So Paul, why did you not get the 4matic to grace your E430? I believe the post 1997 design was much improved.
Tell you what: my biggest regret is forgoing the 4matic during my purchase. I was reluctant to fork out $2K plus possibly another $3-4K within 5 years to fix a broken AWD which most AWD experience. This January after 12 in snowfall, I walked 3 blocks home because my rear wheeled w210 could not make it home into my street. Maybe if you live in SoCal, foul weather is not a consideration. But in my book, performance is key. I just thought I ask.

Ok, the rest of the Folks, how come most people (on this forum) believe that the 124/126 was the last of the true blue blood line of the great MB’s. Simply put that all 2xx chassis are all but expensive POS (pardon my french). As a kid, my old man used to say they don’t build them as they used to. I believed. Now that I am a man, I think that was a Myth. The W210 is as good as the W124 if not better. I believe that MB today still makes the best quality car than they have ever done. Ok, Ok, before you take my head off, please go check the statistics. MB quality did not go down, Lexus just raised the ante. Overall, is the W210 is a better car than W124?
I know there are some diehard W124/126 owners out there. Nevertheless, I do not understand why someone will prefer to buy a 15-year-old 1990 W124 to a 4-year-old W210. Other than paying $2K for the car and spend another $4-5K fixing it up, and it will still be a money pit on your hands.
So, for the (shy) 124 owners step out of your comfort zone, try a newer W210. You may like it and keep it for good. I did. So, will Paul. Enjoy

Just about any knowledgeable tech or indy shop owner who has been around for a while, will tell you that the quality, materials, and build on the 124 and 126 are far better than current and recent (210) cars. I have heard this same thing from so many different people, who know far more in-depth about the cars than I do (they repair and maintain them for a living) that I trust what they say, completely. They have no reason to lie.

Cheers,
Gerry

They don't have any reason to lie? One reason is that they make a living from fixing them, and from what one can observe on this board alone, the W124 will need plenty of repairs.

The "slow to respond" kickdown can be "fixed" by permanently closing/shorting the "kickdown" switch at the bottom of the accelerator. You can also swap the transmission's valve body from a C36 for longer "hold" througout the gears.

The problem with the W124 wagon's suspension I believe is in the bushings (same as the sedan), the spring & strut selection, and the swaybars.

Bilstein HD's really improve the "floaty" feel, without IMHO, being too harsh.

I like SportLine springs and a 500E rear swaybar.

The 190E 2.3-16v bushings for the front & rear controls arms are so much better in allowing for road-feel (BMW-like).

My W124 wagon will out-corner a Volvo wagon now.

:-) neil

Let me restate it -- my FRIENDS who are shop owners and technicians at several shops up and down the West Coast have no reason to lie to me.

Cheers,
Gerry

whoa whoa whoa. can I do this to the W124 E420?

Any negative side effects? And how exactly would I go about shorting it out; you mean to literally remove the switch and bridge the connection?

Try putting a set of snow tires on your W210 and you won't have any regrets forgoing the 4matic.

I bought my E320 used from San Diago. The previous owner put a set of high performance Michelins on it. When I drove it back to Chicago and experienced the first snow fall with it, the car would not get from my driveway into my garage. I purchased a set of Michelin Pilot Alpines snow tires and put them on a seperate set of rims so that I can change them out in the summer. I could not believe the difference, in the snow and ice the car handles likes its on dry pavement.

__________________
Ray
1998 Mercedes E320, 200K Miles
2001 Acura 3.2TL, 178K Miles
1992 Chevy Astro, 205K Miles

PA2TU,

Several of your points are spot-on, and I agree completely. Even the part where you encourage W124 owners to try something new is good advice. With regards to the 124 being the last "blue blood" platform, I suspect a violent horde of 123 owners would take exception. It's all relative.

What is not subjective is that the Mercedes build quality dropped after the merger, leveled off, and has recently (2002-2003) risen to previous levels. I imagine any rational W124 owner would not blackball every 2xx, just MY97-98 and possibly to MY2000.

Ready for a crash course in business and economics? No-one in Stuttgart has been chasing Lexus around the block with a copy of Consumer Reports in their hand. The quality issues have everything to do with improved margins to substantiate the merger for majority shareholders. There are a limited number of ways to improve margins a few points without affecting quality. You can force a temporary margin increase using cheaper materials, but the bottom will always fall out on any long-term ownership item (like a vehicle).

