believe that the C240 is a superior car.

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Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles