Quote:
Originally Posted by Will_w202
Owning an older Mercedes is an emotional decision.
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I agree with this notion completely.
The W124 is the last Mercedes prior to the Lexus era. That was an era when Mercedes answered to no one. BMW really wasn't much competition in this era either.
In addition, the W124 was a radical break from the W123 and still retains that unique "aero" look and conitnues to expose the W123s for the boat anchors they became in 1986.
The W124/300E (not 260E) is the last Mercedes sedan worth keeping around because of this IMHO. Nobody will ask this question about a W210 or later E-class in the future--they'll all be scrapped without question when their repairs reach their remaining value I'd bet.
But, the fact remains, W124s are today most all about ready for scrapping and as everyone knows there are lots of repairs to be done to bring them up to speed. Their features and creature comforts are almost nothing compared to current models and lots of the new things on the new models are quite nice to have and for sure the W210 is a way improved car over the W124.
Yup, it's an emotional decision.
You can maybe get by with less yearly expense with the 300E than with a newer car on which you're still suffering resale value depreciation. But, you'll be driving a funny old car that only you care about and which is really missing all the latest advances and really doesn't get good fuel mileage. And, if it gets wrecked, your insurance company won't be much help in restoring your pride and joy unless you're prepared to buy special insurance.