That is what DCX learned after the early 2xx vehicles had been on the market for a few years, not how to better compete with Lexus.

The margin on any DaimlerBenz vehicle manufactured prior to 1997 was much smaller than an equivalent platform today. Not a coincidence, 1997 was the first year the integration process went from paper to plant. The Germans made two significant changes that led to much higher margins per vehicle: 1) full automation of the stamping and assembly plants, and 2) selection of a lower-cost supply chain.

The former has paid off in spades, the latter had some negative consequence (see the latest mass recall).

I have no regrets spending money on and fixing my W124. Total expenses including purchase are approximately $15k USD during the past two years. It is a somewhat unique vehicle on the road, represents a good example of German engineering, and should last quite some time.

Enjoy the ride, fellow Mercedes owner.
-DM

__________________
1995 E420 SE black/black
2004 Volvo V70R AWD

Paul:

Thanks for the writeup...

...and the rest of you who chimed in...thanks for the insights!

I am struggling with the same decision. Replacing the old W124 with a W210.

I am staring down a list of minor anomalies that would probably run in excess of $3K if I just hand the keys over to my indie. But it's paid for, and I just got comfortable enough to do a lot of the repairs myself...when I can find the time.

__________________
2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

Just checking to see if this question ever got answered - I'd be very interested to understand how this was done and what, if any, operational issues there might be with having the kick-down switch shorted permanently.

Thanks,

Rick in Raleigh

yeah I dont know. I didnt get an answer. Maybe a new thread is in order to find out for sure.

Yep, short it permanently. It works on my C36 and 500E tranny.

FWIW, the Porsche 928 w/automatic trannys (Mercedes supplied) have been doing this for years.

I've been doing it for a year, and all is well.

In short, it will "kick-down" sooner rather than waiting for you to depress the accelerator all the way down.

:-) neil

[evil voice]
exceeeeeeeeeeelcellent.....Bwaaaa haaa haaa haaaaa
[/evil voice]

Here's the write-up:

http://members.rennlist.com/v1uhoh/kickdown.htm

:-) neil

Like a number of the posteres here, I've got one each of the W124 and W210. Although this isn't an apples-to-apples comparison as the 124 is the E420 and 210 is an E320. That difference noted, for pure driving pleasure the W124 wins out IMHO.

I agree with the observation that the 210 is more upscale Japanese in mannerisms. Still has a lot of the Teutonic touches (the in-line six is a great engine), but road manner are more sedate. Driving position is higher than the 124 and in takes a couple blocks to get myself in tune with the car when I make the transition. Build quality is good. 55,000 miles m/l and one set of front pads and one engine code issue are all the expenses. Frequent bulb failures are annoying, but they all seem to be different bulbs.

The 124 is just hitting 60K miles. A couple electrical matters last year (starter lock out relay). Replaced front pads only because the original pads generated too much brake dust for me and went with Potterfields. The door panel pocket vinyl was peeling on the top edge (chronic, I understand) and dealer found me 2 new ones. Fantastic improvement. Did rotor, bracket and caps this weekend and having the rear bumper repainted this week. Wheel alignment last week (probably the first since the car rolled off the dealership) was overdue. Road manners and desire to just "go" are unreal. Not as brutally fast as GVZ's E500, but high fun meter quotient.

For those struggling with the decision on what to do with an aging 124, I’d suggest looking around. There are a number of ’94 & ’95 models (320’s and 420’s) out there with mileage in the 50K to 60K. My advise is find the best low mileage one you can, do your due diligence, pay the premium for the best example and drive it for 5-6 more years. This doesn’t solve the “what do I do when the 124’s are gone?” issue, but it does postpone it.

Ciao for now,

__________________
KyGuy
'04 E500 Brilliant Silver/Ash (50K)
'01 ML320 Desert Silver/Parchment (67K)
'99 C230 Kompressor Black/Black (62K)
'93 Mitsubishi Montero (134K)(Home Depot Express)


'70 6.3 Gold/Tobacco (128K) (sold and now in Germany)
'94 E420 Silver/Blue (80K) - Sold
'97 E320 PearlBlack/Parchment (77K) - Sold
'66 300SE Coupe (owned 2002-2003)